PUT-IN-BAY, OHIO This summer, Stone Lab, The Ohio State University’s island campus on Lake Erie, will continue to share Lake Erie science with the public through tours and free outreach events.

Stone Lab will again offer science and history tours of Gibraltar Island and the South Bass Island Lighthouse, as well as weekly Put-in-Bay Science Days. Then, in August, the 2026 Lake Awareness Day will take place on South Bass Island, organized by Stone Lab, The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and other partners, showing off Lake Erie’s history, culture, and natural resources.

Put-in-Bay Science Days will be free events open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays from June 12 to Aug. 15. Each week at the South Bass Island Lighthouse grounds, Stone Lab experts will highlight live fish and wildlife to help educate the public about a topics related to Lake Erie and the protection of the ecosystem. On these days, the South Bass Island Lighthouse tower will also be open for free, public tours.

Topics for 2026 Science Days include:

• June 12-13: Reptiles and Amphibians of the Lake Erie Islands
• June 19-20: Aquatic Insect Invasion: Mayflies, Dragonflies and Muffleheads
• June 26-27: Lake Erie Sport Fish
• July 3-4: Lake Erie Island Birds
• July 10-11: Lake Erie Island Plants
• July 17-18: Scientific Equipment Used in Field Research
• July 24-25: Aquatic Invasive Species
• July 31-August 1: Lake Erie Non-Game Fishes
• August 7-8: Plankton and Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)
• August 14-15: Pollinators and Pollinator Habitat-Monarch Butterfly Migration

Tours of Gibraltar Island, including visits to Perry’s Lookout, Cooke Castle, and the glacial grooves, will be offered on Thursdays from June 11 to Aug. 13. Two tour times are available to guests from 10 a.m. to noon and 1-3 p.m. No tours will be offered on June 25 due to a conflicting event.

Participation is first-come, but we will accommodate up to 70 visitors. Rates are $15 per adult and $7 per child, plus an additional $10 fee in cash paid to the water taxi captain for round-trip transportation to the island. Kids ages 5 and under can attend for free. Those wishing to participate in a Gibraltar Island tour should meet at the Boardwalk Restaurant dock 15 minutes before the tour starting time.

The South Bass Island Lighthouse grounds are open to the public from dawn to dusk, and self-guided tours around the grounds will be available on Fridays and Saturdays from June 12 to Aug. 15 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tour guests can visit the top of the lighthouse tower to look out at Put-In-Bay, Lake Erie, and the neighboring Green Island. Staff will be positioned at the tower to assist.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife, H2Ohio, and Ohio Sea Grant, in a partnership with The Ohio State University’s Stone Laboratory and Shores & Islands Ohio, will organize the sixth annual Lake Erie Awareness Day on Thursday, Aug. 6 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Visitors can spend the day touring South Bass Island while learning about Ohio’s greatest water resource and visiting education stations to learn about island history, native plants and animals, the dangers of plastic pollution, and boating safety. Fun giveaways and a great day in nature awaits!

More information on tours and special events hosted by Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab can be found at ohioseagrant.osu.edu and stonelab.osu.edu.

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.