News
Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22, 2007
Ohio Lake Erie Commission awards
NEARLY $50,000 in grants
TOLEDO, OH
– The Ohio Lake Erie Commission has awarded a total of $49,980 to five
research projects that will benefit Lake Erie
and its environmental and economic resources.
Cleveland State University
will receive $10,000 to investigate nutrient structure of the Cuyahoga River
by collecting soils, sediment and surface water samples, analyzing phosphorus,
nitrogen and chloride content.
The National Center for Water Quality Research will receive
$10,000 for a project to test soil phosphorus levels in the
Rock Creek Watershed in Seneca
County. Testing will be
completed after summer wheat harvest or fall soybean harvest. Tillage and
manure application history of fields will be documented. The project will study phosphorus levels
at various depths in the soil profile. The
center will receive another $9,982 to collect data on
oxygen-depleted hypoxic water moving from offshore to nearshore areas around Lorain and Avon Point.
The data will be compared with meteorological conditions recorded at nearby
buoys and land-based weather stations in order to better predict when and why
these movements will occur.
Case Western Reserve University
will receive $9,999 for a pilot study of the prevalence of a lethal fish virus (VHS)
in Lake Erie yellow perch. Data will determine
at what time in the year and in what water conditions perch are most
susceptible to the virus. The study will be conducted in conjunction with a
similar project of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
The Cuyahoga County Soil & Water Conservation District
will receive $9,999 to establish riparian buffer strips on
residential property in the Rocky River Watershed, in accordance with the
watershed’s action plan. The program will supply homeowners along any
surface water in the watershed with tree and shrub seedlings, as well as
planning and planting advice.
These quarterly grants were traditionally limited to $10,000 or
less each and were generally awarded for one year unless the specific nature of
the project warranted a longer time period. However, the award ceiling was
recently raised to $15,000. Small grants may be used as seed money to test the
feasibility of larger research projects or to support other small projects. Small grant proposals are reviewed and
selected at each quarterly meeting of the Ohio Lake Erie Commission. New
applications are due by July 25.
The
commission was created to preserve Lake Erie's
natural resources, enhance its water quality and promote economic development
in the region. The director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources serves
as the commission's chairman. Additional members include the directors of the
departments of transportation, development, health, agriculture and the Ohio
Environmental Protection Agency. The commission oversees the Ohio Lake Erie
Protection Fund, which is the source of grant funding. This fund is supported
by Ohioans each time they purchase a Lake Erie license plate displaying the
Marblehead Lighthouse as designed by Ohio
artist Ben Richmond.
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For Further Information Contact:
Edwin J. Hammett, Executive Director;
Ohio Lake
Erie Commission
(419) 245-2514