News Release

COLUMBUS, OH - Seven communities and organizations along Ohio's Lake Erie coast have been awarded a total of $169,932 in Coastal Management Grants, Governor Bob Taft announced today.

"The protection and enhancement of Ohio's Lake Erie coast is tremendously important to our environmental and recreational resources," Taft said. "Coastal Management Assistance Grants are helping improve access to the Lake Erie shoreline, provide needed coastal research and education, and develop outdoor recreation facilities."

Grant recipients, including local governments and organizations from five Ohio counties, are: the Village of Kelleys Island, City of Ashtabula, Ottawa County Visitors Bureau, Bowling Green State University, Great Lakes Historical Society, City of Mentor and the Put-In-Bay Township and Port Authority.

Coastal Management Assistance Grants are coordinated through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' (ODNR) Ohio Coastal Management Program, with funding provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Grants are awarded on a competitive basis, with each recipient matching its grant with as much as 50 percent of the project's total cost.

Each of the selected projects addresses at least one of the priorities identified in ODNR's Strategic Action Plan for Coastal Management. Priority categories include water resources and watersheds; coastal land use and development; coastal habitat; wetlands and natural areas; coastal flooding and erosion; recreational opportunities; and fisheries and wildlife resources.

Applications and guidelines for the next round of Coastal Management Assistance Grants, to be awarded in 2000, are available by writing to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Coastal Management Program, 1952 Belcher Drive, C-4, Columbus, Ohio 43224-1386, or by phone at (614) 265-6394.