If you like to garden and/or are interested in ways to help improve the health of our environment (terrestrial and aquatic), this opportunity is for you! We are pleased to announce a rain barrel pre-order/pickup opportunity later this Spring. Using rain barrels to capture rain as it runs off of building roofs and before it runs through lawns can help fertilizers stay out of nearby waterways. Reductions in fertilizer (i.e., nutrient) flow can help reduce some of the algal blooms we see in the summertime. Plus, the (free) rainwater is conveniently stored until you need to water your flowers, lawn, or vegetable garden. If you are interested in composting, you’re  also in luck, as compost bins are offered for sale as well! Using compost bins to dispose of certain types of food waste can help to reduce the amount of trash taken to landfills, while eventually providing high quality soil for your next gardening project!

The Village of Ottawa Hills and Lucas Soil and Water Conservation District have partnered to provide this opportunity to Toledo-area residents. Order can be placed through this link until May 20^th. Orders will be available for pick up on May 30^th, from 10am-12pm in the parking lot of Ottawa Hills Elementary School (3602 Indian Rd., Ottawa Hills OH, 43606). If anything changes with this schedule, we will post updated info on our social media channels.

April 19^th – April 25^th is National Volunteer Week, when we celebrate all the volunteers who have helped us improve our local waterways throughout the years! Though COVID-19 concerns and precautions have put a pause on our usual group volunteer activities, we want to confirm that our programs will eventually resume and to acknowledge that progress to-date would not have been possible without the dedication of the our volunteers. In 2019, over 1,165 volunteers helped us clean up 22, 941 pounds of trash though programs such as: Clean Your Streams Day, CYS 365, Get the Lead Out, Fishing Line Recycling Bins, Glass City Marathon Green Team, and Storm Drain Marking. To check out examples of some of these events, take a look at these YouTube links; Storm Drain Marking, CYS 365 and Get the Lead Out.

Please stay tuned for the resumption of these activities as soon as conditions allow. And remember, if cabin fever has you out for a walk and you see piece of litter, feel free to clean it up and continue the work of keeping our waterways clear, clean, and safe! Just remember to take a trash bag and pair of gloves with you, and to practice responsible social distancing during your walk. You can boost your solo cleanup by doing a bit of citizen science while you’re at it! Simply download the Ocean Conservancy’s Clean Swell app on your phone and then use the app to record your walk distance, area, and types/amount of trash collected. This information is being used to help design solutions to the global problem of marine debris.

Did you know that in 2019, Governor DeWine signed a bill in the law that designates April as Ohio Native Plant Month? The United Nations General Assembly has also designated 2020 as International Year of Plant Health!

These recognitions are based on the many benefits that native plants bring to all facets of our environment. Plants native to our region typically have deeper root systems that help stabilize our soils (less erosion) and uptake nutrients (fertilizers) and other contaminants before they reach our waterways. Increased soil stabilization and nutrient uptake can help to reduce the algal blooms we are unfortunately becoming so familiar with. Many of these plants are also vital to our pollinator community; think milkweed and monarchs.

Fortunately, there are (hopefully) going to be numerous opportunities to purchase native plants this Spring! The Oak Opening Region Chapter of Wild Ones provides a great list of plants sales for interested home and business owners; please visit this link. In the meantime, take a pledge about using native plants & increasing pollinator gardens at https://toledolakeerie.clearchoicescleanwater.org/.