Currents August 2020

Did you know that the Great Lakes are the biggest freshwater source in the world? Lake Erie is the most productive for fishing of all the Great Lakes. Your support helps make our streams clean, clear and healthy so they can support this complex ecosystem. By donating to PCS, you help us reach our goals of restoring rivers that lead to Lake Erie beaches that promote fishable and swimmable conditions for generations.

Support PCS - Donate Now!

August

GLO LogoAfter an assessment from our Program Coordinator and Executive Director we now have dates for Get the Lead Out! In our last Currents newsletter, we described the benefits of removing fishing line from our waterways. Since then the heat of summer hit us; the water levels are currently low enough for us to go out and rid the Maumee of fishing line hazards. Mark your calendar for August 8th, 13th, and 25th sessions will be held in the evening when it is a little cooler. You can register on our site here https://partnersforcleanstreams.org/glo-online-registration. Please check our calendar online and our social media channels for continuous updates since weather and water levels change.

In June and July,Clean Swell Clean Up STATS 1 we were the proud environmental partners of the virtual Citizenship in our Community. This online workshop was a part of the Scouts BSA merit badge. Bob Neubert lead this awesome environmental event virtually; encouraging scouts to learn online (socially distant!) and then volunteer with their household. 38 scouts that participated in June at 10 different locations in the greater Toledo area. Troops 14, 198, 217 of the Erie Shores Council participated in this event by using the Clean Swell app or emailing us their data cards and liability forms.

They made an outstanding impact on marine debris in June by collecting 625.5 pounds of marine debris. We cannot wait to tally up the impacts for July. Another virtual Citizenship in the Community will be held in August! We are excited to see the results for this; stay tuned into the PCS social media to see their impacts.

PCS Volunteer Saftey PrecautionsSafety is no stranger to us. On typical non-pandemic days, we provide first aid kits, hand sanitizer, gloves, grabbers, and reflective vests to our volunteers. Because in all honesty, cleaning our streams has some risk to it. We can interact with unfriendly marine debris on a typical clean-up. We understand these potential risks and want to protect our volunteers as best as we can from the harm they might encounter. The recent pandemic has not changed the priority of safety for our volunteers. We have ramped up some of our usual precautions to maximize safety. We are taking precautions like sanitizing or quarantining our kits before they are used again, recommending masks, and requiring them in certain situations. You can check out how specific programs have adapted to the pandemic here. And remember, with these enhanced safety precautions, we hope you will find a way you are comfortable volunteering to clean our streams!

AugustAOCDo you know about the Maumee Area of Concern (AOC); “what are its boundaries”, “what is being done here”, “who benefits from the work”, “why does the AOC matter to you”? Do you know the answers to these questions? If not, never fear, we’ve got you covered and are excited to announce a new video that will answer these questions and more!

The Maumee AOC is defined as an area of over 787mi2, covering large a large portion of NW Ohio, that has been identified as a place where significant watershed impairments (e.g., degraded fish/wildlife habitat, sediment pollution, etc.) exist. As a result of this designation, federal and state funding has been made available to correct these problems. Over the last several decades, partners from many different groups have worked together, using this funding to make a great amount of progress toward the restoration of our AOC.

As such, the Ohio EPA and the Maumee AOC Advisory Committee (MAAC) are proud to announce the premiere of a professionally-produced video that captures the spirit of the work that has been and continues to be done to improve the Maumee AOC. The goal of this 15-minute production is to inform the public about our AOC, to spread excitement regarding the strides that have been made here, and to share information about the quality resources that are now available as a result of this work. The video debut of this video is coming soon!  Watch our social media platforms for the link! 

Partners for Clean Streams Inc. is striving for abundant open space and a high quality natural environment; adequate floodwater storage capacities and flourishing wildlife; stakeholders who take local ownership in their resources; and rivers, streams and lakes that are clean, clear and safe