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Senator Faber’s Weekly Newsletter
February 7, 2011
Grand Lake St. Marys Update
On January 27th, Governor Kasich and the directors of the Ohio
Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA), the Ohio Department of
Agriculture (ODA) and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR)
announced initial actions to address long-standing water quality
problems at Grand Lake St. Marys. The initial actions taken so
far are:
• The appointment of a point person at ODA, Kevin
Elder, to coordinate the work of the three state agencies and to also
coordinate with local organizations. Elder’s worked on GLSM for
nearly 25 years.
• Test new treatment methods to evaluate their
effectiveness and determine if they should be rolled out on a larger
scale
• Provide funding to assist with the installation of
additional water quality improvement technology within the three main
feeder tributaries to reduce phosphorous input into the lake
• Increase the scope and the duration of dredging:
add a third dredge, begin dredging earlier and continue later into the
season
• Protect game fish species while facilitating the
removal if less desirable species that arte believe to stir up and
release phosphorous contained in lake sediments.
• Provide monthly public updates
Grants to Develop “Wild
School Sites”
Ohio teachers who have successfully used Project WILD in their
classrooms can now provide students with additional hands-on learning
about wildlife and habitat through grants from the Ohio Department of
Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife.
Grants, totaling $500
each, will be awarded on a competitive basis to 40 schools currently
participating in Project WILD, a supplemental environmental education
curriculum for grades K-12.
Project WILD uses wildlife and wildlife
management techniques to teach traditional school subjects, such as
math, science and language arts. Now in its eighth year, the grant
program provides teachers with funding to purchase the materials,
equipment and activities needed to develop “WILD School Sites" on their
campuses.
Interested educators should submit an application between January 1 and
May 31 to the ODNR Division of Wildlife, 2045 Morse Road, Bldg. G,
Columbus, OH 43229. Complete details of the grant program and an
application packet can be found at wildohio.com. To learn more about
Project WILD or to find an area workshop, please call
1-800-WILDLIFE.
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