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Feb
14
Written by:
news editor
2/14/2011 1:00 AM
Empowering Ohioans with knowledge on how to improve Lake Erie’s water quality is the focus of three educators whose jobs are being funded in part by grants from ODNR.
Educators will coordinate efforts to improve water quality and reduce negative impacts
SANDUSKY, OH– Empowering Ohioans with knowledge on how to improve Lake Erie’s water quality is the focus of three educators whose jobs are being funded in part by grants from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
Soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs) in Lucas, Ottawa and Lake counties will each have a full-time Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Education Specialist who will provide education programs and outreach activities to audiences such as homeowners, farmers, students and local decision makers. The goal is to encourage voluntary actions which will reduce the amount of runoff pollution entering Lake Erie and its tributaries.
Each education specialist position is being funded by a $25,000 grant from the ODNR Office of Coastal Management. Each grant is being matched with a combination of funding from the local SWCDs and the ODNR Division of Soil and Water Resources.
“Each county and watershed along Ohio’s coast has different topography, geology and land uses. The type of advice needed to address local pollution problems varies according to location,” said Office of Coastal Management Chief John Watkins. “Funding local positions will help address a high-priority issue in a direct and efficient manner while focusing on local solutions to local problems.”
Runoff pollution, or nonpoint pollution, is one of the biggest threats facing Ohio’s Great Lake. This type of pollution contributes to the impaired water quality, excessive algal blooms and beach advisories experienced in 2010 – particularly in the western basin.
“Nonpoint pollution is anything that gets washed into streams, rivers and eventually Lake Erie during rain events or snow melt. ‘Anything’ can range from lawn chemicals, fertilizers, road salts and petroleum products to sediment (dirt) and excessive nutrients from cities, malfunctioning home-sewage treatment systems and livestock operations,” said Ohio’s Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program Coordinator Matt Adkins.
Lucas County’s educator, Jamie Kochensparger grew up exploring the region’s coastal marshes. Her focus will be educating homeowners on how their individual actions, such as proper lawn maintenance, can improve our shared resource.
“The three questions people need to ask themselves are: 1.) Do I need to use this product? 2.) If I need to use it, is it the best product out there or are there newer, safer alternatives? and 3.) If I need to use it and I have the best product available, am I using it in the right amount, at the right time and in the right manner?” Kochensparger said citing a homeowner’s application of lawn fertilizer as an example. “You may think that you need to put phosphorus fertilizer on your grass because you’ve always put it on. But the only way to know if you need phosphorus is to test your soil. It may need something else or nothing at all. By not fertilizing you can save time, money and help the environment.”
In Ottawa County, Crystal Dymond will develop a model education program that can be used by other counties in the Lake Erie watershed. Dymond will focus her attention on the agricultural community. Her hands-on programs will demonstrate best management practices to keep pollutants, such as sediment, fertilizers and petroleum-based products, from reaching the waterways.
“By bringing the agricultural, rural, suburban and urban communities together on focused efforts to control runoff, we can collectively improve water quality,” Dymond said.
Lake County’s educator, Beth Landers, will focus on multiple groups but with a similar goal – having individuals make informed and responsible decisions.
“By changing little behaviors, we can improve the water quality of the streams and Lake Erie,” Landers said. Landers will work with lakeshore and streamside landowners on erosion prevention, and recreational boaters on implementing best boating practices. Landers will partner with various groups including school districts, Lake Metroparks and other local agencies.
To learn more about nonpoint pollution in Lucas County, contact Jamie Kochensparger at (419) 893-1966 or visit the Lucas Soil and Water Conservation District Web site at http://co.lucas.oh.us/index.aspx?nid=458.
In Ottawa County, contact Crystal Dymond at (419) 898-1595 or visit the Ottawa Soil and Water Conservation District Web site at www.ottawaswcd.com.
In Lake County, contact Beth Landers at (440) 350-2730 or visit the Lake Soil and Water Conservation District Web site at: www.lakecountyohio.gov/swcd.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at www.ohiodnr.com.
(Editor’s Note – Photo of new education specialists available upon request by emailing: heidi.evans@dnr.state.oh.us)
For more information, contact:
Matt Adkins, ODNR Division of Soil and Water Resources
419. 609. 4102
Brenda Culler, ODNR Office of Coastal Management
419. 626. 7980
Heidi Hetzel-Evans, ODNR Media Relations
614. 265. 6860
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