Approximately 36 people from four Ohio State University friends and alumni groups pitched in to spruce up Stone Laboratory, Ohio State's island campus on Lake Erie, during the annual Buckeye Island Hop (IHOP), held this year on October 2-4, 2009. Representatives from Friends of Stone Laboratory (FOSL), the Ohio State College of Biological Sciences Alumni Society, the Columbiana County Alumni Club, and the Greater Cleveland Alumni Club completed work projects, enjoyed good food and good company, and even tuned into the Buckeye Football game against Indiana thanks to a donated satellite dish.

"We accomplished a phenomenal amount of work," says Karen Jennings, a FOSL member who also coordinated the event. "We installed 17 cabinets, many of which will house Stone Lab's extensive fish collection. Some people cut brush to give Gibraltar Island visitors an unobstructed view of Lake Erie, while others cleaned the classroom building or power washed the Harborview dormitory. We cleaned and shrink wrapped a boat for winter storage, replaced a balcony on Cooke Castle, and even traveled to South Bass Island to put down mulch at the Lake Erie Islands Historical Society and the Jane Coates Trail."

All of that effort was rewarded on Saturday evening with a wine tasting and dinner, as well as a presentation from recently retired Ohio State Sea Grant Extension Educator Fred Snyder, who spoke about his 30-year career.

The alumni groups that donated their time for the weekend see the IHOP as an opportunity to give back to the university they love and a cause they believe in. "I think the IHOP perfectly fits the Ohio State mission: teaching, research, and community service," says Bob Sevel, Media Relations Director for the OSU Alumni Club of Greater Cleveland. "A great deal of teaching happens at Stone Lab, and research is done there to conserve and protect Ohio's greatest asset, Lake Erie. It's a chance for us to ‘pay it forward' with some community service and get to know other alumni from around the state and beyond. The OSU Alumni Club of Greater Cleveland feels that anything involving Ohio State is worth our efforts."

Alumni groups interested in getting involved in next year's Buckeye Island Hop, set for October 1-3, 2010, should contact Karen Jennings at karen.jennings@jfs.ohio.gov or watch for details at stonelab.osu.edu/events .