Office of Coastal Management Grants Help Fund Local Cleanups Along Lake Erie’s Coast

SANDUSKY, OH — Nearly $50,000 of spring cleaning will soon be occurring at public places along Ohio’s 312-mile coast. The eight awardees of the new Lake Erie Cleanup Grants are being announced by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Office of Coastal Management.

Communities in Ashtabula, Lake, Cuyahoga and Erie counties will share in the grants which are being leveraged by local funds for community-based cleanup activities on public land and waterways along Ohio’s 312-mile coast. More than a dozen of the public places featured in Ohio’s Lake Erie Public Access Guidebook (published July 2010) and on the companion Web site: www.ohiodnr.com/tabid/21033/default.aspx will be spruced up as part of this grant program.

“We want to help communities enhance the economic asset Ohio has in Lake Erie,” said John Watkins, chief of the Office of Coastal Management. “Visitors benefit our coastal communities so when they go to the beach, we want them to be greeted by a shore that makes them want to return time and time again.”

A complete list of grantees and projects is listed below and is also available on the Office of Coastal Management Web site dedicated to the Lake Erie Cleanup Grant program: www.ohiodnr.com/tabid/23260/Default.aspx. The public is encouraged to get involved and volunteer for one of the cleanups in their community.

The Office of Coastal Management’s mission is to achieve a balance between the use and preservation of Lake Erie’s coastal resources in collaboration with our partners by effectively administering the Ohio Coastal Management Program.

ODNR ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR Web site at ohiodnr.com.