The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Friends of Euclid Creek award scholarship
all the visitors that came to pet him.”
The event was organized by a committee of Avery Dennison employees who plan events to raise awareness for the local United Way and bring together employees for some fun. The group sought to try something new and innovative for this year’s campaign. Other events held for employees at the Mentor location included a silent auction, pancake breakfast, 50/50 raffle, cornhole tournament and an ice cream social. Avery Dennison facilities throughout Northeast Ohio will be holding similar campaigns throughout the fall for the United Way of Lake County.
The Friends of Euclid Creek (FOEC), a grassroots, nonprofit charitable organization which advocates for the health of the Euclid Creek watershed, is pleased to announce the recipient of its second annual scholarship in environmental studies.
The $1,000 scholarship, earmarked for educational purposes, has been awarded to Abbigail Smith of Mentor-on-the-Lake.
A graduate of Mentor High School and a longtime resident of Northeast Ohio, Smith is currently studying environmental geology at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky.
“Having lived on Lake Erie my entire life, I developed at a young age a love for water and how it is affected by nature and man,” Smith said. “My mother and grandfather often took me fishing in the Lake Erie tributaries, including Euclid Creek, for steelhead trout. This is where I started to get my interest in geology and watersheds.”
In 2014, Smith wrote a paper on current water quality issues in Lake Erie for one of her college courses, increasing her understanding of human impacts upon the Great Lakes and of the importance of watershed education.
“I have personally experienced the late summer algae blooms on Lake Erie,” she said.
“Some years we have seen hundreds of dead fish on our beach caused by oxygen depletion from decaying algae. We need to take action to protect this valuable resource, and keep it as clean as possible.”
Smith further pursued her interest in watershed issues this past summer, when she took an internship in Kentucky. There, she studied the effectiveness of an old restoration project in the Obion Creek watershed.
Smith’s passion for the health of our water resources has led to hopes for a career in this field.
After obtaining her degree, she plans to become a watershed professional. Her enthusiasm also impressed the Friends of Euclid Creek.
As a result, the organization was delighted to present Smith with its second annual environmental studies scholarship — an award which should help her to realize her educational and career aspirations.
The Friends of Euclid Creek’s mission is to raise awareness about and preserve the natural features of the Euclid Creek watershed.
— Submitted
Online: Information about FOEC and the annual scholarship may be obtained by accessing the organization’s website EUCLIDCREEKWATERSHED.ORG.