COLUMBUS, OH -- The Ohio Lake Erie Commission (LEC) will hold its quarterly meeting at 10 a.m. on Thursday, September 26, at the U.S. Coast Guard's Ninth District Officers' Club, at the foot of East Ninth Street in Cleveland.
Rear Admiral Ronald F. Silva of the Coast Guard will present a special Great Lakes report on homeland security as part of the day's activities.
The commission will consider grants committee recommendations for funding its latest round of small grant applications and large grant research projects from the Lake Erie Protection Fund. The commission awards about $500,000 annually in large grants and about $100,000 in small grants.
The commission will also select one individual and one organization for this year's Ohio Lake Erie Awards.
Additional agenda items include reports from the commission's advisory organizations: the Ohio Coastal Resource Management Project; the Natural Resources Conservation Service; the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency; Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments; and the Ohio Sea Grant College Program.
All meetings of the Ohio Lake Erie Commission are open to the public and include a public comment period. Organizations and citizens are urged to attend this meeting and provide input on issues of concern.
The director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources supervises the Ohio Lake Erie Commission. Additional commission members include the directors of the Ohio departments of environmental protection, transportation, development, health and agriculture. The commission was established to preserve Lake Erie's natural resources, water quality and ecosystem. It also promotes economic development in the region.
The commission oversees the Ohio Lake Erie Protection Fund (LEPF). During the last nine years, the commission has raised more than $7.5 million through the sale of Lake Erie license plates. This money is used to fund LEPF grants that focus on improving the quality of Lake Erie and to furthering the goals laid out in the Lake Erie Protection & Restoration Plan.
For Further Information Contact:
Jane Beathard, ODNR Media Relations
(614) 265-6860
-or-
Jeff Busch, Ohio Lake Erie Commission
(419) 245-2514