Flint, MI — A federal grant of $815,700 for work at Pierce Park Nature Preserve (PPNP) was recently awarded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation “Sustain Our Great Lakes” program.
Michigan State University teamed up with 501c3 nonprofit Pierce Park for the project “Restoring Wetland and Terrestrial Habitat to Improve Green Spaces and Water Quality” in Pierce Park, MI. MSU Landscape Architecture faculty, Dr. Wonmin Sohn and Dr. Jun-Hyun Kim secured the funding, which includes $815,700 and matching funds of $324,000 from the nonprofit Pierce Park Nature Preserve.
In total, $841,256 of local and federal funding has been secured for the project.
The value of the total project is nearly $1.4 million, which will run from Sept. 1, 2023, to Dec. 31, 2026.
The project will lead to the development of 12 acres of wet meadow and oxbow wetlands, seven culvert improvements, 6 acres of reforestation buffer, and 9 acres of prairie restoration along a mile of Gilkey Creek in the Flint park.
The project team includes Natural Community Services, LLC, an ecology firm that specializes in restoring natural areas in former golf courses. It is assisted by Landscape Architects and Planners, LLC, working in concert with government agencies to ensure best management practices. Pierce Park Nature Preserve and MSU will coordinate with community stakeholders and the City of Flint to hold community workshops and educational initiatives about urban wetlands and habitat restoration.
Mike Keeler, President of PPNP said, “Developing wetlands will help alleviate flooding issues in the neighborhood, and they will attract and support water birds, songbirds, and other wildlife. Additionally, we will plant more than 500 trees, and create pollinator meadows for Monarch Butterflies. That all adds more beauty to the park and makes it a great place to hike in the City of Flint.”
A multiyear grant award of $16,032 from the Neighborhoods Small Grants Fund and the Mary Elizabeth Adams Manley Beautification Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Flint funded the installation of barriers and a park gate. Habitat for Humanity, Flint BRAND invested $9524 to repair and install a metal pavilion roof and provide signage. As Pierce Park became more secure from crime and vandalism, volunteers focused efforts on ecological restoration.
Due to early support from Community Foundation, Habitat, and other community leaders, PPNP began to successfully leverage expertise and funding from state and federal resources.
“Community Foundation and Habitat opened the door to being taken seriously by other agencies,” Keeler stated. “With the NFWF SOGL (National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Sustain Our Great Lakes) award, we can begin restoring a healthy ecosystem in the park.”
Volunteers from the College Cultural Neighborhood formed PPNP, in partnership with the City of Flint, and created a 5-Year Strategic Plan based on the Imagine Flint Master Plan for Flint Parks for ecological restoration of the closed golf course.
In addition to the funding, volunteers continue to invest thousands of hours of effort, and donors provide thousands of dollars worth of in-kind contributions to reclaim the health and beauty of Pierce Park.
The 67-acre park features nearly two miles of natural trail along two streams, the Gilkey Creek and Robinson Drain. The park includes a native pollinator garden, a pavilion that hosts a summer music series, and opportunities to view wildlife in the city.