GLIN==> Ohio State University's Stone Laboratory Offers Science Tours to Put-in-Bay Visitors throughout Summer

Ohio State University's Stone Laboratory Offers Science Tours to Put-in-Bay
Visitors throughout Summer

 

May 26, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

PUT-IN-BAY, OH-Families will have many opportunities to learn about Lake
Erie research, environmental issues that affect the lake, and the history of
Put-in-Bay throughout the summer thanks to several tours and programs hosted
by Ohio State University's Stone Laboratory.

 

Visitors can learn about the Lake Erie research underway at Ohio State
University's Stone Laboratory and see Cooke Castle during a Science and
History Tour offered every Wednesday, June 22 - August 17 from 11:00 a.m. to
1:00 p.m. Venturing over to Stone Lab's Gibraltar Island, groups will take a
guided tour of the island and see Perry's Lookout, the glacial grooves,
Stone Lab buildings, and the castle's exterior. The second part of the tour
offers a close-up look at research conducted at Stone Lab.

 

To reach Gibraltar, visitors should meet at the Boardwalk Restaurant Harbor
Taxi Landing on South Bass Island by 10:45 a.m. and catch a water taxi for a
round-trip cost of $6. Tours are provided on a first-come, first-served
basis, with a maximum of 75 people. A $10 tour fee supports Stone Lab
student scholarships. For an additional $10, participants can order boxed
lunches to enjoy after the tour. Orders must be placed when arriving on the
island.

 

Visitors also have the opportunity to tour the South Bass Island Lighthouse
and learn about its history from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. on Mondays and
Tuesdays, June 20 - August 16. For $3, visitors can climb the stairs to take
in a great view of Put-in-Bay from the top of the tower, which appears on
the National Register of Historic Places. There are opportunities to speak
with Stone Lab staff about Gibraltar Island and pick up some Ohio Sea Grant
publications. Visitors can also see displays about Ohio's geological past
and Lake Erie current ecosystem and research issues.

 

The Aquatic Visitors Center, nearly one mile west of downtown Put-In-Bay,
offers an up-close look at Lake Erie. Families can inspect Lake Erie's
complex ecosystem through hands-on displays, observe and identify live fish
in aquaria, and learn about current research. Children under age 16 can fish
from the pier and Saturday programs introduce kids to science. The center is
open 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, June 22-August 20 and
admission is free. For more information about the Aquatic Visitors Center,
visit  <http://www.ohioseagrant.osu.edu/avc> ohioseagrant.osu.edu/avc.

 

Most Thursday evenings, from June 16 through August 11, Stone Lab will host
guest lectures on a variety of current research projects and Lake Erie
issues. Each lecture will begin at 7:45 p.m. and last until approximately 9
p.m. Guests are invited to take a Lake Erie Water Taxi, at their own
expense, at 7:15 p.m. from the Boardwalk Restaurant dock to Gibraltar
Island, where they will be given a short tour before the lecture.

 

"Research, education, and outreach are the cornerstones of the Ohio Sea
Grant mission," points out John Hageman, Stone Lab Co-Manager. "These
outreach activities allow fresh research information to be translated from
the investigators to the general public in layman's terms so they can
appreciate some of the efforts underway at our field station. It allows
members of the public to understand their own role in environmental
stewardship and help us spread this information to other interested
parties."

 

To learn more about the tours or lectures, contact the Stone Lab Bayview
Office at 419.285.1800 or visit
<http://stonelab.osu.edu/tripsandtours/island-tours/>
stonelab.osu.edu/tripsandtours/island-tours. Ohio State University owns and
manages Gibraltar Island and the South Bass Island Lighthouse, and operates
the Aquatic Visitors Center through a partnership with the Ohio Department
of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife.

 

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 Lab, visit
<http://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/_cms/news/ohioseagrant.osu.edu>
ohioseagrant.osu.edu.

 

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Contact:

 

Stone Laboratory's Bayview Office at 419.285.1800.

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