The Marblehead Lighthouse is featured on one of the two speciality Ohio plates that raised money for the Lake Erie Protection Fund. (Photo: Ohio.gov)
Sales from specialized license plates in Ohio are resulting in $60,000 in grants to help clean up the state’s only Great Lake.
A pair of Ohio’s plates raised money for the Lake Erie Protection Fund, which was established to finance research and implementation projects to protect and restore Lake Erie and its watershed.
One plate featured the Lake Erie “life ring,” while the other showcased Marblehead Lighthouse, a state landmark north of Sandusky across the Sandusky Bay. The plates are sold for an additional $25, with $15 of that going to protecting Lake Erie.
The second of the Lake Erie plates featured a “life ring.” (Photo: Ohio.gov)
According to the Ohio Lake Erie Commission, the $60,000 raised will be spent on four separate projects totaling $15,000 each.
The projects and its recipients are as follows:
- Ohio State University — Study to detect microcystin (an algal toxin) levels in water;
- Toledo Metro Area Council of Governments — Prioritizing empty lots in Toledo for building of green infrastructure;
- Rocky River Watershed Council — Planting and reforestation along the Rocky River watershed; and
- Defiance Soil and Water Conservation District — Monitoring of streams leading to the Upper Maumee River.
More information on the license plates and the Lake Erie Protection Fund can be found here.