GRAND HAVEN, MI – Environmentalists hope a $600,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will help them find and eradicate the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), a tiny insect that’s damaging and killing Eastern Hemlock trees in West Michigan. The grant was awarded to the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission (WMSRDC) through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative earlier this month. “The Eastern Hemlock tree plays a crucial role in the forests in Michigan. Hemlock trees are long-lived and provide habitat for a large variety of birds and animals, offering both shelter and forage,” said Kathy Evans, an environmental program manager at WMSRDC.