GLIN==> 2003 OHIO LAKE ERIE AWARDS

[Jill Woodyard <jill_woodyard@ameritech.net>]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 11, 2003

MAGEE MARSH VOLUNTEER GROUP AND A TOLEDO CONSERVATIONIST
RECEIVE THE 2003 LAKE ERIE AWARDS

Maumee River conservationist Susan Horvath and the Friends of Magee Marsh 
volunteer group have been named recipients of the 2003 Ohio Lake Erie 
Awards, according to the Ohio Lake Erie Commission.
The annual awards recognize one Ohio citizen and one organization for their 
commitment to the preservation and enhancement of Lake Erie and its 
coastline.
"These award recipients have contributed significantly to the restoration 
of Lake Erie and its tributaries," said Governor Bob Taft. "We commend 
their efforts in advancing the goals set forth in the Ohio Lake Erie 
Protection & Restoration Plan."
Horvath was nominated for the award by staff of the Ohio Environmental 
Protection Agency for her work in improving northwest Ohio streams - an 
ultimate benefit to Lake Erie. She joined the League of Women Voters in the 
early 1980s and became active in their Natural Resources Committee. As 
committee chairperson, she attended the first public meeting for the Maumee 
RAP and has been an active member ever since. She championed the effort to 
identify and remediate excessive landfills along the Ottawa River. Along 
with friend June Brown, Horvath became known as "the voice of the Ottawa 
River." She successfully advocated for monitoring wells on these landfills 
after they were capped in the late 1990s.
Established in 1997, the Friends of Magee Marsh is a non-profit group of 
about 125 volunteers who support Magee Marsh, Crane Creek Wildlife Research 
Station and the Sportsmen's Migratory Bird Center in Ottawa County. The 
group works to enhance wetland habitat and improve conditions for people 
and wildlife along the western Lake Erie coastline.
Each year, the friends participate in Adopt-A-Waterway projects, Coastweeks 
events and local beach clean-ups. They have purchased a weather station for 
the marsh, constructed observation areas and are in the process of 
completing a photo blind.
They also fund interpretive displays and educate visitors on birds that 
migrate through the marsh.
Established in 1995, the Lake Erie Awards honor those citizens and 
organizations that have worked diligently to enhance Ohio's Great Lake. In 
the years since, eight individuals and organizations have been recognized 
for their stewardship of this important natural resource. Nominating a 
person or organization for the award is a way of providing special 
appreciation to those who work to support the goals of the Lake Erie 
Protection & Restoration Fund.
The Ohio Lake Erie Commission, based in Toledo, is comprised of the 
directors of the Ohio departments of transportation, development, health, 
agriculture, environmental protection and natural resources. The commission 
was created to preserve Lake Erie's natural resources, enhance its water 
quality and promote economic development in the region.
-30-
For Further Information Contact:
Jill Woodyard, Ohio Lake Erie Commission
(419) 245-2514





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