A proposal to add four firing ranges on Lake Erie to train Coast Guard personnel in using small-caliber weapons is drawing its own fire from environmentalists, boaters, and state wildlife officials.

The new ranges, which would be more than five miles off shore, would be in addition to the long-standing firing range at Camp Perry.

Robert Lanier, a Coast Guard spokesman in Cleveland, said yesterday the four proposed zones on Lake Erie are needed to reduce transit time for the smaller boats, such as the 23-foot and 25-foot rescue boats, as well as the larger 41-foot white utility boats and 47-foot vessels.

Each range would be used two or three times a year at up to six hours per session, Chief Petty Officer Lanier said.

"It would be done throughout the year," he said.

The plan drew so much criticism that the Coast Guard has extended the period for public comment - which had been scheduled to end last Thursday - until November.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources and other environmental groups voiced concern over the plan and its possible impact on boaters and wildlife.

Commercial fishermen would have a hard time moving their nets for the drills and recreational anglers and boaters could accidentally wander into the range, the department's Steve Holland wrote in a letter to the Coast Guard.

During live-fire operations a small boat would patrol as a safety lookout, Chief Petty Officer Lanier said. Any wayward boats would be escorted from the zone and firing would stop until the area was cleared, he said.

The state DNR also wanted assurances that the areas would not be used between April 15 and Nov. 1 in order to protect aquatic species and boaters.

"We're talking hundreds and hundreds of boats," said David Kelch of Ohio State University's Sea Grant office in Lorain County. "The one [proposed zone] off Cleveland, that is another prime area for fishing."

The western-most range in Lake Erie would be between Huron and Vermilion, east of the islands.

The Lake Erie ranges are part of a broader plan that calls for 34 permanent zones over open water in the other Great Lakes.

The Coast Guard has stations in Toledo, Marblehead, Lorain, Cleveland, Fairport Harbor, Ashtabula, Erie, Pa., and Buffalo.

Some of the other zones are near recreational spots and areas criss-crossed often by pleasure, charter, and fishing boats, such as Grand Haven, Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie, and the Keweenaw Peninsula.

Col. Jim Chisman, commander of Camp Perry, said the base's shooting range has been in use by all branches of the military since 1903. The largest-caliber weapon fired there is the 50-caliber machine gun.

Artillery has not been fired there for decades, he said, although spent ordnance occasionally washes ashore.

Most of the targets at Camp Perry are set in earthen berms to absorb the rounds, but a safety zone extending into the lake is intended to keep boaters a safe distance away to protect from stray or ricocheting rounds, he said.

Lead and other metals from the ammunition could taint the water, said Kristy Meyer of the Ohio Environmental Council.

The council is also worried that noise from a firing range could disrupt the reproduction of migratory birds.

Chief Petty Officer Lanier acknowledged the munitions contain some lead, but said it would not harm the ecosystem.

Despite the objections, some groups are confident that an agreement can be ironed out.

Chief Petty Officer Lanier said establishing ranges on land would not work for training Coast Guard personnel for the type of security situations they may encounter.

"It's easy to do things on dry land. On the lake, you're dealing with vibrations of the boat, high seas, low seas," he said. "We have to be able to conduct operations in any kind of weather."

With the right scheduling and good communication, zones can be safely implemented, said Ken Alvey, president of the Lake Erie Marine Trades Association. "There's plenty of lake out there," Mr. Alvey said.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.

Contact: Jim Sielicki at:

jsielicki@theblade.com

or 419-724-6078.

First Published September 7, 2006, 12:56 p.m.