Grants / Department of the Interior / Fish and Wildlife Service

F25AS00317 Crane Creek Lacustuary Restoration

Closed Closed January 23, 2026 Opportunity F25AS00317 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: F26AS00083 Aquatic Invasive Species Grants to Great Lakes States - Fiscal Year 2026 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (F26AS00083). Status: Closes December 31, 2026 (54 days left). It is in our archive of Fish and Wildlife Service notices from 2025.

• Award ceiling$1.5 million
• Award floor$1
• Total funding$1.5 million
• Expected awards1
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeGrant

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes and small businesses.

The Program reserves the right to reject projects that do not align with stated goals/objectives and program priorities. This funding opportunity will not fund land acquisition.

More grants for nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Great Lakes Restoration awards averaged $946,730; this notice allows up to $1.5 million per award.
• Most of the program's money (51% over five years) went to state and local governments.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

The Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge (ONWR) seeks to restore approximately 55 acres of wetlands in the lacustuary area of Crane Creek within ONWR. A total of $1,500,000 is available to conduct site assessments, engineering, design, permitting, and implementation including but not limited to site surveys, drawings, plans, permits, labor, materials, equipment, plantings, invasive species control, etc. Depending on estimated project costs determined during engineering and design, the project acreage will be adjusted to maximize the benefits to the Crane Creek lacustuary area. The long-term maintenance of this site will be the responsibility of the US Fish and Wildife Service (USFWS). The goal of the Crane Creek Lacustuary Wetland Restoration project is to demonstrate that fish and benthic habitat and populations can be improved in the many drowned river-mouths within the Maumee Area of Concern (AOC). This project will utilize restoration techniques such as submerged barrier bars/shoals and rock/earthen islands with fallen/dead tree installation. These features will allow water to move in and out of the site with seiche and river flows, creating fish and benthic habitat that benefit the natural aquatic environment which in turn will improve the water quality in Lake Erie for the citizens who utilize this resource. The Crane Creek Lacustuary Wetland Restoration project was conceived by a Team of regionally active habitat restoration experts, based upon their knowledge from other sites around the Great Lakes basin. This Team included restoration implementers and regulatory representatives from USFWS, US Geological Survey (USGS), Ohio Environemental Protection Agency (OEPA), Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Great Lakes Commission, Ducks Unlimited, Toledo Metroparks, Partners for Clean Streams, and several consulting firms. This project will be modeled after similar projects in the area including the Penn 7 Wetland Restoration project and the Maumee River Islands projects, as well as other successful projects in the Muskegon River and Detroit River AOCs. The Crane Creek – Frontal Lake Erie Hydrologic Unit (HU) contains Crane Creek, which flows northeast from near Dowling (Ohio), and is subsequently joined by Henry Creek, Little Crane Creek, Ayers Creek, and other unnamed tributaries before flowing through the ONWR into Lake Erie. The lower 5.9 miles of Crane Creek is a lake-influenced, lacustuary zone.

Category: Natural Resources.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, F26AS00083, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.