COLUMBUS, OH -- The Ohio Lake Erie Commission (LEC) will hold its quarterly meeting at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 18, at the new Lake Erie Islands Regional Welcome Center, 770 S.E. Catawba Road (Route 53) in Port Clinton.
Jamie Kochensparger, executive director of the Ottawa County Visitors Bureau, will welcome commission members to the new facility.
Additional agenda items include approval of the commission's latest round of "small" grants from the Lake Erie Protection Fund and an update on "large" grant applications for the year. Interim executive director Ed Hammett will provide a progress report on the activities of the Balanced Growth Initiative. The initiative is developing land-use strategies that will balance the protection of the Lake Erie watershed with continued economic growth in the region. Hammett will also update the commission on activities planned for Coastweeks 2003, scheduled for late August and early September.
An agenda item particularly significant is the public release of the Ohio Lake Erie Buffer Team's Windbreak Book by Steve Davis and the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service and representatives of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry. The Windbreak Book provides useful information for landowners when planning to install these important conservation practices.
All meetings of the Ohio Lake Erie Commission are open to the public and include a public comment period. Organizations and citizens are urged to attend this meeting and provide input on issues of concern.
The Ohio Lake Erie Commission is comprised of the directors of the Ohio departments of the environmental protection agency, natural resources, transportation, development, health and agriculture. The commission was established to preserve Lake Erie's natural resources, water quality and ecosystem. It also promotes economic development in the region.
The commission oversees the Ohio Lake Erie Protection Fund (LEPF). During the last 11 years, the commission has raised nearly than $7 million through the sale of Lake Erie license plates. This money is used to fund LEPF grants that focus on improving the quality of Lake Erie and to furthering the goals laid out in the Lake Erie Protection & Restoration Plan.