Put-in-Bay, Ohio Hundreds of people of all ages experienced the magic of Lake Erie’s history, culture, and natural resources in August at a free, family-friendly event.
At this year’s Lake Erie Awareness Day — an annual event hosted by Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab and education partners — attendees visited eight stations located across South Bass Island to learn about environmental stewardship on the lake.
Over 1,000 people, including nearly 400 children, interacted with different educational stations at Lake Erie Awareness Day in August.
The event takes place during Island Green Week, an annual celebration of Lake Erie’s islands that is held every year during the first week of August, featuring events across the island that highlight the natural beauty and unique ecology of Lake Erie and its islands. The weeklong celebration aims to educate, inspire, and captivate locals and tourists alike with unique learning opportunities, and its biggest event is Lake Erie Awareness Day.
The event came to fruition four years ago as part of Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab’s efforts to educate people about marine debris and how to reduce the amount of single use plastics.
This year, the event’s new point of contact was Emily Rugg, communications specialist for Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife and Governor Mike Dewine’s H2Ohio initiative. Rugg was able to experience the excitement of Lake Erie Awareness Day for the first time.
“This is such a great event because not only are programs engaging with both islanders and visitors about the important topics related to Lake Erie, but they are also encouraging them to travel out of their comfort zone or to go to places around the island they might have never been to before,” Rugg said. “Being able to provide guests the opportunity to learn, try, and go someplace new is an amazing way to engage with folks and provide them an experience they (hopefully) won’t forget.”
This year, Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab and H2Ohio coordinated and partnered with 10 other organizations to help address pressing environmental issues and bring attention to conservation efforts, local wildlife, and clean boating programs. Partner organizations included Perry’s International Peace Memorial, Eriesponsible, Ohio Clean Marinas, the Lake Erie Islands Nature Center, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Divisions of Coastal Management, and Parks and Watercraft, as well as new partners: the Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, The University of Toledo’s Lake Erie Center Grass Carp Strike Team, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Divisions of Wildlife, and Natural Areas and Preserves.
In addition to the three new stations and four new partners, this year’s event saw record-high attendance. Among all eight stations, partners interacted with nearly 1,500 people, 398 of which were children. In post-event surveys, participants reflected a positive and exciting energy.
Angela Greene, Ohio Sea Grant education specialist, educated attendees about Great Lakes literacy principles.
Lake Erie Awareness Day allows for participants to visit new stations and learn something they didn’t know before. Eriesponsible led a new station this year using its partnered trash-removal technology, BeBot, at the Bathing Beach.
“Visitors were intrigued by the BeBot and many were excited to have the opportunity to help clean up the beach,” said Abigail Comar, community outreach specialist for Ohio Sea Grant. “Many people who came up to the station had no idea what Lake Erie Awareness Day was, but after talking with us about the event and doing our activity, they decided to make a day of visiting the other stations too. It’s a great opportunity to raise awareness about Sea Grant, our partners, and the topics we discuss.”
Another station led by Ohio Sea Grant’s Nicole Wright and Joe Lucente helped visitors understand the importance of Lake Erie fish through a hands-on fishing game and the mysterious shipwrecks many may not know are scattered across Lake Erie’s floor.
The National Park Service at Perry’s Monument focused on Lake Erie history, while Ohio Sea Grant’s Angela Greene and Julie Kastanis at the South Bass Island Lighthouse created stations that familiarized people with the Great Lakes Basin and plastics removal from water treatment.
Sarah Orlando, Ohio Clean Marinas program manager and Ohio Sea Grant extension educator, lead an activity to teach children about environmental issues.
“Lake Erie Awareness Day is the perfect opportunity to get the public to think about the benefits and beauty of Lake Erie. It’s important for them to know there are Sea Grant staff members who are working on Lake Erie research, education, and outreach and want to share this with them,” said Angela Greene, Ohio Sea Grant education specialist.
Discussions for next year’s event have already begun, and all involved are eagerly looking forward to making the day even better in the future. The re-opening of the Aquatic Visitor Center in summer 2025 is expected to propel the excitement of Lake Erie Awareness Day even further than the partners saw this year.
Ohio Sea Grant is supported by The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) School of Environment and Natural Resources, Ohio State University Extension, and NOAA Sea Grant, a network of 34 Sea Grant programs nation-wide dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of marine and Great Lakes resources. Stone Laboratory is Ohio State’s island campus on Lake Erie and is the research, education, and outreach facility of Ohio Sea Grant and part of CFAES School of Environment and Natural Resources.
Ohio Sea Grant writer Alex Meyer contributed to this article.