The Ohio Lakefront Group Important Links

Become an Ohio Lakefront Group Member
Become an active voting member of this grassroots organization. We are forced to finance all activities through annual dues and volunteer contributions. Your personal and financial support is necessary to achieve our mutual goals - protecting your property rights and retaining ownership of your land.

Click Here to Join now

2004 House Bill 218 Senate Hearings and Testimony

Read the testimony previously given before the Senate Energy, Natural Resources and Environment Committee. The committee hearings, chaired by Senator Spada, began at 10 a.m. on February 11, 2004.

2003 House Bill 218 House Hearings and Testimony

Read the sponsor/proponent/opponent testimony previously given before the House of Representatives during hearings in 2003. These hearings took place in the House Energy and Environment Committee, Nancy Hollister, Chair.

Attorney General Opinions - A number of site visitors have asked if there is a State Attorney General opinion regarding H.B. 218. While the attached opinion does not specifically talk about the Bill, it surely applies. However it has been totally ignored by ODNR.

The Legislative Service Committee (LSC) of the Ohio Legislature. These reports were sent to LSC and used to draft House Bill 218. Read another report by LSC on where the boundaries are for all the Great Lakes.

Citizens for the Protection of Property Rights (CPPR) is a neighborhood grassroots organization based in Ohio's Erie County. They are opposing the improper taking of private property along the Huron River. Visit their web site to stay informed about their battle with Erie Metroparks.

Save our Shoreline (SOS) is a Michigan-based, non-profit organization of shoreline property owners working to preserve their property rights. They have recently won an Appellate Court decision granting private property lakefront owners exclusive use of their property to the shoreline. The decision is now being appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court. SOS has filed an Americus Curie brief to he Court. Visit their site to keep informed.

Lakefrontowner.com - A Guide for lakeshore property owners

This website features articles, forums, information, news, books, and industry referrals specifically designed for lakefront property owners. It is based out of Prior Lake , Minnesota . This site gives interesting general information about living on the lake. Click the title to learn more.

Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF)

This is another private property rights organization fighting for their legal rights. PLF also has a plan to STOP local coastal governments from following the example of the California Coastal Commission in denying the property rights of coastal landowners. See what is happening on the other side of the country. Click the PLF site to learn more.

The International Great Lakes Coalition concentrates on the preservation of shorelines against erosion, flooding, and the subjective management of the coastal zone. Natural conditions have been changed by sometimes flawed government intervention and judgment. Click the link to read more.

The Great Lakes Commission has an Advisor Newsletter that is an overall Great Lakes News resource The May/June issue available on the opening web page includes an article on the Michigan SOS battle against the state. The current Newsletter and back issues can be accessed on the web site.

Oregonians In Action is a non profit lobbying organization that leads the fight for land-use regulatory reform and protection for private property rights. Visit the following link to see the results of a law suite similar to the Ohio Lake Front Group's concerns.

This site has a plethora of information about your Government at work. Use it to view House Bill 206, Senate Bill 127 or any bill, past or present. Find your Senator and let him/her know your thoughts. Learn about Ohio's legislature and use that information to OLG's advantage. www.legislature.state.oh.us  

In the Ohio Revised Code, read the Official Coastal Management Program. See how your rights erode away quicker than the property that you are trying to protect!

Coastal Management (1506) section

Ohio Coastal Management Office

Refer to the main page by clicking the above link. Enter CRAC in the search field in the extreme upper right hand corner on the opening page to read the minutes of the Coastal Resources Advisory Council meetings and see where the next meeting will be held: All members of the public are encouraged to attend and provide input to the Council.

Lake Levels can be obtained from NOAA's web site.

Audubon Ohio Newsletter The Myth and Disinformation Continues

The Fall 2004 Edition of Audubon Ohio reports an obviously ODNR influenced article entitled “Battle of Lake Erie Shifts to the Courts. They report that for the first 200 years of our history the State of Ohio , under the Public Trust Doctrine gives ownership to the State up to the ordinary high water mark giving all Ohioans the freedom to stroll the Lake Erie shore so long as they remain on beach below the high water mark. The article admonishes OLG because we believe our private property deeds trump the States public trust rights. The myths and misinformation:

•  The public trust, as given to the State of Ohio , includes the waters of Lake Erie extending from the International boundary to the southerly shores of Lake Erie and the land beneath (the waters).

•  The ordinary high water mark was never mentioned in the public trust, until recently revised by ODNR. In fact, the OHWM was only designated as an arbitrary level by the Army Corps of Engineers within the last 50 years.

•  The deed conveyed by the Connecticut Land Company of the Western Reserve (which includes much of the land abutting Lake Erie ) gives title to the property to the shoreline, a shoreline which was much further north in 1798 when the deed was conveyed.

•  Ohio Revised Code (Law) states that land lost by erosion but regained by avulsion, reverts ownership back to the upland property owner.

The Audubon Society is grossly misinformed in publishing this article.

If you know someone in the Audubon Society, you try to provide them with the real truth about private property ownership along Lake Erie . This e-News will be e-mailed to as many Audubon Ohio members for whom I can find e-mail addresses. You may want to e-mail those who you know. Writing to the editor may be of some value, but their close ties to ODNR, due to funding they receive, may find a deaf ear at the editor's desk.

Click here for the full article.

Page updated on02/12/2005; K. Kemmerer

Copyright 2004, Ohio Lakefront Group.

Site design courtesy of:
Randy M. Pindor

www.art-department.com