News Release
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 24, 2008
Ohio Lake Erie Commission awards
more than $80,000 in grants
to
five ORGANIZATIONS FOR RESEARCh AND REcreation
TOLEDO, OH – The Ohio Lake Erie Commission
has awarded a total of $82,554 to five projects that will enhance recreational
opportunities and increase knowledge of the lake’s ecosystem.
Case Western Reserve University will receive $14,992 for a two-year
study of sediment oxygen demand and its effect on lake water quality. The
results will be incorporated into the ECOFORE modeling framework, a five-year multi-disciplinary project
that began in 2006.
The Ashtabula Lighthouse Society will receive $15,000 to install a
floating dock at the lighthouse in order to allow greater public access and
increased visitation. Future plans are to restore the lighthouse as a
complement to nearby Geneva State Park Lodge & Conference Center, as well
as other area parks and beaches.
The U.S Geological Survey will receive $15,000 to add Edgewater Beach to the Ohio Nowcast, which
measures water turbidity and bacteria levels at beaches. The project will
install a probe on an existing nearshore buoy at Edgewater. The probe will transmit data to a remote
station and eliminate the need for beach sampling. The project will also
install a photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) measuring device at Huntington Beach. PAR has
been shown to reduce bacterial concentrations in the environment.
The U.S. Geological Survey will receive $12,880 to study
turbidity and its relationship to E. coli concentrations in the Cuyahoga River
within Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Recreational value of the river is often impaired by elevated bacteria counts.
This study will create a predictive model for more effective management of the
park’s water, while reducing the public’s risk of exposure to
bacteria.
Cinecraft
Production, Inc. of Cleveland
will receive $24,682 to produce a “Best Land Use Practices” DVD as
recommended by the Balanced Growth Blue Ribbon Task Force. The DVD will be
distributed to attendees at technical workshops held to instruct local
planners, developers and public officials about the Balanced Growth
Project.
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