|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
|
MORE THAN $880,000 IN GRANTS WILL AID COASTAL RESTORATION AND IMPROVE WATER QUALITY IN COMMUNITIES ALONG LAKE ERIE
SANDUSKY, OH -- Seven groups along Ohio's Lake Erie coastline have received a total of $884,220 in Great Lakes Coastal Restoration Grants to help protect and improve the area's delicate ecology, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
The money will help acquire more than 260 acres of land, protecting at least 16,000 feet of headwater streams and riparian habitat; secure conservation easements for 17.4 acres of riparian corridor; and preserve two acres of high-quality wetlands. Funding will also support a comprehensive study of the Walden Watershed, which is a tributary to the Cuyahoga River, and pay for an Internet Mapping and GIS project to help agencies prioritize critical habitat for preservation and restoration.
The federal Great Lakes Coastal Restoration Grants are funded through a competitive matching grant program, administered by the ODNR Office of Coastal Management. This grant funding is part of a one-time $30 million Congressional appropriation to improve the Great Lakes. Selected projects must be consistent with Ohio Coastal Management Program priorities and help implement the goals of the Lake Erie Protection and Restoration Plan.
Ohio's funding priorities are protection of critical coastal areas; water quality protection and coastal restoration; and sustainable development initiatives.
| GREAT LAKES COASTAL RESTORATION GRANT RECIPIENTS |
| County |
Recipient |
Amount |
Description |
| Geauga |
Munson Township |
$120,000 |
Preservation Project: Acquisition of 76 acres of riparian and wetland habitat along the Upper Main Branch of the Chagrin State Scenic River. A conservation easement will be placed on these acres plus an additional 17 adjacent acres. This acquisition will ensure the site's permanent preservation, and maintenance of its flood and erosion control and water quality benefits. |
| Geauga |
Russell Township Park Commission |
$250,000 |
Russell Uplands Preserve: This project will acquire 118 acres of riparian forest; protect about 16,000 linear feet of headwater streams and extensive floodplains; and preserve approximately two acres of high quality wetlands. |
| Cuyahoga |
Cleveland Metroparks |
$89,500 |
Cuyahoga River West Bank Preservation: This project is to acquire five conservation easements totaling 17.4 acres in the Village of Brooklyn Heights along the Cuyahoga River. This acquisition will protect the riparian corridor, eliminate the threat of hillside erosion, and enable natural resource restoration. |
| Lake |
Lake Metroparks |
$68,720 |
Grand River Indian Point Acquisition: Acquisition of 12.4 acres of forested floodplain and hillside buffering 650 feet of the north bank of the state-designated "wild" portion of the Grand River. The parcel includes a 40-foot waterfall and will further enhance a 1,600-acre contiguous block of protected parkland on the Grand River and its Paine Creek tributary. |
| Lucas |
City of Oregon |
$204,000 |
Wynn Road Site Acquisition for Ecosystem Restoration: This project is to acquire 57 acres of a coastal corridor upstream of Maumee Bay that will provide water quality protection and restoration. A separate, future project will restore the site and build wetlands/terrain mound using dredge materials. |
| Portage |
City of Aurora |
$32,000 |
City of Aurora Natural Stream and Floodplain Restoration Study: A comprehensive study of the Walden Watershed, a tributary to Tinkers Creek and the Cuyahoga River, will be conducted. Through this project, the City of Aurora will avoid the use of traditional engineering solutions, such as gabion baskets and rip rap, to address flooding, erosion, and sedimentation problems and demonstrate the appropriateness of non-structural measures that address watershed problems while maintaining and enhancing natural stream and floodplain functions. |
| Erie, Sandusky, Lorain, Medina |
North Coast Regional Council of Park Districts |
$120,000 |
North Central Ohio Lake Erie Internet Mapping and GIS, Phase 1: This project will help pay for a coastal and watershed protection tool that can be used by the NCRCPD and other agencies to prioritize critical habitat preservation and restoration areas to improve and protect coastal water quality. An interactive Internet mapping application for regional planning and public education in the North Central Ohio Lake Erie Watershed will also be developed. |
|
|
|
For Further Information Contact:
Brenda Culler-Gautschi, ODNR Office of Coastal
Management
(419) 626-7980
-or-
Jane Beathard, ODNR Media Relations
(614) 265-6860
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|