News Briefs

VA benefit
briefing set
Oak Harbor area veterans are invited to a VA benefit briefing Aug. 16 with a focus on pensions. An Ottawa County Veterans Service Officer will be on hand to review this benefit and answer questions veterans may have.
Due to limited space, this event is only for veterans. The briefing will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Harris Elmore Public Library. Additional briefings will be held throughout the county each month
Call the Ottawa County Veterans Service Office 419-898-2089 to reserve a seat.

Shredding event
Glass City Federal Credit Union and Vital Records Control VRC are offering area residents the opportunity to have their confidential recyclable paper items shredded and recycled during a Shred Day.
Materials will be collected Aug. 18 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Glass City Federal Credit Union, 1666 E. Broadway St., East Toledo.
Glass City Federal is hosting this community service event to decrease the chances of identity theft through the proper disposal of confidential documents. VRC will provide an on-site shred truck to securely shred documents. There is a limit of up to 5 bags or boxes of paper items only per person. No electronics or computer equipment will be accepted.
The Shred Day is free and open to the public; however, the public is encouraged to donate school supply items for nearby Oakdale Elementary School during the event. Items in need are: #2 pencils, erasers, crayons, colored pencils, notebooks, wide-ruled notebook paper, Sharpie markers, and dry erase markers.

Conservation
stories wanted
For the second year, the Lucas Soil and Water Conservation District is looking for residents and landowners in the community to share their stories of success and struggle while implementing conservation practices in their own backyards.
This year, all those who complete the online survey will be entered into a raffle drawing to win one free item from our store (maximum value $62.50). The survey can be found at www.LucasSWCD.org/success-stories. The winner will be drawn Aug. 31.
Site visits are also an option for residents who agree to Lucas SWCD staff touring the property; however it is not required to be entered into the drawing. Examples of practices include native plants, rain gardens, composting, beekeeping, gardening, no-mow or low-mow grass, etc. There are also prompts for people who live in apartments or places where maybe there isn't a yard, but instead a balcony or patio for small-space gardening.
The goal of this program is to compile and share these stories in order to inspire others to implement conservation practices by showing that it can be done at any scale. Pictures and excerpts from the surveys and interviews are available on the Lucas SWCD website at www.LucasSWCD.org/success-stories.

Lake Erie film
to be shown
The film, The Erie Situation, will be shown Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. at the Maumee Indoor Theatre, 601 Conant St., Maumee.
The film examines how large scale factory farms impact the Maumee River and Lake Erie.
Following the film there will be a panel discussion with Wade Kapszukiewcz, mayor of Toledo; Jeffrey Reutter, retired director of the Ohio Sea Grant Stone Lab; Mike Ferner, coordinator of Lake Erie Advocates, and Joe Logan, president of the Ohio Farmers Union.
Admission is free but seating capacity is limited to 500. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Grants awarded
for recycling,
litter prevention
Organizations and local governments in Wood, Lucas, and Ottawa counties were among the recipients to receive grants for recycling and litter prevention programs from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
In all, about $1.4 million in grants have been awarded to implement recycling, litter prevention, market development, and scrap tire recycling programs in Northwest Ohio.
-Habitat for Humanity of Ottawa County received $42,840 to purchase recycling equipment.
-Lott Industries, Inc. in Lucas County received $55,000 for drop-off recycling and to purchase recycling equipment.
-Lucas County Solid Waste Management received $70,718 for special venue recycling, purchasing recycling equipment, litter clean-up and renewal of the Keep America Beautiful program.
-Metroparks of Toledo received $28,800 to purchase recycling equipment.
-Oak Harbor Chamber Foundation received $6,400 for special venue recycling.
-City of Toledo received $100,000 for litter clean-up, a tire amnesty program, and outreach.
-Wood County Solid Waste Management received $29,157 to expand the 24/7 residential drop-off recycling program through education and purchase 17 dumpsters.

Carvers, decoy
show Aug. 12
The public is invited to attend the Maumee Bay Carvers Association 41st Annual Decoy Show and Swap & Sell Meet, Aug. 12, at Magee Marsh State Wildlife area check-in station, 13299 West State Rt. 2, Oak Harbor.
The event will be open rain or shine.
Carvers can compete by entering their working decoys and shorebirds which will be judged and awarded various prizes.
Registration for carvers begins at 9 a.m. and judging follows registration. A Sell and Swap meet will also be held relating to hunting items, decoys, and carving and wood supplies.
Admission to the show is free and there is a small entry fee for the competition. The newly renovated Magee Marsh Sportsmen's Migratory Bird Center will also be open. Decoys made by Ohio
renowned carvers, including “Buckeye” Joe Wooster are on display.
Visit www.maumeebaycarvers.com for the rules and awards.

PERI meeting
Public Employees Retirement, Inc. Chapter 83, Ottawa County District 1, will meet Aug. 8 at 1 p.m. at the Ottawa County Community Resource Center, 8043 W. State Rt. 163, Oak Harbor.
The guest speaker will be Scott Judd, of AMBA, to discuss benefits.