Ohio Mixed Bag: Upgrade begins at Lake Loramie State Park – Outdoor News

Minster, Ohio — The Ohio DNR (ODNR) recently marked the beginning of construction for the Lake Loramie State Park Welcome Center with a groundbreaking ceremony.

Upon completion, the space will house the new Nature Center and Heritage Museum for Lake Loramie State Park. A historic gem, Lake Loramie reservoir was completed in 1845 and supplied water to the Miami and Erie Canal, which was crucial for trade and transportation in the 1800s. The lake and its scenic surroundings joined the state park system in 1949 when ODNR was created.

The Welcome Center will boast a strategic location that offers panoramic views of the lake and spillway. It will also serve as the front door to the campground and a link to the day-use area. Drawing inspiration from the region’s rich canal era history, the Welcome Center’s architecture and materials will pay homage to its heritage.

Designed with future expansion in mind, additions to the center could include a camp check-in, a camp store, and a new access drive to the campgrounds. Additionally, an educational sensory garden is being discussed with the local friends of the park group.

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Air Force Leader Named First Shooter

Camp Perry, Ohio — Each year, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) facilitates the ceremonial First Shot Ceremony – a formal opening to the annual National Matches at Camp Perry. To officially start the month-long series of rifle, pistol and air gun events, a traditional “first shot” is simulated on the historic Camp Perry ranges by a prestigious member of the marksmanship community.

For 2024, the CMP announced that Olympian, Air Force Academy rifle head coach and CMP Board Member Launi Meili as the chosen First Shot Speaker.

The rifle Meili will use for the traditional first shot is a gold-plated 1907 Standard that was presented to her at the 1993 SHOT Show by Dieter Anschütz, owner/president of Anschütz Rifles. It was personally made for Meili after winning the gold medal in Barcelona in 1992 and has been on display at the USA Shooting Hall of Fame. The 2024 First Shot Ceremony will mark the rifle’s first-ever firing.

Meili is the current head coach of the NCAA Air Force Academy Rifle Team, a title she has held for over 15 years. Under her direction, the team has qualified for the NCAA National Championship for nine straight seasons and has placed within the top five teams five separate times, including a third place finish in 2023 and an air rifle national title in 2019 – the first in program history. She also helped train freshman Scott Rockett to the program’s first NCAA air rifle championship title.

Gebhardt Named To MWCD Board

New Philadelphia, Ohio — Ohio environment, agriculture, and natural resources leader Karl Gebhardt has been appointed to the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) board of directors by the Conservancy Court. The Court is an 18-judge body that oversees MWCD operations and makes appointments to its board. The court appointed Gebhardt at its recent annual meeting at the Tuscarawas County Courthouse.

Gebhardt’s service to Ohio includes leading farmland preservation efforts at the Department of Agriculture, as well as deputy director of Water Resources and chief of the Division of Surface Water for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. He also served as deputy director at the Department of Natural Resources, overseeing its Division of Soil and Water Resources and leading the Ohio Lake Erie Commission. He has also served as a township trustee and as a member of the International Joint Commission’s Water Quality Board, a U.S-Canada body that works on shared issues impacting the Great Lakes. He has a master’s in public policy from Ohio State University and a bachelor’s degree in business from Franklin University.

“Among Ohio’s many natural gems are the Muskingum River’s watershed and the conservancy district that was created 90 years ago to both help control its flooding and also steward its natural beauty for future generations. There are very few places in the country where public lands are managed as responsibly and where people can so fully enjoy them. I am honored to have the chance to contribute to this work and look forward to partnering with my fellow board members and the talented MWCD staff in continuing this strong legacy,” said Gebhardt.

NWTF Names ‘Turkey Professor’ At UGA

Edgefield, S.C. — Taking its support of wild turkey research into new territory, the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) recently established the first-ever National Wild Turkey Federation Distinguished Professor position with the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.

A prominent professor and researcher will be appointed as the school’s National Wild Turkey Federation Distinguished Professor later this year. That individual will be the recipient of a $500,000 endowment to facilitate wild turkey research endorsed and supported by state wildlife agencies in the years ahead.

“While we will always continue to allocate funds to critical wild turkey research projects through our National Wild Turkey RFP program, we need to also channel the momentum we’ve built around research into something a step further,” NWTF co-CEO Kurt Dyroff said. “This new endowed professorship with UGA will ensure that wild turkey research is funded and remains an area of focus into perpetuity.”

Source: https://www.outdoornews.com/2024/07/01/ohio-mixed-bag-upgrade-begins-at-lake-loramie-state-park/