Courtesy photo A hemlock woolly adelgid crew member injects a hemlock with insecticide to prevent the tree from succumbing to the invasive insect.

LANSING — The State of Michigan announced that 27 projects will share $2.4 million in funding through the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program for efforts that address the prevention, detection, eradication and control of aquatic, water-based, and terrestrial (land-based) invasive species.

Support in every Michigan county

To date, over $42 million has been awarded to support 328 projects undertaken by units of government, nonprofit organizations and institutions.

The program – cooperatively implemented by the Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural Development; Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy; and Natural Resources – has four key objectives:

– Preventing the introduction of new invasive species.

– Strengthening the statewide invasive species early detection and response network.

– Limiting the spread of recently confirmed invasive species.

– Managing and controlling widespread, established invasive species.

This year, grants will support each of Michigan’s 22 regional cooperative invasive species management areas, the network of partnership organizations working to manage and control invasive species, actively serving all 83 counties in the state.

Each CISMA will receive $70,000 in annual support to provide education and technical assistance to landowners. Twelve CISMAs will receive additional funds for survey and treatment of high-priority invasive species including red swamp crayfish, water-primrose, wild parsnip, black swallowwort, knotweeds and kudzu. Grants to CISMAs represent $1.7 million in this cycle.