GLIN==> Ohio Sea Grant Offers Close-Up View of Lake Erie Science, Tourism to Local and State Legislators

Ohio Sea Grant Offers Close-Up View of Lake Erie Science, Tourism to Local
and State Legislators

 

August 11, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

PUT-IN-BAY-Ohio State University's Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Laboratory
hosted more than 130 local and state elected officials and legislators and
representatives from nearly 40 organizations during its 19th Legislative
Days on Lake Erie August 4 and 5, at Cedar Point and Put-in-Bay. Ohio Sea
Grant joined forces with Lake Erie Shores and Islands Visitors Bureau to
host and coordinate the event.

 

The event began with a luncheon at Cedar Point, where co-hosts Ohio Senator
Mark Wagoner (R-Ottawa Hills) and Ohio Representative Dennis Murray
(D-Sandusky) spoke about the importance of Lake Erie and Ohio Sea Grant's
and Stone Lab's accomplishments and introduced the third host, Ohio State
University President E. Gordon Gee.

 

"Stone Lab has been a stellar guide to preserving and enhancing the quality
of Lake Erie since 1895," Gee said. "Our research and education efforts
through Sea Grant and Stone Lab have developed solutions to many of the
critical problems and challenges facing Lake Erie and the Great Lakes. As a
Land Grant and Sea Grant University, that is our job, and it has created
valuable learning opportunities for our students."

 

Participants discussed the importance of science education and tourism and
learned how caring for the environment encourages tourism, which boosts the
economy. They also spoke with experts about harmful algal blooms, the dead
zone, endangered species, aquatic invasive species like the zebra mussel and
Asian carp, and went on a short science cruise on Lake Erie to gain hands-on
experience pulling a fish trawl and collecting plankton samples to observe
harmful algal blooms.

 

On Friday morning, tours to Middle Bass, South Bass, and Kelleys islands let
participants explore many of Lake Erie's rare features, including Middle
Bass Island State Park, Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial,
and Kelleys Island's glacial grooves.

 

"Our hope is that as our elected officials return to Columbus and
Washington, D.C. to make decisions, they will bring with them the firsthand
experiences and knowledge they gained during their visit to our Great Lake,"
said Melinda Huntley, Ohio Sea Grant Extension Tourism Program Director.
"There's nothing like a day spent measuring water quality and talking with
some of our nation's top Lake Erie scientists to give our decision makers
what they need to make wise decisions and lead change."

 

A luncheon on South Bass Island where speakers highlighted Ohio tourism
brought the event to a close.

 

"A sustainable environmental commitment really supports economic development
because it supports tourism," Murray said. "This event gives us a picture of
how recreation plays an important role in the economy."

 

Wagoner agreed, saying that attracting visitors starts with making people
aware of what the state and Lake Erie have to offer. "We hope you come
back," he told the participants. "We want to make coming to the islands a
regular part of what people do."

 

Photos from the event are available here: go.osu.edu/legislativedays2011.

 

Along with Ohio State University, Ohio Sea Grant, and Lake Erie Shores &
Islands, sponsors of the event included Cedar Point, Friends of Stone
Laboratory, Jet Express, Miller Boat Line, Ohio Tourism Roundtable, The
Perry Group, Put-in-Bay Township, Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce, Village of
Put-in-Bay, Columbia Gas of Ohio, The Crew's Nest, Lake County Visitors
Bureau, Nationwide Insurance, Ohio Wine Producers, Wholesale Beer & Wine
Association of Ohio, and Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial.

 

Located on the 6.5-acre Gibraltar Island in Put-in-Bay harbor, Stone
Laboratory is The Ohio State University's Island Campus on Lake Erie and the
education and research facility of the Ohio Sea Grant College Program. The
Ohio State University's Ohio Sea Grant Program is part of NOAA Sea Grant, a
network of 32 Sea Grant programs dedicated to the protection and sustainable
use of marine and Great Lakes resources. For information on Ohio Sea Grant
and Stone Laboratory, visit  <http://www.ohioseagrant.osu.edu/>
ohioseagrant.osu.edu.

 

###

 

Contact:

 

Melinda Huntley, Ohio Sea Grant Sustainable Tourism Program Director,
419.366.4391,  <mailto:huntley at coastalohio.com> huntley at coastalohio.com.

 

Larry Fletcher, Lake Erie Shores & Islands West, 800.441.1271 x-223,
<mailto:larry at lake-erie.com> larry at lake-erie.com.

 

Jeffrey Reutter, Ohio Sea Grant, Director, 614.292.4364,
<mailto:reutter.1 at osu.edu> reutter.1 at osu.edu.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.great-lakes.net/lists/glin-announce/attachments/20110811/391b1dc7/attachment.html