Public tours available on Ohio State University’s Gibraltar Island, Put-in-Bay

Put-In-Bay, Ohio — This summer, the Ohio State University’s island campus on Lake Erie, Stone Lab, will again offer science and history tours of Gibraltar Island and the South Bass Island Lighthouse, as well as weekly Put-in-Bay Science Days.

Put-in-Bay Science Days will be free events open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays from June 6 to Aug. 29.

Each week at the South Bass Island Lighthouse grounds, Stone Lab experts will highlight live fish and wildlife to help educate the public about a topics related to Lake Erie and the protection of the ecosystem. Featured topics will include Lake Erie’s island birds (June 6-7), reptiles and amphibians of the Lake Erie Islands (July 11-12), pollinators and pollinator habitat (July 25-26), and more. The South Bass Island Lighthouse tower will be open for free, public tours on these days as well.

MORE COVERAGE FROM OHIO OUTDOOR NEWS:

Cicadas about to emerge in the southwest Ohio region

Ohio’s Grand Lake St. Marys will be stocked with saugeyes

Angler lands ‘unicorn’ largemouth, weighing nearly 9.5 pounds, in northeast Ohio reservoir

Tours of Gibraltar Island, including visits to Perry’s Lookout, Cooke Castle, and the glacial grooves, will be offered on Thursdays from June 12 to Aug. 14. Two tour times are available to guests from 10 a.m. to noon and 1-3 p.m.

Participation is first-come, but up to 70 visitors will be accommodated. Tickets are $12 per adult and $6 per child, plus an additional $8 fee in cash paid to the water taxi captain for round-trip transportation to the island.

Kids ages 5 and under can attend for free. Those wishing to participate in a Gibraltar Island tour should meet at the Boardwalk Restaurant dock 15 minutes before the tour starting time.

The South Bass Island Lighthouse grounds are open to the public from dawn to dusk, and guided tours about Lake Erie’s history and the issues facing it will be offered on Fridays and Saturdays from June 6 to Aug. 29 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tour guests will visit the top of the lighthouse tower to look out at Put-In- Bay, Lake Erie, and the neighboring Green Island.

More information on tours and special events hosted by Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab can be found at ohioseagrant.osu.edu and stonelab.osu.edu. Ohio Sea Grant is supported by the Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.