Summer days at the beach. Waves washing upon the shore. A fishing line plopping in the water. Strolling along a riverbank.
These images evoke a sense of well-being and create a strong and enduring connection to place. Communities with a strong sense of place prosper. They attract workplace talent and business. Lake Huron and the Saginaw Bay, coupled with our dynamic river system, provide the Bay Area with access to special and unique natural resources – resources that improve economic vitality and provide a competitive advantage for our community. We must protect and use these resources wisely.
Toward that end, the Bay Area Community Foundation began meeting with shoreline community foundations and conservation partners in 2019 to discuss advancing water quality protection for healthy, sustainable communities on both sides of this great lake. We sought to create a unified voice for Lake Huron, solidifying its priority in Great Lakes basin-wide policy, funding, and programming decisions. Lake Huron Forever was born from these conversations.
Lake Huron Forever is an alliance of public and private partners – philanthropy, government, conservationists, indigenous peoples, and local communities – committed to the long-term preservation and improvement of Lake Huron and the freshwater bodies that flow into it. It focuses on the intersection between communities, the environment, and people. The Consumers Energy Foundation recently announced the Bay Area Community Foundation as one of four 2021 Planet Award recipients. A $75,000 grant was awarded in support of Lake Huron Forever’s work to combat the increasing threat of polluted stormwater, the fastest growing source of freshwater water pollution.
“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 applicants, we are thrilled to 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.”
Forever starts today.
