Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Associated Press
CLEVELAND
Reduced operations at two Ohio power plants have fishermen and bird watchers anticipating a poor winter along Lake Erie.
The coal-burning plants on the lakefront in Cleveland and nearby Eastlake emit warm water that draws fish and rare gulls and ducks during the cold weather months. The warm water also attracts bait fish, which attract sport fish.
Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. announced in August it was cutting back operations, and the plant will be used only at times of heavier power demand. The shutdowns stem from a slow economy, declining demand for electricity and future environmental regulations that could require expensive anti-pollution equipment, FirstEnergy spokeswoman Ellen Raines said.
Avian education specialist Jim McCormac with the Ohio Division of Wildlife has called the plants “ecotourism magnets” that draw birders from throughout the Midwest.
“The openings in the lake caused by those warm water outflows from the power plants creating of the best and easiest birding on the entire Great Lakes in winter,” McCormac told The Plain Dealer.
Columbus birder Bill Whan said the shutdowns will have a bigger impact on the birders than on the birds. He expects the gulls and ducks will move to open water at the Avon Lake power plant or to the eastern end of Lake Erie, where the water depth prevents freezing.
But Wayne Ritchie, 68, who has fished near the Eastlake plant for more than 40 years, said the switch is “going to mess us up badly.”
Some businesses also rely on year-round fishing on the lake.
Amanda Blenman, a sales clerk at the Beverage and Tackle Shop in Eastlake, said bait is the store’s biggest seller.
“People don’t come in here for beer in December,” she said.