Benjamin Logan pupils, teachers and several community members had the chance to explore the Lake Erie ecosystem during two trips offered this summer by the Logan County Land Trust as a part of its youth outreach program.
The first adventure took place July 28 for a trek to Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab at South Bass Island, a research and education facility that is a part of the Ohio State University and for more than 40 years has protected Lake Erie as a vital natural resource.
Half of the group toured the old stone building, which previously housed a hatchery.
From 1907 through 1988, millions of walleye, perch, and other species of fish were hatched and raised here before being released into the lake. The facility now serves as Stone Labs Aquatic Visitor’s Center.
A Stone Lab biologist talked of the importance of the Lake as an aquatic ecosystem and told of the threats caused by invasive species and the harmful algal blooms caused by nutrient loading.
Younger attendees also had the chance to fish from the hatchery’s pier.
While the first group explored the visitor’s center, the second boarded one of Stone Lab’s seven research vessels for a two-hour experience on the lake. Temperature and dissolved oxygen measurements were taken. A secchi disk was used to measure turbidity. Phytoplankton and zooplankton were collected using specially-designed nets, and a fish trawl collected numerous young walleye and perch.
Only a small number of research organizations are permitted to use this method to gather data about Lake Erie’s fish populations. According to the Stone Lab biologists, both walleye and yellow perch currently are doing well in the Western Basin of the lake. However, these numbers fluctuate annually, and other parts of the lake do not support similar size populations.
Aug. 11, a second Logan County Land Trust-sponsored trip made the journey to South Bass Island to examine some of the environmental issues facing Lake Erie, also spending time at the Stone Lab Aquatic Visitor’s Center and conducting similar research aquatic research.
Following their time on Lake Erie, both groups stopped at the farm of Chris Kurt in Dunkirk on their way home. The Curt Farm is a part of the Blanchard River Demonstration Farms Network.
Participants learned how conservation practices are being used on the farm to lessen the amount of nutrient loss from the soil. Reducing erosion, precise application of nutrients, and the use of cover crops are strategies that can result in less phosphorus entering the tributaries, thus having a negative impact on Lake Erie.
“The message that we received was the importance in our environment locally and how it affects the waters up at Lake Erie (fertilization, run off etc.) and how they tie in together whether we realized it or not. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour at Dunkirk also. To me it seemed amazing that what they do there affects Lake Erie,” Heather Clapsaddle said.
The Logan County Land trust is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the rural character of Logan County. For more information, contact Bruce Smith, (937) 441-2032 or Bob Stoll, (937) 935-7505 or visit https://www.logancountylandtrust.org/.