The Au Sable Institute has been awarded a Planet Award from the Consumers Energy Foundation. The $125,000 award will support Au Sable’s “Good Things Grow Here” initiative, an effort to mobilize 3,600 people to complete 30 habitat restoration projects in Northern Michigan by 2024. Each restoration project will install 1,000 native plants, for a total of 30,000 native plants installed over the next three years in Northern Michigan.
“We are thrilled with this award and for the commitment of Consumers Energy to protect and restore Michigan’s land, water and air,” said Jon Terry, Au Sable’s Executive Director. “This award will allow us to expand programs that not only focus on educating people about conservation issues, but also engage participants in the act of restoring habitat in and around their home places.”
The Planet Award will support Au Sable’s innovative and successful Restoration Ecology for Young Students (REYS) program. The program provides conservation education for local 5th-8th grade students and results in students designing and implementing authentic restoration projects within their watershed.
“As a science educator, I am especially excited about the expansion of the REYS program,” said Paul Wiemerslage, Au Sable’s Environmental Education Coordinator. “Local students tour their watershed to learn about land use, conduct controlled investigations in the classroom, study native plants and then design and implement a habitat restoration project using the knowledge they’ve gained over the year.”
“Consumers Energy is dedicated to ensuring Michigan has world-class natural resources – and this means supporting the natural beauty that can be found throughout the state,” said Brandon Hofmeister, president of the Consumers Energy Foundation. “Out of an overwhelming number of worthy applications, we are thrilled to announce and support the 2021 Planet Award winners. We are confident these projects will significantly help preserve and protect Michigan’s treasured land, water and air for the enjoyment of current and many future generations.”
The full press announcement from Consumers Energy can be found here.