Lake Erie

A Lake Erie Birthday

This story and accompanying photo come to us from Dennis Darling of Warsaw, Ohio. He writes:

This is my story of my birthday, fishing at Lake Erie. My wife and sister thought it would be a good adventure for all of us to make a trip to Lake Erie. And when I say all of us I mean myself, my wife, my sister and 6 (yes, 6) kids! My wife and sister have no idea the first thing about fishing besides taking pictures of all the fish caught. So… that left me to help 6 Read More » »

Fishing On Lake Erie

This submission comes to us from Izek in Warsaw, Ohio, who is entering in the children’s category.

My Dad took me and my two sisters and three cousins fishing at Lake Erie. My cousins had never been fishing before. My dad is a good fisherman, so he helped us all. He said 6 poles and 6 kids was more than one man could handle, so we used 2 poles and took turns catching fish. We all caught fish and my cousins where really excited to see the fish and to catch them. We caught bluegill, white bass, small mouth bass, perch Read More » »

Invasive Species Wreaking Havoc on Lake Erie Fishery

Two radio spots from WOSU in Ohio detail how invasive species are wreaking havoc on Lake Erie and its fishery, which generates millions for the state’s economy annually.

In “Alien fish bully Lake Erie bass,” Elsa Youngsteadt reports on how the round goby is harming the Lake Erie bass fishery. She reports: “Winslow studies the goby’s interaction with smallmouth bass, whose numbers declined when the goby arrived.”

In another story, Marcus Woo delves into how the zebra mussel is contributing to the return of algae blooms and the Dead Zone. In his report, Read More » »

A $20 Billion Carp Barrier

Tucked inside the massive $21 billion Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) reauthorization is $9 million for the Corps of Engineers to construct and maintain a permanent barrier that will keep non-native Asian carp from wreaking havoc on Lake Michigan’s ecosystem.  

It is too bad that the only way to stop the ferocious fish has involved nose pinching. While WRDA has attracted some unwanted attention as a piggy bank  for the Army Corps of Engineers, it holds within it one of the most significant programs for the survival and vitality Read More » »

The Lake Is Calling Me Home

This story comes to us from Sharon in Beaver Fall, Pa. She writes: 

The exhilaration of lake breezes buffeting me always makes My Favorite Things list.  I was raised in Erie, PA and our family’s trips to Presque Isle State Park on Lake Erie are memorable.  As a young child, I remember being bustled out of bed in early morning hours to prepare breakfast on the beach, the aroma of bacon frying in a cast iron skillet mingling with the balmy smell of the Lake as it sent its waves crashing onto the shoreline. Breakfast, and all other picnics for that Read More » »

Erie: A Popular and Endangered Jewel

Erie is one of the most bountiful of the Great Lakes—it provides more fish for human consumption that any Great Lake, and 11 million people rely on it for drinking water.

Unfortunately, Erie is also one of the most polluted Great Lakes, filled almost beyond repair with sewage and agricultural runoff. One of the Lake’s major tributaries, the Cuyahoga River, infamously caught fire in 1969, the publicity around which led to the Clean Water Act, Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, and the creation of federal and state Environmental Protection Agencies.

Scientists have warned that the problems facing fragile Lake Erie and the Read More » »

Rain Gardens to Ease Flooding in Toledo

The Toledo Blade reported this month on the launch of a new initiative that will encourage Toledo residents to grow rain gardens, which absorb rain water that would otherwise run off into streets and sewers and cause damage to basements and foundations. American Rivers is spearheading the $600,000 program, which was made possible by a recent grant from The Joyce Foundation aimed at restoring the Maumee River, the largest river in the
Great Lakes system.

U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) was on hand to speak at the event. “[Storm water] is not a problem, it’s an Read More » »

Photo: Mallard taken at Sterling Park, MI

Marc Smith of the National Wildlife Federation and the Mallard he took at Sterling Park, MI - on Lake Erie in November 06. Standing on 3 feet of crushed zebra mussel shells and the Monore Nuclear Plant in the background. You tell me, are the Great Lakes in trouble?

The State of the Great Lakes & Ohio

Click to view a larger map of the restoration sites.

State of Great Lakes - Ohio
Fact Sheet (PDF)

The Great Lakes are one of our country’s most precious natural treasures.

Ecological threats to the Great Lakes impact the Midwest’s overall economy and quality of life. Families and businesses from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin depend on the Great Lakes for recreation and income. And with nearly 20 percent of the Read More » »

The State of the Great Lakes & New York

Click to view a larger map of the restoration sites.

State of Great Lakes - New York
Fact Sheet (PDF)

The Great Lakes are one of our most precious national treasures. With nearly 20 percent of the Earth’s fresh surface water, they provide drinking water to 28 million U.S. residents. But threats to the Great Lakes basin are making our waters less fishable, closing our beaches to swimming and affecting our drinking Read More » »