August 8: Kaptur, Jacobs, Administration Official Announce Great Lakes Restoration Projects

Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur today praised the selection of the Wolf Creek wetlands restoration as the marquee project in the latest round of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative awards, which were announced by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency senior advisor Cameron Davis at the Lake Erie Center in Oregon.

"Wetlands construction means better water quality, better fishing, and ultimately more recreational opportunities for families in Northern Ohio," Kaptur said. "Lake Erie is not only an incomparable natural resource but a real driver of the regional economy." She noted the economic impact of the tourism, fishing, hunting and birding industries.

Kaptur and Davis were joined for the announcement by University of Toledo President Lloyd Jacobs. The university will conduct the $1.35 million Wolf Creek wetlands restoration project, which represented the largest of 10 awards totaling approximately $30 million that were announced today. Today's projects were the first of 70 that will be funded under the GLRI in 2011.

Wayne State University received an award of $498,000 for an early warning system for invasive species in Toledo Harbor. The Nature Conservancy received an award of $332,000 for Phragmites control on the western Lake Erie shoreline.

Other projects announced today included:

• Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Lake Erie nutrient reduction): $546,417

• Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority (Cuyahoga River Area of Concern debris management system): $425,160

• Cleveland Metroparks (invasive plant control, Cuyahoga River Basin): $369,472

• Cleveland Metroparks (West Creek ecosystem restoration): $294,693

• Ohio EPA (fish deformity analysis): $177,688

• Delta Institute (Cleveland and Toledo e-waste reduction): $151,000

• Ohio EPA (Ohio Lake Erie Phosphorus Task Force): $122,429

FY 2011 awards will be published on the multi-agency website at www.glri.us.