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Sep
20
Written by:
news editor
9/20/2011 1:00 AM
Thomas Denbow of URS Corporation and The University of Toledo – Lake Erie Center are the winners of the 2011 Ohio Lake Erie Awards.
TOLEDO, OH - Thomas Denbow of URS Corporation and The University of Toledo – Lake Erie Center are the winners of the 2011 Ohio Lake Erie Awards, according to the Ohio Lake Erie Commission.
“These award recipients have shown a great commitment to protecting and promoting Lake Erie and its watershed,” said Gail Hesse, executive director of the Commission. “We commend their efforts.”
The Commission honors one person and one organization each year that have worked to protect and restore Lake Erie and its watershed. Since 1995, the commission has awarded 16 individuals and 16 organizations for their stewardship.
Thomas Denbow is Vice President of Water Resources at URS. Denbow has applied his skills in solving watershed problems throughout the Lake Erie basin in both current and past positions. He has been involved in projects as diverse as the Balanced Growth Initiative Pilot Program, the start-up of the Chagrin River Watershed Partners, beneficial use of sediments in Ashtabula Harbor for habitat restoration, ecological restoration plan for the Lower Black River, and the major initiative to address flooding and restore water quality in the tributaries of the western basin of Lake Erie. Denbow has been a long standing member of the Coastal Resources Advisory Council and past Chair of the Cuyahoga Remedial Action Program.
The University of Toledo – Lake Erie Center, led by director Dr. Carol Stepien, has produced state-of-the-art research and provided exceptional education opportunities for students and the public on issues facing Lake Erie and the Great Lakes ecosystem. The Center’s personnel have made important contributions in areas such as aquatic conservation, invasive species, water quality, limnology, fishery genetics, ecology, and ecosystem management.
The Ohio Lake Erie Commission was established for the purpose of preserving Lake Erie’s natural resources, protecting the quality of its waters and ecosystem, and promoting economic development in the region. The director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources serves as the commission’s chairman. Additional members include the directors of the state departments of Transportation, Health, Development, Agriculture and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
The Commission also oversees the Ohio Lake Erie Protection Fund, which is the source of grant money for projects that benefit the lake’s watershed economically and environmentally. The fund is supported by Ohioans who purchase a Lake Erie license plate displaying the Marblehead Lighthouse or Toledo Harbor Lighthouse designed by Ohio artist Ben Richmond.
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For more information, contact:
Gail Hesse, Ohio Lake Erie Commission
419. 245. 2514
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