We are reaching out to anyone who catches and eats fish caught near the lower Maumee River and Maumee Bay, including Swan Creek and the Ottawa River. A two-hour guided discussion group will be held January 14th from 6-8pm at the Bass Pro Shops located in the Conservation Room at 10000 Bass Pro Blvd in Rossford, Ohio. Discussion group participants will receive a $25 dollar Visa gift card and a light meal. We still have a few spots open for this discussion group. We will be starting a waitng list soon and are happy to add to add your name to the list. Contact [email protected] or 419-874-0727 for more information and to reserve your spot for the discussion group by January 7th, 2013
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The 16th Annual Clean Your Streams Day saw an astounding 1,175 participants this year. What an overwhelming demonstration of our caring for local rivers and streams in our communities! Volunteers of all ages removed 18,822 pounds of trash from 38 miles of local area streams and rivers. With 60 land sites and 2 boat sites, the dedicated volunteers collected 903 bags of trash and 274 tires from cities including Toledo, Oregon, Maumee, Sylvania and in Lucas and Wood Counties. They worked in many watersheds, including the Maumee River, the Lake Erie Tributaries, Swan Creek, Ottawa River and the Toussaint and Portage Rivers. A number of peculiar items were found including a lunch tray, bed springs, Christmas lights, bowling pin, rubber frog, tanning goggles, $50 UT parking ticket and a jeep bumper. A picnic was held after the cleanup to celebrate the volunteers’ dedication to our waterways with a catered lunch, door prizes, challenge awards and much more. Congratulations goes to the Challenge winners and a HUGE thanks goes to all the volunteers who showed their support for their local streams and rivers!
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During the 8th Annual Get the Lead Out! this summer, we broke records with number of volunteers, distance covered and amount of lead collected. Volunteers walked through and around the Maumee River removing derelict, potentially harmful fishing line, hooks and lead sinkers from the environment. A total of 64 volunteers covered 2.5 miles of the Maumee River between Perrysburg and Maumee in 10 separate outings. Because of low waters and increased participation, we were able to retrieve 210 pounds of lead sinkers and 3 large bags full of discarded fishing line, way more than ever before! The collected lead is being resold and reused while the line has been sent to Berkley Fishing to be recycled. Thank you to each of you who made this year’s Get the Lead Out! such a success!
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On March 4th, at the 10th Annual Youth Patch Day Workshop, 84 participants earned badges by taking part in eight activities focusing on various water conservation subjects. These activities are designed to get the participating youth to become knowledgeable, active citizens for our environment. The activities included water gardens, recycling, waste treatment, water cycle and agriculture. We also had training for Storm Drain Marking. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who participated.
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Did you know that you could join PCS and help support our programs all year long? Whether a student, professional, or business partner, your membership allows us to match more grants, bringing more resources to the community to improve our local waterways. Your membership also provides direct support to our programs, especially for items that grants won’t cover. It demonstrates your commitment to clear, clean, and safe water for all of us (and our families) who live, work and play in Northwest Ohio. Your support allows us to implement new programs and to adjust for current programs that are exploding in community impact (see the recap for 2012 details). So as you plan your end-of-the-year gifts or you’re giving for the upcoming new year, please take a moment to join PCS. It’s easy to do on our website and we have a donation level that should fit every budget – from $15 to $500 and above. And perhaps just as importantly, we pledge to be good stewards of your gift. In doing so, we’ve chosen not to send expensive “giveaways” or gimmicks for membership incentives, but instead to regularly communicate with you through pictures, e-newsletters, and other ways to show you the impact your gift has on the community. After all, clear, clean, and safe water benefits each of us directly, now and in the future.
]]>- Get the Lead Out! from The Toledo Blade, by Matt Markey on June 10th, 2012
- Hook, Line and Sinker from The Ocean Conservancy, The Blog Aquatic, by Catherine Fox on September 12th, 2012
- Volunteers clean up local streams from The Toledo Blade, by Kelly McLendon on September 17th, 2012
- Editorial: Boy Scouts of America, Partners for Clean Streams cleaning area rivers from Toledo News Now on September 2012
Every year, at Thanksgiving time, I am reminded to pause and reflect on my blessings. Of course, like many of you, those thoughts usually center on family, well-being, and helping provide for my family. But this year, I am also trying to intentionally think about those often over-looked fundamentals. Fundamental blessings like open and green spaces, a sunny fall day, fresh water, and the ability to actively enjoy all of those gifts here, close to home. I am privileged to lead an organization that focuses on protecting, restoring, and engaging people with those wonderful natural resources. And yet, in the demanding work called for in this profession, it is all too easy to focus on the negative, long-term challenges – rather than on the privileges of serving, engaging, teaching, and leading. I gratefully chose to focus on the thousands of hours volunteers have given this year to restore areas, to care for our natural environment, and to teach the youth to continue caring for the water and the land. Or the blessing of a dedicated, caring staff carrying the day-to-day load and going above and beyond a “job” to demonstrate that “Giving” is year-round. I am also thankful for the businesses and individuals who entrust us with the financial resources to continuing giving back to our community by caring for the land and the water.
Those volunteers, staff, colleagues, and donors are actively living out the “Giving” in ThanksGiving year round. With this in mind, turn this season – from Thanksgiving through New Year’s – into an opportunity to not only passively reflect on your blessings but also as a time to decide how you will actively live out the “Giving” all year-long. Please consider making PCS one of the ways for you and your family to actively give back. There are many meaningful opportunities for you at www.PartnersForCleanStreams.org, ranging from volunteer opportunities to membership and donations to steps to take at home to conserve water. In whatever way you chose to “Give”, the PCS staff, our waterways, native wildlife and our future generations thank you.
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Construction is reaching a closing point at Camp Miakonda as crews reach critical junctures for the major tasks. Partners for Clean Streams (PCS) couldn’t be more thrilled with the way the project has progressed over these past months. Excavating the nearly 10,000 cubic yards of sediment from Lake Sawyer has shifted from trucking it off site to shaping banks and removing the temporary access road as water quickly flows back in. Sloping back the excavated areas in Lake Sawyer will help prevent erosion as well as provide a gradual transition between deeper and shallow areas, perfect for aquatic habitat and recreational activities.
Along the edges of Lake Sawyer are several built-up sections that are designed to be wetland shelves. These shelves will allow for water to filter through, removing sediment and any potential pollutants before the water reaches the lake, and eventually the Ottawa River. These areas will remain underwater, yet will be shallow enough to become a unique educational opportunity for Boy Scouts and the public to learn about wetland plants and their benefits in contrast to drier conditions. North of the swimming pool and pocketed throughout the remaining property, we’ve restored about three full acres of wetlands by both treating invasive species and planting new, beneficial native species.
Flowing into Lake Sawyer are two tributaries on the property, Cunningham and Hartman Ditches. Hartman was redirected into the lake, after it had originally emptied into the Ottawa River, by installing a 3-sided culvert. Having both tributaries flowing into the lake should encourage more water movement, helping to provide oxygen to the deepened waters, benefiting fish and turtles. Both tributaries received stone work to help direct the water and lock-in new native plantings added for sediment control.
Beyond Lake Sawyer is the Ottawa River, which has been eroding the banks bordering the lake for years. The project has implemented numerous in-stream structures designed to push the highest velocity current of the river into the center of its existing channel, minimizing the impact on either side. In addition, stone toe protection was built along more than 650 feet of the banks to help prevent erosion occurring at high-flow events. The design of the protection is such that as the rock gets pushed by water, they fall in a way that’s actually beneficial for the entire structure.
The project at Camp Miakonda has been a huge success so far. Over the coming year, we will be closely monitoring over 26, 000 plants, numerous stone structures, and water levels throughout the restoration area to ensure continuing success. We will also be creating educational signage that will teach visitors about all aspects of the restoration project. Without the cooperation with the Boy Scouts, our contractors Geo. Gradel and Ecological Restoration, and other community partners, this wouldn’t have been nearly as successful. Thank you!
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