The GreenCityBlueLake Institute was honored with the Ohio Lake Erie Commission's annual Lake Erie Award earlier this week. The award recognized our many years of work as an organization — at EcoCity Cleveland and now at our new Institute at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History — to support the Commission's Balanced Growth Program and other projects to help raise awareness of the links between water quality and land use. The award recipient for outstanding individual was Robert Heath, who recently retired as the director of the Kent State University’s Water Resources Research Institute.

“It is an honor to recognize Dr. Robert Heath and the GreenCityBlueLake Institute for their long-standing commitment to the stewardship of Ohio’s waters,” said Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Sean Logan, chair of the Commission. “They recognize and embody the extent to which our economic health and the health of our natural resources are connected. They have been great friends to Lake Erie and have supported us as we work to create a state where business, families and nature can prosper.”

At its meeting on Tuesday, the Commission also approved the 2008 update of the "Lake Erie Protection and Restoration Plan," which for the first time added climate change as a priority issue facing the lake.

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The Ohio Lake Erie Commission will hold its annual meeting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, September 30, at the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center, 28728 Wolf Road in Bay Village, OH.

Commission Chairman Sean Logan, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Commission members will finalize the 2008 Lake Erie Protection & Restoration Plan. The purpose of this Plan is to identify the strategic direction and the near-term actions of the State of Ohio related to Lake Erie and its watershed. The Plan also provides a statement of what Ohio is doing to implement the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration.

Winners of the 2008 “Life On Lake Erie” photo contest will be announced. Commission members are expected to approve the 2008 Ohio Lake Erie Award nominations and vote on the latest round of Lake Erie Protection Fund small grant proposals. Executive Director Edwin Hammett will discuss the 2008 Coastweeks program that took place September 12-21 and provide a report on the Lake Erie Balanced Growth Program which includes a viewing of the newly developed Best Local Land Use Practices DVD.

All meetings of the Ohio Lake Erie Commission are open to the public and include a public comment period. Organizations and citizens are encouraged to attend this meeting and provide input on issues of concern.

• Why is it important that we support the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District’s pledge to form a regional stormwater authority? Like other authorities, it will recommend a fee structure for homeowners and business based on how much paved surface we have on our property, which contributes to polluted rivers and lakes. Here’s the ‘why is that important?’ part. A new comprehensive study led by the USGS looked at the health of all freshwater fish species in North America and found that nearly 40 percent are in jeopardy. Nineteen fish species in the Great Lakes region are imperiled, including the lake sturgeon. Unchecked, stormwater runoff is a major threat to the health of Lake Erie and its fish, Noah Hall writes in Great Lakes Law Blog.
• So, you read the above post and think, “I want to avoid a stormwater charge by making my property greener, more sustainable, but when I try, my city tells me it has an ordinance that prevents me from doing “X” (gravel driveways, downspout disconnect, rain barrels, and bioswales on the tree lawns). NPR reports this morning that a neighborhood in Phoenix, Arizona started making bioswales in their tree lawns – cutting a channel out of the curb and planting native plants and trees fed by stormwater. It wasn’t legal by city code. But they did it anyway. This is the second instance I’ve heard of a ‘green curb’ or tree lawn (Portland, Oregon started it – legally).
  
  

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Presentation and public discussion of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga Port Authority's plans to relocate port facilities to the E. 55th area of the lakefront.

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Ohio Environmental Council implores, Ohioans used to be able to walk all of Lake Erie's shore. Just this year, the rules have changed and Ohioans are limited to accessing just 13% of the shoreline. Cuyahoga County's 1.3 million residents have only 6.2 miles to enjoy. For more information.

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Program about ArcelorMittal's new Great Lakes Watershed Restoration Program. Representatives of the Cleveland and George Gund foundations will also discuss their environmental priorities.

Acting as a larger-than-life emissary for the threatened health of Lake Erie, The Earth Voyager—one of the fastest sailboats on the Great Lakes—sails into port at Cleveland's North Coast Harbor tomorrow.

The 60-feet-long and nearly 100-foot-tall racing boat, which can reach speeds of 40 mph, is touring 13 cities in the Great Lakes Basin to raise awareness for the Healing Our Waters (HOW) Great Lakes Coalition. See the boat up close and get information about the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy—a $20 billion, five-year plan to restore the Great Lakes endorsed by citizens, industry, mayors, governors and the region’s congressional delegation.

U.S. Senator George Voinovich will speak at a breakfast reception and press conference on Friday to raise awareness about Great Lakes restoration and protection.

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Join U.S. Senator George Voinovich at a breakfast reception and press conference to raise awareness about Great Lakes restoration and protection. Registration begins at 9am, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson will introduce the Senator at 9:45.

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Drop in at the Visitor Center to learn how you can help care for and teach others about the estuary and watersheds. We are looking for energetic folks with an interest in the environment. Many opportunities are available, indoor and outdoor work, training program, and flexible hours. All that is missing is you! Call (419) 433-4601 or visit www.oldwomancreek.org for more information.