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ODNR anticipates good fishing at Lake Erie in 2013

Anglers and their catch on Saturday at Fisherman’s Wharf, Port Clinton. Photo by Donna Lueke

Lake Erie anglers should enjoy diverse fishing opportunities in 2013, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

“When you consider the mix of species and sizes that are seasonally available to Ohio anglers, we are optimistic about the fishing prospects this year,” said Jeff Tyson, Lake Erie fisheries program manager for the ODNR Division of Wildlife. “Weather is always a wild card at Lake Erie, but if conditions are similar to those in 2012, anglers should have excellent seasonal opportunities this year to catch walleye, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, white bass and steelhead.”

Shrink wrap recycling

In 2012, the Ohio Shrink Wrap Recycling Program collected over 300,000 pounds of shrink wrap from more than 125 participants. Thanks to an innovative recycling program launched by Ohio Sea Grant in partnership with Mondo Polymer Technologies Inc. of Reno, Ohio, more than 2 million pounds of plastic shrink wrap have been recycled since 2006. This discarded shrink wrap has been kept out of Ohio landfills and recycled into the manufacture of nearly 300,000 highway guardrail blocks by Mondo Polymer Technologies that help make over 350 miles of Ohio roadways safer and reduce landfill content.

Finding the early signs of spring on the forest floor

Gardeners are accustomed to the traditional signs of the arrival of spring with beautiful blooming bulbs, the breaking buds of flowering trees, and the vibrant yellow flowers of forsythia shrubs. However, there are other indicators that arise when the last snows have melted and the sounds of song birds returns to Catawba Island and the surrounding region. Native flowering plants take center stage from late March through the month of April and retreat in the heat of the summer. This phenomenal transition primarily refers to a group of woodland plants called spring ephemerals, and is part of what makes the temperate forests of northern Ohio so breathtaking.

The Green Dog

There are many interesting things about being the animal companion of a Greenie, a self-styled environmentalist.

The best part is the time I get to spend walking in nature, sniffing the smells, watering the trees, swimming in the lake, even occasionally escaping to chase squirrels and to forage. One memorable spring day I found the leg bone of a deer and led the humans on quite a chase before they could get it away from me.

The healing of Lake Erie

Port Clinton shoreline, September, 2011. Photo by Brenda Culler, ODNR.

On Friday, April 12, the National Wildlife Federation hosted a Forum on Lake Erie, held at the Lake Erie Shores and Islands Welcome Center in Port Clinton. Presenters were Frank Szollosi of National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Regional office in Ann Arbor; Dr. Thomas Bridgeman, University of Toledo scientist with the Lake Erie Center; and Sandy Bihn, Lake Erie Water Keeper.

The importance of Lake Erie

Lake Erie is facing a new set of challenges, which can be addressed if groups at all levels continue to work together. Your actions can help.

This was the take-home message from a Lake Erie Forum hosted by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) on Friday April 12 at the Lake Erie Shores and Islands Welcome Center in Port Clinton.