July 2025 – Partners for Clean Streams https://partnersforcleanstreams.org Clean, clear, and safe water in Northwest Ohio Mon, 30 Jun 2025 19:57:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 https://partnersforcleanstreams.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/cropped-PCS-Logo-Vector-32x32.png July 2025 – Partners for Clean Streams https://partnersforcleanstreams.org 32 32 A Chance to Win a NEW Kayak for just $10! https://partnersforcleanstreams.org/2025/07/03/a-chance-to-win-a-new-kayak-for-just-10/ Thu, 03 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://partnersforcleanstreams.org/?p=4411 A new addition will be making its debut at the CYS 29 Volunteer Appreciation Picnic this year, and it could be yours for just $10! PCS will be raffling off a brand-new kayak 🛶 (yes, a canoe emoji, but close enough!)
Product Image: Pelican Sport

Tickets will be available online and can be purchased up until 1:00pm EST on Saturday September 27th. If you want to get even closer to the waterways that we work to keep clean, clear, and safe with your hard work, this is the perfect way to do it! Please note, survey raffle tickets can only be used for the raffle baskets and do not count towards the kayak raffle.

Get tickets here!

Raffle winners do not need to be present to win. Make sure your information is up to date and accurate so we can reach out to you and get you your prizes!

Don’t forget to Save the Date for CYS 29, and keep an eye out for registration opening later this month!

Every year following our region-wide cleanups, PCS hosts the volunteer appreciation picnic to thank all that joined for a morning of giving back to our waterways. At no cost, volunteers are invited to meet up at the Lucas County Fairgrounds Arts & Crafts building after their site has concluded their cleanup, to enjoy free food, t-shirts, outreach tables, and more! Additionally, thanks to wonderful donors, volunteers can win themed raffle baskets full of goodies from local vendors, artists, businesses and more. After completing the CYS survey, volunteers receive a free ticket to drop into the basket of their choosing to enter their chance to win!

As an even bigger thank you to our amazing volunteers, we are doing something new this year. PCS will be raffling off a brand-new 2024 Pelican Catch Classic 100 Angler Fishing Kayak for a lucky volunteer! Equipped with convenient Ergocast classic dual-position seating system, gear rails for custom accessories, and 2 flush-mount rod holders, this comfortable and stable kayak will have you looking the best on the water (it’s a shore thing)!

]]> The Story of Our Waterways https://partnersforcleanstreams.org/2025/07/03/the-story-of-our-waterways/ Thu, 03 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://partnersforcleanstreams.org/?p=4448 Northwest Ohio is home to some of the rarest ecosystems on Earth. The Oak Openings Region is a remarkable example of a globally unique and rare ecosystem that supports exceptional biodiversity.

Thousands of years ago, glacier movements carved out our extraordinary Great Lakes. The ancient shores of Lake Erie created a landscape of momentous sand dunes and densely forested wetlands. Before drainage projects began in the late 19th century, the Great Black Swamp stretched for nearly one million acres (almost the size of the entire state of Rhode Island!)  across Northwest Ohio, Southeast Michigan, and Northeast Indiana. Today, our region hosts rare wet prairie ecosystems, vernal pools, coastal wetlands, and sand dunes that seem to rise mysteriously out of forests and fields. This unique landscape sets the stage for incredible biodiversity to take root in Northwest Ohio. Lucas County boasts more rare and endangered species than any other county in Ohio, especially plant species. (Source: Ohio Department of Natural Resources)

Clean, clear, and safe water forms the nexus for this network of life. Our waterways are home to hundreds of species of plants and animals and serve as highways for many more. Abundant fresh water is a resource we shouldn’t take for granted. At Partners for Clean Streams, we love to walk alongside our rivers, boat on them, fish in them, and of course, drink the fresh water they provide. Every day and in many ways, our connection to our waterways runs deep.

By Frank Leverett and Frank B. Taylor – The Pleistocene of Indiana and Michigan and the History of the Great Lakes; U.S. Geological Survey, Monograph, #53; Government Printing Office; Washington, D.C.; 1915, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32309372
]]> July Programs https://partnersforcleanstreams.org/2025/07/03/july-programs/ Thu, 03 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://partnersforcleanstreams.org/?p=4463 We are collaborating with Metroparks Toledo, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and more to bring you some fun and exciting opportunities to get involved this month!

Sign-up for our upcoming programs, including Get the Lead Out, Clean Your Streams 365, and Macro Sampling. Volunteer opportunities are on our website homepage calendar and listed below.

CYS 365

Darby Marsh Clean-up – REGISTRATION FULL
  • Where: ONWR Darby Marsh – 14000 State Rte 2, Oak Harbor, OH 43449
  • When: Thursday, June 12th, 9:00am – 12:00pm
  • Details: Join staff and volunteers of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and Partners for Clean Streams for a Beach Cleanup at Darby Marsh, a unit of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge! Volunteers will meet at the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center and be shuttled to Darby Marsh, where we will spend about an hour picking up any trash we encounter along the beach. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and bring water. Supplies such as gloves, bags, and trash pickers will be provided. Please note, Darby Marsh is closed to the public – access is only by permit or through special events like this.

GLO

Get the Lead Out at International Park
  • Where: International Park – Rails To Trails Next To Maumee River, Toledo, OH 43605
  • When: Wednesday, July 16th 6:00pm – 8:00pm
  • Details: : Join us to Get the Lead Out! In partnership with Metroparks Toledo, help remove debris including fishing line, lures, and more from the shoreline of the Maumee River.
  • Volunteers will meet PCS and Metroparks staff at International Park and we will walk along the shore removing litter and debris. All cleanup supplies will be provided.
Sign up here!

Program Collabs

7/21/25 Macro Sampling with Metroparks Toledo
  • Where: Swan Creek Preserve Metropark – 4659 Airport Hwy, Toledo, OH 43615
  • When: Monday, July 21st 5:30pm – 7:30pm
  • Details: Assist PCS and Metroparks Toledo staff in the use of biological monitoring to determine the water quality of streams and rivers in and near Metroparks. Sign up today! Those interested in signing up can contact Meredith Busic ([email protected]).
7/23/25 Macro Sampling with Metroparks Toledo
  • Where: Wildwood Preserve Metropark – 5100 Central Ave, Toledo, OH 43615
  • When: Wednesday, July 23rd 5:30pm – 7:30pm
  • Details: Assist PCS and Metroparks Toledo staff in the use of biological monitoring to determine the water quality of streams and rivers in and near Metroparks.
  • Sign up today! Those interested in signing up can contact Meredith Busic ([email protected]).
]]> CWAT Update https://partnersforcleanstreams.org/2025/07/03/cwat-update/ Thu, 03 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://partnersforcleanstreams.org/?p=4477 As we enter July, our Community Water Action in Toledo (CWAT) water quality monitoring program is nearly halfway through the season!

The sampling season runs from April – October. This season we have 24 volunteers, as well as more helping hands from the Toledo Zoo ZOOTeens! These citizen scientists use monitoring instruments to report on water conditions at designated sites across four Northwest Ohio waterways: Maumee River, Portage River, Ottawa River, and Swan Creek. Volunteers pick a route of consisting of 3-4 sites, receive training on our equipment and sampling protocol, and then collect vital data about the health of local waterways.

74 successful samples have been collected from our 27 sites so far. Earlier this month, an incident occurred involving a sewer collapse that led to contamination in Swan Creek. With this news, PCS volunteers have been asked to skip 5 of the sites that have been affected by the spill and avoid those sites until further notice.

PCS understands that events like this, while unfortunate, are important to learn from, so these sites will still be sampled by our staff. This data is important to capture and share with the larger network of water quality sampling organizations, including the Lake Erie Volunteer Science Network (LEVSN) that we work closely with on this program.

Our volunteers make this program possible. Even with a few bumps in the road, they get the job done!

We couldn’t accomplish this work without all of you. Thank you!!💧

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