GLIN==> OSU to Reopen Aquatic Visitors Center This Summer

Ohio State University to Reopen Aquatic Visitors Center This Summer

April 22, 2009

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

PUT-IN-BAY, OH - This summer, the Aquatic Visitors Center will again open
its doors to the public, thanks to a partnership between the Ohio Department
of Natural Resources-Division of Wildlife and Ohio State University's Stone
Laboratory. The center joins Stone Lab and the South Bass Island Lighthouse
as landmarks operated by Ohio State in the Put-in-Bay area, giving visitors
a variety of ways to explore history while learning more about Lake Erie
science and research. 

 

The Aquatic Visitors Center on South Bass Island, formerly a State Fish
Hatchery, will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday,
June 18-August 23. Admission is free, with youth programs planned each
Saturday from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. The public is invited to fish for free from
the center's docks; children under age 16 can fish without a license. 

 

 "The Aquatic Visitors Center gives you a unique opportunity to get
face-to-face with live Lake Erie creatures as well as historical hatchery
artifacts, hands-on displays, and access to the fishing pier," says Tory
Gabriel, Ohio Sea Grant Fisheries Program Coordinator. "Rods and reels will
be available on loan and bait will be provided. It's great for families and
anyone who loves the lake and wants to learn more about it." 

 

In addition, Science and History Tours of Gibraltar Island and Stone
Laboratory will be held each Wednesday, June 17-August 19 from 11:00 a.m. to
1:00 p.m. A $10 tour fee supports Stone Lab student scholarships. To get to
Gibraltar, meet at the Boardwalk Restaurant Harbor Taxi Landing on South
Bass Island by 10:45 a.m. to catch a water taxi at a cost of $6 round-trip.
For an additional $10, participants can order a boxed lunch to enjoy after
the tour. Orders must be placed when arriving on the island.

 

Visitors can also check out the view from the South Bass Island Lighthouse
tower and learn about Lake Erie issues and the area's historical shipwrecks
every Thursday through Sunday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. starting June 18. The
final tours for the summer will be held Friday, August 21. Tickets are $2
per person to climb to the top of the lighthouse, free for children younger
than six.

 

For more information about any tour, contact the Stone Lab Bayview Office at
419.285.1800 or visit http://stonelab.osu.edu/tripsandtours/island-tours/.
Gibraltar Island, the South Bass Island Lighthouse, and the Aquatic Visitors
Center are owned and managed by Ohio State University.

 

The Ohio State University's Ohio Sea Grant program is part of NOAA Sea
Grant, a network of 30 Sea Grant programs dedicated to the protection and
sustainable use of marine and Great Lakes resources. For information on Ohio
Sea Grant and Stone Lab, visit http://ohioseagrant.osu.edu
<http://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/> .

 

###

 

Contact: 

Stone Lab Bayview Office, South Bass Island, 419.285.1800

 

Stacy Brannan

Associate Editor

Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Laboratory

1314 Kinnear Road

Columbus, OH 43212

614.292.8949

brannan.16 at osu.edu

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.great-lakes.net/lists/glin-announce/attachments/20090422/ce7037e0/attachment.html