Ohio Mixed Bag: Perch limit reduced on portion of Lake Erie – Outdoor News
Fairport Harbor, Ohio — Due to poor recruitment of yellow perch, anglers in one zone of Lake Erie will see reduced daily bag limits this year.
As of May 1, perch fishermen fishing Lake Erie’s eastern zone from Fairport Harbor to Conneaut are permitted to keep 20 perch per day. The daily bag limit had been 30 per day.
The reduced bag limit will be in effect until at least April of 2026.
ODNR Offers Student Field Trip Contest
Columbus — As part of the America 250-Ohio celebration, the Ohio DNR (ODNR) is hosting a special competition for Ohio students who love the outdoors. ODNR’s America 250 Field Trip competition offers students in grades 3 through 12 a chance to participate in an exclusive field trip of their choice with ODNR staff.
Contest applications for ODNR’s America 250 Field Trip are now being accepted online. To enter the contest, students will submit either a piece of artwork or short essay about how Ohio’s natural resources have played a role in their life. Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of ODNR staff for all six categories. Winners who are selected can choose from a variety of field trips put together by staff.
Visit the DNR website to learn more about the experiences as well as project parameters and instructions on how to apply. The deadline to submit either artwork or a written piece is Friday, July 4. Those entering the contest must be a student enrolled in or entering grades 3 through 12 in the fall and must be an Ohio student.
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Whitetails Unlimited Buys Drones For ODNR
Columbus — Ohio’s Logan County and Killbuck Valley Whitetails Unlimited (WTU) chapters, along with a match from WTU national headquarters, all contributed funds totaling $25,909 to purchase two drones for the Ohio DNR. The drones will benefit the ODNR’S 88 county wildlife officers.
Wildlife habitat, hunter access, and the reduction of poaching are priorities of Whitetails Unlimited. The group’s HOPE for Wildlife Program initiatives create partnerships with state and federal agencies to acquire land, improve and maintain critical habitat for deer and other wildlife, and increase public hunting opportunities. Deer Management and Whitetail Watch are initiatives that help build relationships with private landowners, who play a vital role in wildlife conservation.
Logue Nominated to Lead Ohio EPA
Columbus — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on April 14 announced that he is nominating John Logue to be the next director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OhioEPA). If confirmed by the Ohio Senate, Logue will replace director Anne M. Vogel, who was appointed as the U.S. EPA Region 5 Administrator.
Logue has served in multiple leadership capacities at the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC), including administrator/CEO and deputy administrator where he provided leadership to one of the largest state-run insurance systems in the United States. Logue joined BWC in 2019 as chief of strategic direction, overseeing the Division of Safety and Hygiene, and the offices of Analytics, Business Intelligence, Data Warehouse, Business Transformation, and the creation of the Workforce Safety Innovation Center.
Logue holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from John Carroll University, a master’s in business administration from Cleveland State University, and an associate in risk management designation from the Insurance Institute of America, which is today known as The Institutes.
The governor’s nomination of Logue requires confirmation by the Ohio Senate.
ODNR Donates to Rural Fire Departments
Columbus — The Ohio DNR (ODNR) Division of Forestry recently approved grant funding for 90 projects totaling more than $562,000 for fire departments in rural areas of Ohio through the Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) Grant Program.
VFA grant projects are focused on supporting rural fire departments and helping them continue to deliver safety services to their communities. VFA grants are open to fire departments that serve communities with populations of less than 10,000 people within the ODNR Forestry wildfire protection area.
The grant funds may be used by fire departments to purchase UTVs, slip-in wildfire pump units, wildfire and structure fire PPE, Multi-Agency Radio Communication System (MARCS) radios, tools, and other items to support fire department operations and development. VFA grants may fund up to 50% of the total project cost, not to exceed $10,000 per grant.
Parks and Watercraft Up for Major Award
Columbus — The Ohio DNR (ODNR) announced that the Division of Parks and Watercraft has been named a Finalist Award recipient in the 2025 National Gold Medal Award Program for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. The honor, bestowed by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA) in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), places Ohio among the top public park systems in the nation.
Ohio joins Florida and Wyoming as the three 2025 Gold Medal finalists in the State Parks category. Ohio was chosen as a finalist by a panel of seasoned park and recreation professionals.
With free entry to all 76 state parks, Ohio offers more than 9,300 campsites, 1,200 miles of trails, 10 lodges, and over 7,100 educational programs annually.
Source: https://www.outdoornews.com/2025/05/19/ohio-mixed-bag-perch-limit-reduced-on-portion-of-lake-erie/
