GLRI Wildlife Health Event Reporter (GLRI-WHER): $3M allocated by Ohio to fight lake's algae blooms

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

$3M allocated by Ohio to fight lake's algae blooms

Up to $3 million in state funding has been allocated to combat harmful algae infestation in Lake Erie, with several hundred thousand dollars committed to starting a program this month to help farmers reduce hazardous runoff during rainstorms, officials said Tuesday.

About $200,000 of the Healthy Lake Erie Fund has been appropriated for a program of soil testing, nutrient monitoring, application certification, and installation of controlled drainage devices on Ohio farmland that will help curb phosphorous runoff into lakes and tributaries, said Karl Gebhardt, deputy director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

The money was put forward to match a $900,000 federal grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Lake Erie Restoration Initiative Fund for which state officials have applied.

ToledoBlade.com - www.toledoblade.com

11 Jul 2012

R Redfern

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GLRI-WHER Mission

This site provides news and information about the online tool, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative - Wildlife Health Event Reporter (GLRI-WHER). The application was designed to enable the public to submit observations of sick, injured or dead wildlife, as well as environmental observations on the shores of the Great Lakes.

Injured or dead wildlife, as well as evidence of algal blooms, can be an indication that an area is being affected by a Botulism outbreak. Botulism Type C has been known to cause extensive waterfowl mortality in the western United States since the early 1900s. Botulism Type E's appearance in the Great Lakes began in the early 1960s in Lakes Huron and Michigan.

Over the years, the incidences of botulism in the Great Lakes have increased steadily, and in the 1998-2001 period was responsible for the deaths of thousands of birds in Lakes Huron and Erie. Scientists working in state, federal, and non-profit agencies are looking for your help to identify events that could be important in research on Avian Botulism and protecting birds from this disease.

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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

$3M allocated by Ohio to fight lake's algae blooms

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