Article published November 03, 2009
Lakes projects get a boost
Federal funds likely to aid area restoration work
By TOM HENRY
BLADE STAFF WRITER
The additional $475 million in funding that President Obama signed into law Friday for Great Lakes restoration projects is likely to result in considerable investments in Monroe and Ottawa counties.
Those two counties are among the region's tops for wetlands, even though the Toledo area sits on a drained swamp and Ohio is second only to California historically for destroyed wetlands.
Some $105 million of the $475 million increase that Congress approved for the Great Lakes is earmarked for enhancing fish and wildlife habitat.
Gildo Tori, director of the Great Lakes/Atlantic public policy for Ducks Unlimited, said several projects in the Toledo area have been identified for consideration, especially in Monroe and Ottawa counties.
Ideally, officials would like to add acreage to existing wetlands. That's a more efficient use of money. Larger chunks of land are also more attractive to wildlife, Mr. Tori said.
The Monroe-to-Sandusky corridor sits in western Lake Erie - the warmest, shallowest, and most biologically productive region of the lakes for fish. It also is home to two major flyways for migratory birds, including raptors, and is a stopover point for rare songbirds."We've got projects already identified for that whole crescent around [western] Lake Erie," Mr.
Tori said. "We'll definitely have projects coming home to the Toledo area."
Ducks Unlimited, a 72-year-old group that is now the world's largest nonprofit dedicated to protecting waterfowl habitat, will work with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources on selecting and carrying out restoration projects.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is soon expected to begin the process of taking requests for proposals. Work would likely begin in late spring, Mr. Tori, a former Ohio DNR biologist, said.
The additional $475 million was proposed by Mr. Obama as part of a campaign pledge he made to boost funding for Great Lakes projects by at least $5 billion during his administration.
More than $20 billion of work for the lakes was identified during the Bush administration by a group of 1,500 government officials, tribal leaders, business leaders, and activists over a yearlong inventory process, the region's most comprehensive to date. But that effort was never funded.
"Congress and the President have delivered on their promise to help protect and restore one of our national treasures," Robert D. Hoffman, director of Ducks Unlimited's Great Lakes/Atlantic Region, said. "We are grateful to all of the Great Lakes partners and congressional and administration champions for making this funding a reality."
Fishing and hunting are major economic drivers for the region, with a combined impact of several billion dollars.
Rick Graham, president of the Izaak Walton League's Ohio chapter, said the new money "is a gigantic step forward in the effort to restore Lake Erie and revive the state's economy."
"We couldn't be more proud of our Ohio Lake Erie congressional delegation's involvement," Eric Uhde of Audubon Ohio said. "This is a win for the environment and a win for the economy. A healthy Lake Erie will benefit the people, businesses, and communities of Ohio."
- Tom Henry
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