Birding events such as the Biggest Week in American Birding Festival helped to impact Norwest Ohio's economy by $30 million, reports the Toledo Blade newspaper this week.

The Blade reported that Larry Fletcher, Lake Erie Shores & Islands executive director, told the Ohio Lake Erie Commission at its regular meeting last week that an Ohio Department of Natural Resources annual survey of foot traffic along the Magee Marsh boardwalk in Ottawa County counted 90,000 visitors during the peak April-May migration season, reflecting a 15-percent increase over the same period in 2015.

Fletcher presented the data at the end of the meeting when the commission took comments and questions from the audience. He said the data show that a healthy Lake Erie helps stimulate Ohio's economy.

The Ohio Lake Erie Commission is a Lake Erie policy board comprised of state agency department heads and others selected by the state of Ohio.