Middle Bass Island - Volunteer Fire Department Open House, May 25, 2008

The Middle Bass Island Volunteer Fire Department held their annual Open House on May 25 from 11AM to 2PM. Kids could climb on four different fire engines. T-shirts were available, and island residents could get free smoke alarms by providing information about their homes that included sketching the interior floor plan.

The fire department also sold tickets to their "Sunset Cruise and Pig Roast" fund raiser on July 12. It leaves the main dock at 7:15PM and will provide a full evening of entertainment on the water. Tickets are very limited and can be obtained at J.F. Walleyes restaurant. The cost is $40 per person.

Signs announced a pancake breakfast benefit starting at 8AM on June 14.

One of the popular topics of discussion centered around water snakes, raccoons and the state park marina project. I heard heard that raccoons entered more homes than usual this past winter, and even got into the town hall. There is still one in the town hall somewhere that has not been trapped yet.

The raccoon problem is being blamed on ODNR, because of all the land that was cleared by the state on both sides of Fox Rd. to provide a dumping place for dredged dirt from the marina project. It forced many raccoons to find a new home.

The latest news is that some raccoons have clearly found their way into the fenced off marina area, and are finding the water snakes in their traps a lucrative source of food. The "Island Snake Lady", Kristin Stanford, is reportedly less than pleased about this.

The latest Lake Erie Watersnake Newsletter states that the "Population Persistence criterion of the Lake Erie Watersnake (LEWS) recovery plan has been met. This criterion specifies that for six or more years the overall population on the U.S. islands reaches or exceeds 5,555 adults." This target has now been met for all years from 2002-2007. But at this point, the snakes are still under protection. Hmm, if that got changed quickly, could the marina be built faster and at lower cost?

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Revised: 30 Jun 2008 18:58:42.

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