The 2011 CTIC Conservation In Action Tour concluded with a visit from Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) who represents the district that includes much of the area of Ohio that we visited today.

This 15-term representative is an advocate for agriculture and conservation in her district and was pleased to take time to meet with the tour group. “My main message was to thank them for being in the greatest tradition of the United States – our love of the land, the ethic of conservation and land stewardship that is rooted deep in our history,” she told me in an interview.

Challenges to the water quality of Lake Erie was the main focus of the CTIC tour and Marcy just participated in a ceremony Monday announcing a new $1.3 million wetlands restoration project in the latest round of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative awards at the Lake Erie Center in Oregon. She says the manufactured wetland will filter e.coli and phosphorus “in a very creative way, perhaps even being able to reuse phosphorus where it is needed.”

I also asked Marcy about her thoughts on the current attitude in Congress and, as a member of the House Agriculture Appropriations committee, what she thinks might happen with conservation funding in the upcoming 2012 Farm Bill negotiations.

Listen to my interview with Marcy Kaptur here: Rep. Marcy Kaptur

CTIC 2011 Conservation in Action Tour Photos