Kaptur Welcomes $950,000 Award to Restore Western Lake Erie Wetland
Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-9) is celebrating news today that the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) has awarded $5.7 million to be used for Great Lakes restoration through the Sustain Our Great Lakes program, including $950,000 to The Winous Point Marsh Conservancy to restore 175 acres of coastal wetland in Sandusky Bay. The Conservancy has also put forward $1,500,000 in matching funds to pay for the project.
"This award is great news for Northern Ohio and the entire Great Lakes region, supporting the rebuilding of one of our critical coastal wetlands," said Congresswoman Kaptur. "These wetlands serve a vital role in the Great Lakes ecosystem, acting as natural filters to help restrain nutrients from leaching into Lake Erie. This is especially important with poorly managed animal manure threatening our lake from non point sources, thanks to the more than 10 million cows, hogs, chickens, and other farm animals that exist in Lake Erie's vast Western Basin watershed. Nationwide, these animal operations produce an estimated 13 times more manure than from human sources each year. We have a shared responsibility to address this urgentsituation, and this award shows how private and non-profit partnerships can do their part as stewards of Lake Erie, our most precious freshwater resource."
The Toledo Blade published anopinion over the weekend by Scott Edwards of Food and Water Watch that notes, "Factory-farmed livestock produced 369 million tons of manure in 2012 -- about 13 times as much as the sewage produced by the entire U.S. populationIn Ohio, the state's 1.9 million hogs produce as much waste as 33 million people, or about three times the state's human population. Ohio is second only to Iowa in its number of egg-laying hens on factory farms; the largest operations collectively have more than 24 million layers. St. Mary's River, which feeds into the upper Maumee River, runs through Mercer County. Egg factory farms in that county alone produce the sewage equivalent of 7.2 million people."
According to NFWF, "The wetland will provide additional habitat within an existing coastal wetland complex that is highly used by waterfowl, marshbirds, and shorebirds. This restoration will add wetland habitat to a region that has lost approximately 75% of its historic coastal wetland."
A second Ohio award recipient, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, is set to receive $126,366 to support restoration and enhancement of 265 acres of emergent marsh and swamp forest habitat in Mentor Marsh, a National Natural Landmark.
"The Sustain Our Great Lakes Program continues to be a model for successful collaboration across the public and private sectors where partners are working together -- and working smarter -- to achieve meaningful conservation for Great Lakes fish, wildlife and people," said Charlie Wooley, Midwest Deputy Regional Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "The Service is proud to support a new suite of on-the-ground investments that will result in real improvements to the health and ecological integrity of the Great Lakes."
"ArcelorMittal is dedicated to the rehabilitation and enhancement of our shared environment and communities. The Great Lakes -- home to more than 35 million people and biologically diverse ecosystems -- are no exception," said Bill Steers, General Manager, Communications and Corporate Responsibility at ArcelorMittal Americas. "We recognize the importance of industry and government working together to restore and protect vital natural resources on which our communities and our businesses depend. Together as partners, we are able to leverage our strengths to achieve what is best for our environment. That is why ArcelorMittal is honored to be a part of Sustain Our Great Lakes, which serves as a testament to the importance of collaboration and conservation, achieving results that have an immense ecological impact."
"Throughout the past 10 years, the Sustain Our Great Lakes program has made remarkable progress in its mission to sustain, restore, and protect the fish, wildlife, and habitat in the Great Lakes basin," said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO at NFWF. "The grants announced today will continue to support effective and exciting projects across the basin that generate important benefits for both wildlife and people."
Source