Finkbeiner opposes plan for live-fire zones in lake

10/19/2006

Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner has declared his opposition to the U.S. Coast Guard s plan to establish live fire zones on Lake Erie for military training exercises.

In a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the mayor cited boater safety, the potential harm to the environment, and the economic impact that reduced recreational and commercial fishing in the area could have on our economy.

The Coast Guard is proposing to turn four temporary firing ranges on Lake Erie into permanent ones, including one near Camp Perry.

Designated as safety zones, they are part of a network of 34 Coast Guard-created zones, a few miles from the Great Lakes shorelines.