When the news broke that the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) was to be funded at $300 million in the next federal budget, the environmental community couldn’t have been happier, especially those of us working in and around the Great Lakes. Great Lakes Echo compiled coastline comparison charts last year, and the resulting information was impressive. For the five Great Lakes, the U.S. coastline is over 4,500 miles long. That’s twice the number of miles the U.S. boarders the Atlantic Ocean with and three and a half times the length of our coastline bordering the Pacific (not including Alaska and Hawaii). It’s not just the miles that are impressive, but the number of people calling the Great Lakes home. The National Wildlife Federation has estimated that over 35 million people live in the Great Lakes basin within the U.S. and Canada. The Great Lakes are important sources for recreation, drinking water, and irrigation of farmland, as well as irreplaceable habitat for rare, endangered, and otherwise unique wildlife. It’s not surprising that so many people call the Great Lakes home, because there’s nothing else like it in the world.
Partners for Clean Streams was able to implement previous funding from the GLRI for the Camp Miakonda Restoration Project. Without that funding, we wouldn’t have been able to excavate over 10,000 cubic yards of sediment from a stagnant lake, protect and create in-stream habitat from over 650 linear feet of Ottawa River stream bank, remediate and create nearly five acres of high quality wetlands, and plant over 26,000 native plants. The restoration at Camp affects the Ottawa River, which flows directly into Lake Erie, the most biologically productive lake of the Great Lakes. The neighboring Maumee River, and icon of Toledo, is the largest river going into any of the Great Lakes. These and other local rivers deserve this type of restoration that is made possible by the GLRI. But GLRI funding doesn’t just effect wildlife by restoring or improve habitat, either. It effects people by providing educational opportunities, improves water quality for more recreational uses, and protects the human interest in our coastal environments. These improvements have rippling affects over the economy, human health, crucial ecological stability, and pride in the Great Lakes. Restoring our Great Lakes isn’t just about the environment, it’s about the people. Not only is funding through the GLRI very helpful for the Great Lakes ecology, but it will impact almost all aspects of life for those that call the Great Lakes home.
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Thanks to a grant from Toledo Community Foundation, Toledo Botanical Garden (TBG) Education Department has been able to reach out to fourth grade teachers from 14 nearby elementary schools in a project entitled “Ottawa River Watershed Neighbors.” This learning outreach program will leverage Toledo Botanical Garden’s Lake and Hill Ditch Stream Restoration Project to provide in-school programs and field trips to 805 area students, support many fourth grade Ohio Core Curriculum concepts in Earth and Life Sciences and install permanent singage for the project. Activities related to watersheds, erosion, weather, ecosystems, food chains and conservation will all be covered through hands-on activities, experiments, and games. TBG is excited to work with 37 teachers from the Ottawa River Watershed through classroom visits this winter followed by “Super Field Trips” to Toledo Botanical Garden in spring of 2014. With the help of the grant, Toledo Botanical Garden hopes to reach over 1,000 youth in the Toledo area.
The Toledo Community Foundation grant also allows TBG’s Education Department to reach out to area Boy Scouts in a series of programs to work on merit badges and other advancements related to soil and water conservation for fifth grade through high school Scouts. TBG served over 100 Boy and Cub Scouting youth last fall and hopes to reach out to additional youth, including Girl Scouts and American Heritage Girls this spring. TBG is excited that so many children will get hands-on education experiences and learn how important the Ottawa River is in their community with these programs. Further details of their soil and water conservation programs for Scouts are on their education website at www.toledogarden.org. For all other inquiries, call 419-536-5589 or e-mail [email protected].
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Time is running out and spots are filling up fast. The 12th Annual Youth Patch Day Workshop is the perfect opportunity to expand your children’s knowledge about water resources. Patch Day is being held on March 2 from 1-4:30pm with check in at 12:30pm at the University of Toledo Student Union, Ingman Room 2520. The workshop allows participants to explore exciting water conservation related activities and learn how to make a difference in protecting our streams and rivers. This year, the workshop is focusing on soil and its relationship to water. Activities are specifically designed for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. It is perfect for Boy and Girl Scouts that need requirements for various merit badges or patches, including the Partnering for Clean Streams Patch. The workshop addresses Achievement 7 for Wolf Scouts and several Naturalist Pin requirements for Webelos. Parts of the Journey series of Wonders of the Water and more are covered for Girl Scouts. The cost is $5 for each participant with free parking available. Please be sure to bring at least one adult for every five youth participating. To register, fill out and return the Registration Form by February 19 with your payment. For more information, visit our Patch Day Page or email us at [email protected].
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