GLIN==> Lake Erie Day at Cleveland Boat Show to support OSU research, education

Lake Erie Day at Cleveland Boat Show to support OSU research, education 

January 12, 2010

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

COLUMBUS, OH - Support Lake Erie with your trip to the Cleveland Mid-America
Boat & Fishing Show on Lake Erie Day, Monday, Jan. 19, when one dollar from
each ticket purchased will benefit the research, education, and outreach
efforts of The Ohio State University's Ohio Sea Grant College Program and
Stone Laboratory. The Mid-America Boat & Fishing Show runs Jan. 15-24 at the
I-X Center, 6200 Riverside Dr. in Cleveland.  

 

This one-day event will feature a visit from Kristin Stanford, the Island
Snake Lady from "Dirty Jobs" with one or two of her squirmy friends; a Lake
Erie scavenger hunt; microscopes to observe Lake Erie microscopic life;
instruction on fly tying; and presentations on Lake Erie science.

 

As the warmest, shallowest, and biologically most productive of the Great
Lakes, Lake Erie is Ohio's most valuable natural resource. More than 50% of
all fish caught in the Great Lakes come from Lake Erie. The Ohio Sea Grant
College Program, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, led the effort to create 10 artificial reefs to provide
additional habitat for sport fish. These reefs, which dot the lake floor
north of Lorain and Cleveland, attract more than 60 times as many fish as
the surrounding non-reef areas and pay for themselves 2.75 times each year.

 

"Many people don't realize what an important role Lake Erie plays in our
regional ecosystem," said Show Manager Ken Alvey. "We want to spread the
word about all the great things going on at Sea Grant and are happy to
donate part of our admission price to the program. Our show is locally owned
and operated, and we are always looking for ways to give back to the
community."

 

Stone Laboratory, the nation's oldest freshwater biological field station,
located at Put-in-Bay on Gibraltar Island, OSU's island campus on Lake Erie,
was the base for the research that saved Lake Erie in the 1970s. Scientists
working from the lab have been able to unlock the mystery of the Dead
Zone―the bottom area with little or no oxygen that occurs in the summer
months―and determine the cause of harmful algal blooms that affect fish and
people alike.

 

"If you enjoy Lake Erie today, you benefit from the work of Ohio Sea Grant
and Stone Lab," says Dr. Jeff Reutter, Director of the Ohio Sea Grant
College Program. "This is your opportunity to give back to the lake and to
students, the next generation of Lake Erie managers."

 

###

 

Contact: 

 

Dr. Jeffrey M. Reutter, Director, Ohio Sea Grant: 614/292-8949,
reutter.1 at osu.edu, or 

 

Ken Alvey, President, Lake Erie Marine Trades Association: 440/899-5009,
kenalvey at sbcglobal.net        

 

 

Stacy Brannan

Associate Editor

Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Laboratory

1314 Kinnear Road

Columbus, OH 43212

614.247.7109

brannan.16 at osu.edu

 

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