Rich Thorbahn was recently re-elected to the Board of Supervisors of the Ottawa Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). He was sworn into office by Judge Frederick Hany II at the January Board Meeting of the Ottawa Soil and Water Conservation District. Thorbahn holds the position of member. He joins Chairman Jerry Whipple; Vice Chairman Roland Sandrock,  Fiscal Agent Tom Riedeman and Secretary Mike Harder on the Board of Supervisors.  Together they direct the staff of the District to carry out the conservation of our natural resources through assisting landowners, both urban and rural, throughout Ottawa County.

This photo of two bald eagles on one branch was taken last week on Perry Street by Bob and Cathy Adorni of Port Clinton.
 

Saturday on Sandusky Bay near the USG plant the warm air temperatures met the breaking ice, causing a light fog along the shoreline.

Pisces Fisheries Inc. of Wheatley, Ontario, was fined $5,000 for fishing illegally in Ohio waters, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). Pisces Fisheries was sentenced by the Ottawa County Municipal Court in Port Clinton on Dec. 21 by Magistrate Louis P. Wargo III.

“This was a great multi-agency response,” said Gino Barna, ODNR Division of Wildlife law supervisor for the Lake Erie Law Enforcement Unit. “Gill nets have not been a major issue on Lake Erie in recent years because of the cooperation with other agencies. Because of this support network, incidents like this do not go undetected, and Ohio’s resources are better protected.”

Through the Black Swamp Conservancy and the Kracer family, Danbury Township’s Meadowbrook Marsh preserve has acquired 80 more acres to bring the preserve to a total of 193 acres. The land has been deeded to the township at no cost under a conservation easement, due to the collaborative efforts of Richard Kracer, Rob Krain of the Black Swamp Conservancy and the Danbury Township trustees. This means that the entire pond will now be part of the preserve.