Good Friday Fish Fry April 6th

Join us on Good Friday for our 11th annual signature fundraising event. Enjoy an excellent meal and help support our watershed education efforts. Lock Sixteen is catering the meal, which features delightfully tasty Alaskan Pollock strips, seasoned fries and coleslaw. Tickets are $7 per person. Eat-in or carry-out! Serving 11 AM to 6:30 PM. Call us at 419-223-0040 x107 to arrange bulk meal delivery for your business! Be sure and visit our silent auction area while at the fairgrounds.

2012 Calendar Of Scheduled Events

All activities and events are open to any interested person.

Mar 28 Regular Bi-Monthly Mtg. 8:00 AM Lima Elks Lodge (1)

Apr 6 Good Friday Fish Fry 11:00-6:30 PM Allen Co. Fairgrounds (3)

Apr 25 Executive Committee Meeting 7:30 AM Lima Elks Lodge (1)

Apr 28 Ottawa River Cleanup 9:00-Noon Allen Co. Red Cross (4)

May 23 Regular Bi-Monthly Meeting 8:00 AM Lima Elks Lodge (1)

Jun 27 Executive Committee Meeting 7:30 AM Lima Elks Lodge (1)

Jul 25 Regular Bi-Monthly Meeting 8:00 AM Lima Elks Lodge (1)

Aug 22 Executive Committee Meeting 7:30 AM Fairgrounds (3)

Sep 26 Regular Bi-Monthly Meeting 8:00 AM Lima Elks Lodge (1)

Oct 24 Executive Committee Meeting 7:30 AM Lima Elks Lodge (1)

Nov 28 Regular Bi-Monthly Meeting 8:00 AM Lima Elks Lodge (1)

Dec 5 Executive Committee Meeting 7:30 AM Lima Elks Lodge (1)

Meeting Location Guide

(1)The Lima Elks Lodge is located at 302 W. North St., Lima, OH 45801.

(2)The Allen County Sanitary Engineering Dept is located at 3230 N. Cole St., Lima, OH 45801

(3)The Allen County Fairgrounds is located at 2750 Harding Hwy., Lima, OH 45804

(4)The Allen County Red Cross is located at 610 S. Collett St., Lima, OH 45804

(5)The Allen County Ag Service Center (co-located with OSU Lima Welcome Center) is located on the OSU/Rhodes Campus at 3900 Campus Drive, Suite A, Lima, OH 45804

Ramage Honored With 2011 Impact Award

Lima Senior High School student Candice Ramage (photo right) was honored at the Ottawa River Coalition's 2011 Annual Meeting with an Impact Award for the contri-butions she made to the watershed organization with her senior project. Miss Ramage single-handedly organized an awareness-building event at the high school for over 400 of her peers in October 2010. She created several displays and games to engage students in learning more about issues associated with the river that flows alongside their school campus and through their home community. She also hosted displays and personal participation from the Ottawa River Coalition, Alloway, Allen County Emergency Management Agency, Allied Environmental Services, Johnny Appleseed Metro Park District, and Bassett Associates. In addition, Candice conducted a raffle and other prize incentive activities during the event and was able to raise $200 for the Ottawa River Coalition. Her classmates who are all part of the LSH Moonbuggy Team, assisted her in manning displays and activities during the October event. She is pictured here with her mother, Tessa Lane.

The Drinking Water Connection

Storm drains and catch basins are commonly directly connected to a nearby river, stream, creek, or ditch. The Ottawa River is the primary source of drinking water for the City of Lima. Upstream of the City, water is withdrawn from the river and deposited and stored in reservoirs. From the reservoirs, the water travels through undergrpound pipes or mains to the water treatment plant and distribution center.

So when you consider the impact on our drinking water resources or that of communities downstream of us, protecting storm drains and catch basins is very important.

Ten Things You Can Do To Prevent Stormwater Pollution

• Use fertilizers sparingly, preventing overspray onto hard surfaces
• Protect storm drains and never dump anything down them
• Vegetate bare spots in your yard
• Compost your yard waste
• Use pesticides as a last resort; learn about Integrated Pest Management practices
• Direct downspouts away from paved surfaces
• Wash your car on the lawn instead of pavement
• Keep your car free of leaks and recycle used motor oil
• Pick up after your pet
• Have your septic tank pumped and system inspected regularly

Watch what you put in those storm drains!

We created this storm drain awareness PSA locally to help people understand that our water resources are all connected. This is my river and it's your river too! What are YOU doing to protect it?

Thanks to Bart Mills for being our "character".

The Dead Zone

There has been a great deal in the news lately about "Dead Zones" in bodies of water. It is something that hits close to home with a large area in Lake Erie that suffers from annual oxygen depletion.

Read more about this phenomenon here and learn what we can do about it.

Watch a video from Kent State about what causes Dead Zones and what their university is doing to research the issue.

And for teachers, here is a lesson plan addressing the problem.