The Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission (RPC), in partnership with WI DNR and two other Wisconsin RPCs, awarded $82,450 to nine Wisconsin communities for projects to mitigate the impacts of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Grant funds will support planting nearly 700 diverse trees to help local governments prepare and recover from EAB. The grant awards ranged from $2,400 to $20,000, with recipients providing at least a 25% match of the total project. This funding was made available through a U.S. Forest Service Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GRLI) grant received by Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission earlier this year.
For more information contact Ellen Clark (EllenA.Clark@Wisconsin.gov), Urban Forestry Communication Specialist, at 608-267-2774.
Where one chapter ends another begins. Su DaWalt, Urban Forestry Financial Specialist, is retiring from her work at Wisconsin DNR. In this role her primary responsibility was to coordinate the policy and implementation of our Urban Forestry grant and financing programs. She has implemented many process improvements to streamline and document the grant process for staff and potential applicants. She helped document and share other potential funding sources. Additionally, she worked with numerous partners, grant applicants and staff to improve, implement and train them in the various processes and materials. Su will be missed, but we know she will do amazing things in her retirement. 
