Reprinted from Post Journal 9/5/11

County residents with a stake in or concern for Lake Erie have a brand new commission to call their own.

One of the purposes of a recent meeting for the stakeholders of the Lake Erie shoreline was for the public to learn about the goals of the Lake Erie Watershed Protection Alliance and the newly created Lake Erie Management Commission.

At the County Legislature's regular August business meeting, the 24 lawmakers present passed a resolution creating the Lake Erie Management Commission.

In committee earlier in the month, county officials explained that the commission is a sort of counterpart to what's in existence for Chautauqua Lake.

"Now there's actually funding from the 2 percent money, $25,000, that's going to go to Lake Erie Projects," said Bill Daly, IDA executive director. "You need to get an organization that can actually recommend and help the process. I think it's a great concept because with that $25,000 you've got to have somebody looking at what's going on along the shoreline.

"It's 42 miles," Daly continued. "That's a lot of shoreline and it's very diverse - cliffs, beach. This is really a kind of response to what went on with the Chautauqua Lake Management Commission." Also at the Planning and Economic Development Committee meeting of Aug. 17, legislator George Borrello, R-Irving, thanked all involved who helped work to establish the Lake Erie Management Commission.

"I think this is long overdue and I'm really glad that we now have a vehicle," Borrello said. "With Lake Erie being an international border, there are plenty of funds available, government and private, to help stabilize and improve the watersheds in Lake Erie so hopefully this will be an entity to receive those funds."

Borrello continued on to say that the creation of such an entity is something he has been looking forward to since his first day in office as a legislator.

"We've put some band-aids on, but have no plan," Borrello said of Lake Erie. "This is thinking for the future." By Nicholas L. Dean