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April 25, 2007
More than $150,000 awarded to projects benefiting Ohio's wildlife diversity
COLUMBUS, OH Eight researchers and organizations were recently awarded more than $150,000 for projects to benefit Ohio’s wildlife diversity.
Individuals, conservation organizations and universities are among the recipients of State Wildlife Grants. Funded projects are varied and include areas as diverse as a survey of the endangered Hine’s emerald dragonfly, monitoring of the Blanchard cricket frog, and a study of the effect of invasive plants on turtle ecology.
A competitive screening process was used in determining awardees. It included evaluating the proposed project’s purpose, necessity and sustainable benefits to wildlife. The projects are funded with part of a $1.8 million federal grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that focuses on species in greatest need of conservation. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife administers the grants.
Most of the remaining federal allocation is applied to the division’s ongoing research and conservation partnership projects that include studies of the bald eagle, trumpeter swan, osprey, freshwater mussels and Karner blue butterfly.
2007 State Wildlife Grant Recipients
- $9,480 for a statewide survey for federally endangered Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly. Project leader is Robert C. Glotzhober, senior curator of natural history, The Ohio Historical Society.
- $20,000 to study the status of three rare crayfish and one rare shrimp in southwestern Ohio. Project leader is Roger F. Thoma, Midwest Biodiversity Institute, Inc.
- $35,000 to study distribution and status of state and federally listed and other selected fish species in larger river tributaries of the Ohio River. Project director is Chris O. Yoder, Midwest Biodiversity Institute, Inc.
- $10,431 to monitor the status of Blanchard’s cricket frog in Ohio. Project director is Rick Lehtinen, Ph.D., College of Wooster.
- $10,000 to study the effect of exotic invasive aquatic plants on freshwater turtle ecology. Project director is Sarah Bouchard, Ph.D., Otterbein College. Co-director is Michael Hoggarth, Ph.D., Otterbein College.
- $6,710 to survey the unionid fauna of Swan Creek in Fulton and Lucas counties. Project director is Jeff Grabarkiewicz and Lucas County Soil & Water Conservation District.
- $27,000 to improve health and stress assessment for the conservation of freshwater mussels in Ohio. Project leaders are Barbara A. Wolfe, The Wilds; G. Thomas Watters, Ph.D. of the Museum of Biological Diversity at The Ohio State University; and Mike Brittsan of the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium.
- $31,801 to test fish predation on zebra mussels to see if it promotes survival of unionids in Lake Erie coastal wetlands. Project director is Ferenc A. de Szalay of Kent State University.
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