Lake Erie is one of Ohio’s most valuable natural resources. Among many other things, it’s a walleye fishery that brings billions of dollars in tourism to the region. However, it also produces harmful algal blooms and contains plastic marine debris and invasive species.
Lake Erie may be the smallest by volume and the shallowest of the Great Lakes, but it is also the most biologically productive, and its watershed the most populated. Agriculture, urbanization and industrialization draw people to live and work by the water’s edge, but they also contribute to many of the environmental problems facing the lake. Making matters worse, changing climatic conditions are exacerbating some of these problems and creating economic and public health concerns for coastal populations.
This month’s Science Café Cleveland discussion, led by Scott Hardy and Sarah Orlando, extension educators for the Ohio Sea Grant College Program, will delve into the science behind some of the most pressing issues facing Lake Erie and the Great Lakes, and offer insights into how society can work to address them.
Their discussion, titled “Not So Eerie Anymore? The Science behind Lake Erie’s Most Critical Environmental Issues,” will be Monday, June 10, from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Music Box Supper Club (1148 Main Ave.).
Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and limited menu items will be available for purchase.