Heath earns Hero Award

HURON — Dr. Robert Heath, a professor emeritus at Kent State University, received the Friends of Old Woman Creek's 2026 Hero Award. A presentation occurred at a recent meeting. Dr. David Klarer, a retired research coordinator at Old Woman Creek and Frank Lopez, a former Old Woman Creek manager, nominated the biological science educator for his contributions to Old Woman Creek. "He served on the Old Woman Creek. advisory board and, most importantly, encouraged others to do research at Old Woman Creek," Klarer said. "Dr. Heath has been a valued mentor throughout our professional careers." The Hero Award is given to people or groups that have supported the mission of Old Woman Creek. The Friends of Old Woman Creek, which began in 1997, provides support for programs and activities at Old Woman Creek. Nominations for the Hero Awards can be made by anyone and are due in November. Bio blast Heath started his research at Old Woman Creek in 1984, studying phosphorus dynamics in the creek through a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He advanced understanding of how algal growth occurs in the shallow, turbid waters of Great Lakes coastal wetlands, a discovery with lasting management implications, Klarer said. In 1988, he was named to the Old Woman Creek advisory board and continued an active role for more than 25 years, sharing his vast knowledge of Great Lakes environmental issues, Klarer said. Heath supported research at Old Woman Creek and encouraged other scientists and their students by alerting them to research opportunities and funding options for work at Old Woman Creek and other coastal wetlands. He was one of four scientists who organized and coordinated a research symposium on the Great Lakes wetlands at Old Woman Creek. He presented his studies on nutrient dynamics, sharing information about Old Woman Creek and encouraging others to undertake similar studies at the state nature preserve and national estuarine research reserve in Huron. He served as the director of the Water Resources Research Institute at Kent State University and was the chairperson of the Ohio Coastal Resources Advisory Council. In 2021, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ohio Lake Management Society.