TO:     Ohio and Great Lakes Science and Outdoor Writers and Reporters

 FROM:           Dr. Jeff Reutter, Director

Ohio Sea Grant College Program and Stone Laboratory

The Ohio State University

Subject:          Invitation to Workshop at Stone Lab (space is limited—RSVP soon)

I am writing to invite you to participate in a special Lake Erie Workshop for Science and Outdoor Writers and Reporters at Stone Laboratory on 20-21 August.  The event is sponsored by the Joyce Foundation, the Ohio Sea Grant College Program, and the Friends of Stone Lab, and will take place at The Ohio State University’s F.T. Stone Laboratory on Gibraltar Island at Put-in-Bay.  The program will begin at 11:30 AM on Monday, 20 August, with check in, registration, introductions, and lunch, and conclude after lunch on Tuesday the 21^st.  Meals, housing at Stone Laboratory, ferryboat transportation, and general workshop activities will be provided.  Participants are responsible for their own transportation to get to and from the ferry dock on the mainland.  The program will include a tour of Gibraltar Island, a visit to the South Bass Island Lighthouse, Cooke Castle, and our Aquatic Visitors Center in the Historic Put-in-Bay Fish Hatchery, presentations by experts on key issues affecting Lake Erie and coastal communities, question and answer sessions, and a science cruise on one of Stone Laboratory’s research vessels where participants will pull a fish trawl and collect plankton, water, and invertebrate samples, followed by a brief laboratory session to discuss what was observed and collected.  Issues to be discussed include nutrient loading, harmful algal blooms, Asian carp, the “dead zone,” invasive species, endangered species, and the outlook for the future on Lake Erie.

Dress for this event is very casual—shorts are fine.  Complimentary housing is primarily college dormitory style with 2 people per room.  Cameras and tape recording devices areencouraged as you will have many opportunities to photograph the issues youwill be discussing and interview experts.  You will probably need sunscreen, but from past experience it is always a good idea to also bring rain gear.  There won’t be much time for fishing, but I am sure you will be able to squeeze in a few casts off our docks if you would like to bring your equipment.  I like to call this “edutainment.”  Our goal is to provide writers with a very enjoyable and informative experience on Lake Erie—Ohio’s most valuable natural resource—to help you better understand critical issues affecting Lake Erie.  In a very casual and informal setting you will be students again and your schedule will be packed.  We will provide a hands-on learning experience, an opportunity for you to experience and observe this wonderfulresource, have your questions answered, tell us your needs and concerns, and discuss important issues with experts.

 The Ohio Sea Grant College Program is part of The Ohio State University and the National Sea Grant College Program in NOAA.  We focus on the 3 E’s—economy, environment, and education—using a combination of research, education, and outreach.  We have 6 Ohio Sea Grant Extension Specialists located in communities along the Lake Erie coast and have supported over 500 research projects on a variety of issues ranging from economic impact and development to pollution cleanup and resource management.  Our web site,www.ohioseagrant.osu.edu, receives millions hits of annually.  We are consistently ranked as one of the top programs in the county.  A copy of our quarterly newsletter, Twine Line, can be downloaded from our web site.  The spring and summer issue provides a good overview of the 7 most important issues facing Lake Erie.

Stone Laboratory, located on the 6.5-acre Gibraltar Island at Put-in-Bay and dating back to 1895, is part of Ohio Sea Grant, Ohio’s Lake Erie Laboratory, and the oldest freshwater biological field station in the country.  We offer college courses during the summer, field trips and workshops during the spring and fall, and research goes on year-round.  We also host many conferences and meetings.  Since 1990 our students have come from over 110 different colleges and universities and 366 different high schools.  Stone Lab served as the base for the research that saved Lake Erie in the 1970s and brought about its dramatic rebirth.  We are hoping to be instrumental in a new rebirth made necessary by the growth of nutrient inputs and the return of harmful algal blooms.

DIRECTIONS TO STONE LABORATORY

You will first need to get to South Bass Island and the Village of Put-in-Bay on the Miller Ferry from Catawba Point (www.millerferry.com).  At this time of year, this ferry runs every half hour from early morning to about 9:00 PM.  We will provide the names of attendees to the Miller Ferry management to allow you to charge your round trip tickets to Stone Lab.  You can leave your vehicle on the mainland, but if you choose to bring it over on the ferry, the cost for your vehicle will be your own expense (approximately

$15 each way).   We will meet the ferries that depart the mainland at 10:00 AM and 10:30 with our vans and transport you to our Research Building and then to Gibraltar.  If you take a ferry that departs at a different time, take a taxi (we recommend Northcoast Cab, approximately $3) and ask them to take you to the Stone Lab Office, which is near our docks and our Research Building on South Bass Island.  From there we will get you to Gibraltar.

RSVP

Please RSVP by 14 August to Kelly Dress at Stone Lab at Dress.3@osu.edu or  419-285-1800, and let us know the names of the people attending, their phone numbers, and their emails to facilitate further exchange of information.  I am sorry, but we will not be able to accommodate spouses or families, and are limiting participation to the first 30 people to register.

I can be reached at reutter.1@osu.edu.  I look forward to seeing you at Stone Lab in August, but if you are unable to attend at that time, I hope you will accept my invitation to contact me directly to arrange a visit or to contact our Education and Outreach Coordinator, Dr. Kristin Stanford, at standford.147@osu.edu.

Jeffrey M. Reutter, Ph.D., Director