Balancing use and preservation
Lake Erie Coastal Management
Office of Coastal Management mission:
"Achieve a balance between use and preservation of Lake Erie's coastal resources, in collaboration with our partners, by effectively administering the Ohio Coastal Management Program." 
Coastal Management is a continuous dynamic process by which decisions are made for the sustainable use, development and protection of Ohio’s Lake Erie coastal resources. It is a process that recognizes the distinctive character of the coastal area and the importance of conserving it for current and future generations.*
In Ohio, coastal management is critically important, as Lake Erie is socially, economically and environmentally significant.
The lake and its watershed are home to highly diverse ecosystems supporting thousands of species of fish, wildlife and plants, including many rare and endangered species. Millions of people reside in Ohio’s coastal counties and tap Lake Erie as their source of daily drinking water.
Billions of dollars are spent annually by visitors to the coastal region. Ohio's Lake Erie Watershed includes large and small businesses and industries, world-class institutes of higher-education, welcoming residential communities, prime farmland, scenic rivers, lush forests, natural wetlands and marshes, growing sand dunes, thriving estuaries and countless other resources, seamlessly unifying Ohio with the world's largest source of fresh surface water.
To help ensure a balance between the use of resources along Ohio's 312-mile coast with sustaining a healthy environment, the ODNR Office of Coastal Management administers the federally approved Ohio Coastal Management Program. The program sets forth policies and guidelines in nine issue areas to monitor activities that affect coastal resources and ensure resource protection while balancing economic, cultural and environmental interests.
*Source: (Cicin-Sain and Knecht, 1998)
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