GLIN==> NOTICE: March 16, 2005 Ohio Lake Erie Commission Meeting

["Jill Woodyard" <jill_woodyard@ameritech.net>]

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 9, 2005

 

 

OHIO LAKE ERIE COMMISSION SCHEDULES

QUARTERLY MEETING ON MARCH 16 IN DELAWARE, OH.

 

TOLEDO, OH – The Ohio Lake Erie Commission will hold its quarterly meeting at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 16, at the Ohio Geological Survey/Horace R. Collins Laboratory in Alum Creek State Park, 3307 S. Old State Road, Delaware, OH.

 

Commission members are expected to select the latest round of Small Grant projects and receive an update on the 2005 Large Grant cycle projects. Executive Director Edwin Hammett will provide a progress report on the implementation of the commission’s Lake Erie Balanced Growth Program, as well as other lake-related programs and issues.

 

David Mackey, chief of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (Ohio DNR) Office of Coastal Management, will update commission members on the programs sponsored by his office. Director Joe Koncelik of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) will report on the most recent meeting of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration.

 

All meetings of the Ohio Lake Erie Commission are open to the public and include a public comment period. Organizations and citizens are urged to attend this meeting and provide input on issues of concern. The Ohio Lake Erie Commission is comprised of the directors of the Ohio EPA and Ohio DNR, as well as the directors of the state departments of transportation, development, health and agriculture. It was established for the purpose of preserving Lake Erie’s natural resources, protecting the quality of its waters and ecosystem, and promoting economic development in the region.

 

The commission oversees the Ohio Lake Erie Protection Fund (LEPF) which is the source of grant money.  This fund is supported by Ohioans each time they purchase a Lake Erie license plate displaying either the Marblehead Lighthouse or the Toledo Harbor Lighthouse, designed by Lake Erie Artist Ben Richmond.  This money is used to fund grants that focus on improving the quality of Lake Erie and furthering the goals laid out in the Lake Erie Protection & Restoration Plan.  During the past 12 years, the commission has raised nearly $8.0 million for this fund through the sale of Lake Erie license plates.

 

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For Further Information Contact:

Edwin J. Hammett, Ohio Lake Erie Commission

 (419) 245-2514