News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 20, 2003
OHIO LAKE ERIE COMMISSION AWARDS MORE THAN
$26,000 IN GRANTS TO PROJECTS BENEFITING OHIO'S COASTAL AREA
COLUMBUS, OH -- The Ohio Lake Erie Commission (LEC) has awarded $26,695 in grants to three projects aimed at enhancing knowledge of the lake and its ecosystems.
The awards are part of a quarterly grant program that provides seed money to test the feasibility of larger research efforts or other public participation projects. Projects are selected for funding based on their support of the Lake Erie Protection & Restoration Plan. Goal of the plan is to improve various environmental, recreational and economic resources within the Lake Erie basin.
These quarterly LEC grants are limited to $10,000 or less and are generally awarded for one year unless the specific nature of the project warrants a longer time period. The grants are provided by the Lake Erie Protection Fund.
Since 1992, the Ohio Lake Erie Commission has raised more than $7 million for the fund through the sale of Lake Erie license plates, featuring the historic Marblehead Lighthouse. The money has gone to a wide range of efforts to preserve and enhance life along Lake Erie.
2003 OHIO COASTAL MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE GRANT RECIPIENTS
LAKE ERIE COMMISSION GRANTS
- A grant of $7,000 to the Ashtabula County Convention & Visitors Bureau (Suzanne Heino, executive director) to promote eco-tourism in the county. The money will fund signage, trails, landscaping, security and parking at suitable natural landmarks in the area. It will also fund a strategic plan to promote eco-tourism in Ashtabula County.
- A grant of $9,695 to Cleveland State University, Great Lakes Environmental Finance Center and Wendy Kellogg, associate professor of urban planning and environmental studies, for a study entitled "Economic and Fiscal Aspects of Coastal and Watershed Stewardship Practices." The project will identify key issues and stakeholders in an effort to see how local decision-makers consider coastal and watershed stewardship in formulating policy.
- A grant of $10,000 to The Ohio State University and Philip Hisnay and Paul Robbins for a project entitled, "Exurban Land Use Change, Watershed Management, and Surface Water Quality in Ohio's Lake Erie Watershed." The project will contribute to the limited knowledge of surface water quality in the Lake Erie region and how it is affected by land use, urbanization and watershed management practices.
For Further Information Contact:
Jane Beathard, ODNR Media Relations
(614) 265-6860
-or-
Edwin Hammett, Ohio Lake Erie Commission
(419) 245-2514
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