ODNR TO UNVEIL DRAFT MASTER PLAN
FOR DEVELOPING MIDDLE BASS ISLAND STATE PARK
Public presentations scheduled for July 21,23,24 and 25 in Ottawa County
COLUMBUS, OH -- As part of its continuing work to develop a new state park on Middle Bass Island in Lake Erie, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) will hold four public open houses in Ottawa County to present a draft of the future park's master development plan. Recommendations contained in the draft plan will be available on the ODNR Internet site at www.dnr.state.oh.us after July 26.
The first open house and presentation will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 21, at the Community Building on Middle Bass Island, located on Fox Road. Additional presentations will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. on July 23 at the Country Hearth Inn in Port Clinton, 1815 E. Perry St.; from 3 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. on July 24 at the Town Hall on Put-In-Bay, South Bass Island; from 3 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. on July 25 at the Catawba Island Township-Community Hall, 3307 N.W. Catawba Road, Port Clinton.
"Our goal is to develop a state park on Middle Bass Island that meets the recreational needs of Ohioans while preserving and protecting the natural and cultural environment of the area," said ODNR Director Sam Speck. "These open house presentations provide the public an opportunity to have direct input on their next state park."
ODNR staff will also be on hand to discuss plans for the future park at the Middle Bass Island Fine Arts Festival on July 22. The public is invited to stop by the Community Building on Fox Road between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The draft master plan is the culmination of a year of work on the part of ODNR. As part of the process, the agency held public meetings in August and September last year to solicit input on the project. Many comments were received and evaluated by the agency at that time and throughout the next 10 months.
Efforts to create a new state park on Middle Bass Island date from May 2000 when ODNR announced it would purchase 123.54 acres on the island's southern tip from Middle Bass Development Corporation and Mantey-Mon Ami-Lonz Wineries Corporation. Purchase price was $6.75 million. The parcel included nearly one mile of undeveloped Lake Erie shoreline, a safe-harbor marina, grassland and wetland areas with several endangered or threatened plant and animal species and unique geological features known as glacial grooves.
The future parkland remains under the direct management of Lake Erie Islands State Park which includes nearby parks on Kelleys Island, Catawba Island, South Bass Island and at Marblehead Lighthouse. Other Ohio State Parks in the region are at Maumee Bay, East Harbor and Crane Creek.