Lake Erie Foundation - From The President

Published: Tuesday, March 9, 2021
By: Jim Stouffer

As we bring this past year to a close, I am pleased to have the opportunity to share a few perspectives on recent accomplishments and objectives we are pursuing moving forward. Continued advocacy, spreading our mission, and working closely with officials throughout the region contributed greatly to Lake Erie Foundation’s (LEF) productivity in 2020! In particular, we were able to focus considerable attention on three areas:

Icebreaker (wind turbine project on Lake Erie).
Governor DeWine’s H2Ohio program.
Working to establish useful collateral materials to share with Lake Erie advocates.

I am proud of our team as we continue to make a noticeable impact in preserving and protecting Lake Erie for future generations.

Early on, we initiated an extensive marketing campaign to educate residents throughout Northeast Ohio on the proposed wind turbine farm in Lake Erie. LEF is in favor of renewable energy! However, we believe there are many questions that must be answered by LeedCo (the group initiating the project) regarding wind turbines being constructed in the open waters of Lake Erie directly off the coastline of Cleveland. We utilized print ads in Crain’s Cleveland Business to clearly articulate the ramifications of this industrial project. We also created a video that provides detailed eye-opening information that the residents of Northeast Ohio should carefully consider before this project overwhelms the coastline. Additionally, we developed a PowerPoint that was presented to elected officials who had previously championed this project, along with an extensive social media campaign to educate and enlighten public perceptions. Ultimately, we want people to understand all of the long-term implications and outcomes that will likely impact the future of Lake Erie.

Beyond the marketing campaign to educate and create awareness of LeedCo’s wind turbine project, LEF also funded and submitted an amicus brief in Federal Court, in the District of Columbia in support of a lawsuit by American Bird Conservancy and Black Swamp Bird Observatory. This lawsuit filed against the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was accepted and continues to move its way through the court. We are hopeful that a thorough Environmental Impact Study will be mandated by the court and a comprehensive analysis of associated cost to consumers and property owners will be required.

In addition, LEF recently finished a semester-long project with Case Western Reserve University students who were participating in a capstone project regarding Lake Erie water quality. This senior level project involved researching the impact of microplastics in Lake Erie and what can be done to limit single-use plastics. CWRU students helped with the creation of our plastics website page, social media posts, and key talking points for LEF board members and volunteers. They also assisted with marketing collateral that we will use at marina and boat club events at which we exhibit. LEF is grateful for the opportunity to partner with these talented students from CWRU. We were incredibly impressed by the effort, intellect and thoroughness of the team. As smaller organizations come together to support Lake Erie, relationships are everything! We look forward to partnering with this great institution again in the near future.

Most significantly for LEF, H2Ohio is the program issued by Governor DeWine to address pollution in Ohio’s waterways, beginning with Lake Erie. In 2020, under the leadership of Ohio’s Department of Agriculture, nearly 1.2 million acres of farmland were enrolled in voluntary nutrient management plans by over 2,000 farmers in Northwest Ohio alone. Along with extensive “Best Management Practices” incorporated in the H2Ohio program, these initiatives are the beginning of the long-term effort to improve water quality in Lake Erie.

LEF applauds Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor John Husted’s H2Ohio policy initiatives towards the investment in safe and clean water for all Ohioans. These programs and the dedication of Governor DeWine’s leadership team: Joy Mulinex (Executive Director of the Lake Erie Commission), Dorothy Pelanda (ODA Director), Mary Mertz (Director of ODNR), and Laurie Stevenson (Ohio EPA Director), will help address multiple clean water challenges including agricultural practices, wetlands restoration, and infrastructure investments essential for the future health of Lake Erie.

Under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) established in 1972, the state of Ohio is committed to reducing total phosphorus and dissolved reactive phosphorus by 40% by 2025. The goal for 2021 is to expand this program to an additional 10 counties in the Lake Erie Region, commencing with Nutrient Management Plans while the ODA continues to manage best practices in the original 14 counties. ODA Director Pelanda stated that first-year participation by farmers and related businesses exceeded the state agriculture department’s expectations, with more than 2,000 producers and 1.1 million acres of cropland enrolled. These incentive-based programs are focused on reducing runoff of algae-forming fertilizers that originate from a variety of commercially produced fertilizer pellets and manure spread throughout farm fields.

ODNR Director Mertz commented that “Wetlands are one of the most effective and cost-efficient long-term solutions to reducing excess nutrients in our waterways.” We commend the Director for this focus as we know the ODNR has been an advocate of natural infrastructure, along with the development and creation of significant wetlands throughout the state. The ODNR has invested over $50 million in 44 wetlands projects in the past year and is working with the Lake Erie Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program as a part of the H2Ohio Water Quality Incentive Program. Sadly, it is just a matter of time before western Lake Erie experiences another significant algae bloom. LEF will continue to work with leadership throughout the academic, scientific, state, and federal legislatures to ensure the necessary steps are taken towards a long-term solution.

It is amazing to imagine that it was only a few years ago that a small group of people joined forces to create Lake Erie Foundation to collaborate with others for the betterment of Lake Erie. My sincerest thanks to all LEF members, donors and board members for their contributions to our critical mission. Our efforts to fulfill our mission often require lengthy and painstaking work. We couldn’t do it without you and your support, and sharing our passion to make a meaningful difference in preserving and protecting Lake Erie.

tags: Environmental Impact, Lake Erie