A groundbreaking election in Toledo, Ohio, puts this midwestern city on the map - voters recognized the rights of Lake Erie and can take legal…

Rights of Lake Erie Recognized in Historic Vote
Lake Erie Bill of Rights is enacted by the people of Toledo, Ohio!
Vox: Ohio voters are about to decide if Lake Erie has legal rights
Today, Toledo, Ohio, residents are voting on recognizing the rights of Lake Erie to exist and flourish - the next step in a changing landscape…

WTOL11: Lake Erie Bill of Rights passes in Toledo special election
After 21/2 years working to place their Lake Erie Bill of Rights on the ballot, Toledo, Ohio, residents celebrate victory for the Great Lake.
Breaking News: Toledo Voters Enact Lake Erie Bill of Rights
An historic vote by the people of Toledo, Ohio, marks the first time in the U.S. that the rights of an entire ecosystem are secured…
Mother Jones: Holy, Toledo! This Ohio City Is Voting to Give Legal Rights to a Lake
After decades of failed regulations to "protect" Lake Erie and several years of record-breaking algae blooms, Toledo, Ohio, residents prepare to vote on the Lake…

CNN: An Ohio city will vote on whether Lake Erie has the same rights as a person
Government representatives, acting on behalf of industry, have failed to protect Lake Erie. Toledo, Ohio, residents advance a Lake Erie Bill of Rights ballot measure…
The Guardian: Fighting pollution: Toledo residents want personhood status for Lake Erie
While elected officials do nothing substantive to protect Lake Erie, Toledo residents follow in the footsteps of indigenous and other communities, voting next week on…

New York Times: Legal Rights for Lake Erie? Voters in Ohio City Will Decide
As the well-being of Lake Erie deteriorates, Toledoans are taking action, voting next week on a Lake Erie Bill of Rights citizen initiative. This is…
The Daily Sentinel: Meigs BOE among defendants in Civil Rights lawsuit
Meigs County, Ohio, residents join six other communities in a federal Civil Rights lawsuit. The suit alleges Ohio government officials have routinely blocked valid citizen…

StarTribune: Minnesota tribe asks: Can wild rice have its own legal rights?
Traditional indigenous legal principles view nature and people as part of a whole. Today, the White Earth Band of Ojibwe is part of a growing…

Press Release: White Earth Band Enacts First-of-its-Kind Rights of Nature Law
CELDF assisted Honor the Earth to develop the first Rights of Nature law to protect a plant species, which was adopted by the White Earth…
The Gazette: Boards of elections, secretary of state sued over ballot rejections
Medina County, Ohio, residents are part of a federal Civil Rights lawsuit filed to protect the rights of Ohio citizens to vote on proposed citizen…

21WFMJ: Environmentalists from Youngstown, six counties file federal lawsuit
Ohio officials have blocked citizen initiatives advancing communities and nature's rights since 2015. In response, citizen have filed suit against Ohio's Secretary of State and…
The Columbus Dispatch: Federal lawsuit seeks to stop elections boards from blocking ballot initiatives
Fighting to protect Ohioans' right to citizen initiative, seven communities partner with CELDF to file a Civil Rights lawsuit in federal court.

News Release: Ohio Community Members File Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit
Communities from across Ohio file a federal lawsuit against local Boards of Elections and the Ohio Secretary of State for multiple rights violations - including…

The Blade: To the editor: Vote for Lake Erie Bill of Rights
An Ohio resident urges support for the Lake Erie Bill of Rights in Toledo to overcome devastating harms to the Lake's ecosystem and communities' drinking…

Yes! Magazine: The White Earth Band of Ojibwe Legally Recognized the Rights of Wild Rice. Here’s Why
Winona LaDuke speaks to the White Earth band of Ojibwe passing a law formally recognizing the Rights of Manoomin, or wild rice, in December.

Cleveland.com: Toledoans to vote on Lake Erie Bill of Rights
"If there's a problem to be treated, there's a problem to be solved." Toledoans take steps to solve the problem of contaminated water in Lake…

Lake Erie Bill of Rights!
Lake Erie Bill of Rights (LEBOR) is on the February special elections ballot. Check out news coverage and the growing support for Toledo residents' pioneering…
Cleveland.com: The Ohio Supreme Court has rightly affirmed that Toledoans get to vote on a proposed Lake Erie Bill of Rights
Cleveland.com editorial board member cheers the Ohio Supreme Court's recognition of Toledo residents' right to vote on the Lake Erie Bill of Rights initiative in…