Northwestern Ohio’s landscape is marked mostly by agriculture, with farms of all sizes stretching across the Maumee River watershed and beyond.

A collaborative project, led by Ohio State University, is examining the connection between people’s perception of the health of Lake Erie and the Maumee River watershed, the actual state of these ecosystems, and how both are likely to shift under future influences like climate change. The overall project is funded by a National Science Foundation program aimed at examining the connection between human and natural systems – how humans influence an ecosystem, and how changes in that ecosystem in turn affect humans’ perception of and future actions towards it.

Dredging shipping channels is an unavoidable part of harbor maintenance in the western Lake Erie basin. In Toledo, the Army Corps of Engineers removes about one million cubic yards of sediment from the Maumee River each year, washed downstream by heavy rainstorms and agricultural runoff. But once the sediment is removed from the shipping channel, where does it go?

Yellow perch is a staple of Lake Erie restaurant menus, with menu boards along the shore advertising everything from classic fish fry to local specialties. While most of these fish were likely caught in the wild, some of them will have come from aquaculture: fish farms throughout the Great Lakes region raise yellow perch, and aquaculture sales in Ohio tripled from $1.8 million to $6.6 million in 2010.

As with all agriculture products, selective breeding – a process in which parents are selectively bred to enhance specific desired traits in their offspring – has improved production and led to most of the fruits, vegetables, and farm animals we know today. Corn kernels are larger and more uniformly colored than those produced by ancient corn plants, dairy cows produce more milk than their ancestors, and commercial bananas are larger and sweeter than their ancestors, to name just a few examples of genetically improved species.

South Bass Island is mostly known as a summer vacation spot on the Lake Erie islands, full of restaurants, marinas, and hotels. However, the island also hosts Ohio State University’s Stone Laboratory, the oldest freshwater field station in the United States and the center of Ohio Sea Grant’s teaching, research, and outreach work on Lake Erie.

Lake Erie shoreline anglers — those who fish from shore locations like docks and jetties instead of boats – value their fishing at an annual average of $13.5 million, a study from Ohio State University Extension, Ohio Sea Grant, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife has found. Shoreline anglers also spend an additional $1.1 million in communities near their fishing destinations on things like food, gas, and last-minute supplies.

Bright green waters, often capped with foam. Floating mats of algae washing up on the shoreline. And an invisible toxin that can cause rashes, breathing and nervous system problems, and liver damage.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) can have many negative impacts on the Lake Erie ecosystem and its economy, from deterring tourist visits to fouling drinking water. But as with most problems, being able to prepare means those impacts can be reduced or avoided altogether.

Climate change is often considered an abstract concept, affecting far-flung parts of the world like the Arctic, but not really relevant to life around the Great Lakes. However, research indicates that climate change will cause noticeable changes in the region, from changes in weather patterns to sightings of new plant and animal species.

With changing environments comes a need to educate area residents – children and adults alike – about the changes, and about the “new normal” they can expect to see in the future. Ohio State University’s Stone Lab is doing just that, with a new activity for its Lake Erie Science Field Trip Program.

Last year already saw a number of improvements at Stone Laboratory, but renovations and updates continue on South Bass and Gibraltar Islands. The newest addition to Stone Lab’s facilities will be an Algae & Water Quality Lab, housed in the Stone Lab Research Building and slated to open this summer.

“We have met the enemy, and they are ours.”

Those now-famous words from Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry after the Battle of Lake Erie were written aboard the Brig Niagara, a two-mast tall ship that became the American flagship during the 1813 battle with the British fleet. But the Niagara’s claim to fame doesn’t end in the pages of history books – a replica of the ship still sails the Great Lakes today, serving as a backdrop for history lessons, sailing courses, and college classes.