MARC Special Area Management Plan

In 2000, Ohio Sea Grant was one of a dozen founding members of the Mentor Area Regional Coalition (MARC). In June 2004, the MARC completed the development of the Mentor Marsh Area Special Area Management Plan (SAMP).

Ohio Charter Captains Conference

Charter fishing is big business along Ohio's Lake Erie coast, but it is buffeted by challenges ranging from fluctuating fish populations to increased regulation and from ever-increasing technology to downward demographics. Ohio Sea Grant Extension is working to ensure that this industry stays in the black.

Discovering Ohio Steelhead Increasing Sportfishery Participation

Quality steelhead fishing in Ohio...you bet! Lake Erie's tributary steelhead fishery has been called a best kept secret. Stocked by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources since 1975 into Lake Erie tributaries, steelhead have grown in popularity, and increasing catch rates have encouraged the state to increase stocking rates.

Great Lakes Fishery Leadership Institute

The Great Lakes Fishery Leadership Institute (GLFLI) was designed to train a new generation of citizen leaders in the Great Lakes fisheries community, and Ohio now boasts 21 graduates of this program.

Lake Erie Coastal Ohio

Three years ago, seven coastal Ohio tourism bureaus recognized a need to market the Lake Erie adventure. Today, Lake Erie Coastal Ohio has become a rapidly maturing, cooperative coastal tourism marketing effort that includes a web site, a monthly director's newsletter, innovative public service announcements, and key market research. The Lake Erie Coastal Trail recently was awarded State of Ohio scenic byway designation.

Boosting Fisheries Education on Lake Erie

Recreational fishing is one of Ohio's largest Lake Erie industries, with a value variously estimated at about $750 million per year. But as with many other Lake Erie industries, the fishery is undergoing a decline that stems from several sources-a trend that must be reversed. Ohio Sea Grant's Fisheries Extension Enhancement program (FEE) is meeting this challenge head-on.

Ohio Clean Marinas and Boater Programs

Everyone benefits from a clean Great Lakes environment, and marina managers and boaters are among the strongest advocates. Now a voluntary, incentive-based program encourages marina operators and recreational boaters to protect coastal water quality by engaging in environmentally sound best management practices (BMPs).

Retention, Expansion and Needs Analysis for Rural and Urban Lake Erie Coastal Business Development

Quality steelhead fishing in Ohio...you bet! Lake Erie's tributary steelhead fishery has been called a best kept secret. Stocked by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources since 1975 into Lake Erie tributaries, steelhead have grown in popularity, and increasing catch rates have encouraged the state to increase stocking rates.

Using Technology to Change Perceptions on Environmental Challenges

Introducing environmentally-friendly programs that challenge the status quo and force leaders to rethink community priorities is difficult. It is likewise difficult to find civic leaders who have credibility within government, the business community, and the public who are willing to risk that credibility to pursue environmentally friendly programs. Ohio Sea Grant Extension is using videoconferencing technology to help these leaders achieve success.

Buffer Strips Improve Lake Erie Water Quality

Reducing pollution in Lake Erie means making sacrifices, right? Well, not always. Phosphorus pollution and sediment runoff into Lake Erie are being reduced, and as a result, farmers are making more money. Wildlife and fish are gaining new habitat. Annual harbor dredging costs are dropping. Valuable topsoil is staying on farms to help feed a growing world. And perhaps best of all, Lake Erie water quality is being improved.

The Lake Erie Discussion Board

Lake Erie resource users entered the information age over the last decade, with a profusion of advertising web pages, on line advice columns, fishing reports, chat sites, and more. But information requests posted on the Internet draw responses of varying quality, leaving serious posters searching for credible information sources.

Port Clinton Transient Municipal Marina

Modern marina facilities are business anchors for many Great Lakes coastal cities-waterfront focal points that draw extensive boating traffic and attract local businesses to serve those boaters. The city of Port Clinton, Ohio has a premiere location on western Lake Erie but inadequate marina facilities near its downtown. Transient Great Lakes boater traffic has tended to skip by Port Clinton, but soon, that will no longer be the case. A $9.5 million, 161-boat slip transient marina is on the way.

F.T. Stone Laboratory Provides Education and Outreach on Lake Erie

Thousands of people ranging from elementary school kids to eldercollege students, professionals, and the general public get to see, feel, hear, smell, and sometimes taste lessons given at The Ohio State University's island campus-the F.T. Stone Laboratory. Through college classes, aquatic science workshops, public tours, lectures, and open houses, Stone Lab helps its visitors experience Lake Erie's diverse and ever-changing ecosystem.

Local Government Leadership Training for Elected and Appointed Officials

How do leaders lead? What makes a good leader? How do leaders perceive their leadership styles? How do leaders work with, listen to and interact with their constituents and the media to build consensus in making decisions that affect development, conservation, and sustainability? Further, how do local governments keep up with technological advancements, information flow, current laws and communication with citizens? Ohio Sea Grant Extension is helping communities find answers to these questions.