Appropriations Requests for : Wayne County Conservation District

1. Cosponsoring legislators:

• Darrin Camilleri

Recipient Information

2. Intended legislatively directed spending item recipient:

Wayne County Conservation District

3. Physical address of legislatively directed spending item recipient and the intended location of the project or activity:

26360 West Rd, Brownstown Township, MI 48134

4. The recipient's employer identification number:

38-2067535

Funding Details

5. Requested amount of the legislatively directed spending item:

$3,700,000.00

6. What is the purpose and how does the legislatively directed spending item provide a public benefit that is an appropriate use of taxpayer money?

Sibley Prairie Acquisition and Restoration Project: The 440-acre lakeplain Sibley Prairie is located between Sibley, Telegraph, King, and Inkster roads in Brownstown Township as shown in the attachment. It is the largest remaining lakeplain prairie remnant, and the most ecologically significant prairie remaining in the State of Michigan. Less than 1% of the original extent of Michigan’s lakeplain prairie exists today. In addition to lakeplain prairie being rare in the State of Michigan, only occurring in southeast Michigan, lakeplain prairie is also globally rare. The Sibley Prairie is the rarest natural heritage site in Michigan. Historically, the Sibley Prairie was used by indigenous tribes and plains bison up to the late 1800s. The last plains bison was shot near the Sibley Prairie in 1882 and its hide is in the Flat Rock Museum. Today, the Sibley Prairie is habitat for federal and state endangered and threatened flora, birds, waterfowl, bats, reptiles, pollinators, and wildlife. The Sibley Prairie is a rare mosaic of prairie, oak openings, and forested wetlands. About 200 native plants including big bluestem grass, wild lupine, blazing star, etc., have been identified on the Sibley Prairie. There are state and federal threatened and endangered species in the Sibley Prairie such as the Karner blue butterfly and the Dukes’ skipper butterfly; 7 of the 9 bats in Michigan, two of which are state threatened, have been recorded; and there is Michigan’s endangered Henslow’s sparrow and the Michigan Special Concern prairie warbler. Simply put, this is an irreplaceable, biodiverse, living classroom of our natural heritage offering botany, biology, geology, ecology, and opportunities to study pollinators, migratory birds and resident birds, waterfowl, bats, turtles, reptiles, and wildlife. Acquiring the Sibley Prairie would complement the lakeplain Ojibway Prairie (Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve) across the Detroit River in Canada. The Ojibway Prairie Complex, a 350-hectare complex of nature reserves on the west side of Windsor, is the largest protected tallgrass prairie and oak savannah in Ontario. Recognized in the 1970s as an important natural area by the Canadians, Ojibway Prairie was established as a nature reserve. The Sibley Prairie, a sister prairie with the Ojibway Prairie in Canada, should one day be designated as a nature preserve in Wayne County.

7. Has the legislatively directed spending item previously received or been awarded any of the following types of funding in the past 5 years?

No previous funding received

8. Estimated time frame for completion of the legislatively directed spending item project:

Within two years of funds disbursement

Additional Information For Nonprofit Corporations

9. Is the recipient a nonprofit corporation?

Yes

4. Officers and active members on the board of directors:

Connie Boris - Executive Director Susan Bristol - Board Chair Robert Bucala - Board Director Lisa Norris - Board Director Evan Rosin - Board Director Nicky Marcot - Board Director Steven Dodge - Associate Director

Certification By Sponsoring Legislator

• "I certify that my immediate family members, legislative staff members, and I have no direct or indirect pecuniary interest in the requested legislatively directed spending item."
• "I certify that the intended recipient of this legislatively directed spending item is not a for-profit entity."
• "I certify that the information in this form is true to the best of my knowledge."

Senator Darrin Camilleri