League of Women Voters

Cuyahoga Area Education Fund, Inc.
50 Public Square, #938
Cleveland OH  44113

Contact: Kathy Woodbridge
Day:  (216) 781-0555                                                  February 8, 2007
Night: (216) 221-5848                                                 For Immediate Release

LEAGUE FORUM DIVES INTO LAKE ERIE WATER POLICY

“Our Great Lakes … Our Future, Our Responsibility: Protecting Our Eco-Fragile Gem,” is the topic of the third forum in a dialogue series on “The Environment – Putting First Things First,” presented to the public by the League of Women Voters-Cuyahoga Area.  The event is set for Thursday, March 1, 2007, 7 pm to 9 pm at the West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church, 20401 Hilliard Blvd., Rocky River.  Guest Speaker is Kristy Meyer, Lake Erie Program Director, The Ohio Environmental Council.  Registration and dessert are $5.  Send check to the LWV-CA Education Fund, 50 Public Square, #938, Cleveland OH 44113, by February 23.

“According to the Ohio Environmental Council,” states LWV-CA President Kathy Woodbridge, “the Great Lakes Basin contains nearly 20 percent of the earth’s fresh surface water.  Lake Erie supplies drinking water to 11 million people, and is the most biologically productive of the Great Lakes.  This vitally important environmental and economic resource needs to be kept safe for future generations,” she continues.  “We are looking forward to hearing our guest speaker, Kristy Meyer, and learning what we can do as individuals to protect and improve Lake Erie.”Kristy Meyer is the Lake Erie Program Director for the Ohio Environmental Council and is responsible for coordinating OEC’s Great Lakes work with an emphasis on the Great Lakes Basin Water Resources Compact and Great Lakes restoration.  She also is responsible for coordinating and supporting the Northeast Ohio Watershed Council and the Northwest Ohio Watershed groups, regional watershed groups that come together to mentor each other and advocate for common interests.  In this capacity, Kristy forms partnerships with traditional and non-traditional allies to develop, support, encourage and pass sound policy to promote the quality of water in Ohio’s Lake Erie Basin and the Great Lakes through regional, state and federal policy and citizen-based outreach efforts.                                   

 Prior to starting at the OEC in April 2005, Kristy worked as Ohio’s Outreach Specialist part time on Keep Antibiotics Working, The Campaign to End Antibiotic Overuse in animal agriculture, whose overuse and misuse promote the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.  Kristy obtained her M.AppSci from James Cook University in Queensland, Australia, where she also worked with Aboriginals on Natural Resource Management Issues and formed a “Greening Strategy,” for all of Northern Australia, including Papua New Guinea.  She also has a B.S. in Environmental Biology and Business Administration from Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio.

This First Thursday Forum is funded by The George Gund Foundation and the League of Women Voters-Cuyahoga Area Education Fund, Inc., in partnership with EcoCity Cleveland.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political membership organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

For more information, please call the LWV-CA office at 216 781-0555 or visit www.lwvCuyahogaArea.org.

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