Macroinvertebrates are extremely important to our watersheds. Not only do they serve as a primary food source for fish, amphibians, and water birds, but they are also a great indicator for water quality. Macroinvertebrates have different tolerances when it comes to changes in water quality, because of this many scientists and environmentalists look at the diversity and type of macroinvertebrates within the stream or river. If there is a high variety of pollution-sensitive species, it usually indicates a healthy and clean waterway.

For Partners for Clean Streams, monitoring macroinvertebrates is one way we can better understand our waterways and identify areas that need attention. Every tiny creature we find can help tell the larger story of a healthy stream.

Keep an eye out for the little things that make a big difference!

We invite our partners, volunteers, families, friends, and community members to join us for this year’s event. Registration is now open, and we encourage you to sign up and invite others to participate.

Register here!

After the cleanup, we’ll come together for a picnic at the Lucas County Fair Grounds to enjoy some food and celebrate the work we’ve accomplished. We also invite you to participate in some raffles for the chance to win prizes.

Thirty years of Clean Your Streams Day is a testament to the power of partnership and community involvement. Year after year, people have come together to protect our streams and natural resources, and that continued commitment has made this event a meaningful community tradition.

We are incredibly grateful for your partnership and for the role you play in making Clean Your Streams Day possible. Mark your calendar for September 26, register today, and invite your colleagues, friends, and neighbors to join us as we celebrate 30 years of cleaning, connecting, and building community together!

We look forward to seeing you there and celebrating this incredible milestone with you.

Storm drains provide an important pathway for rainwater to enter local streams, rivers, and even our lakes. Unlike wastewater that goes to a treatment facility, stormwater can carry little, oil, chemicals, and other pollutants that go directly into our waterways without being filtered. Marking storm drains throughout our neighborhoods with the message “Lake Erie starts here: dump no waste” helps raise awareness and reminds people to keep their storm drains clean.

With guidance from Partners for Clean Streams, the Lucas County Engineer’s Office, and Ohio EPA, local Scouts helped spray paint storm drains with that important message throughout the Sylvania Township community. This hands-on project gives volunteers and opportunity to learn about stormwater pollution while also contributing to the health of our local waterways.

Every marked drain is a reminder that protecting our watersheds starts right in our own neighborhoods.

The group paddled by kayak to Girty’s Island, enjoying a unique perspective of the river while keeping an eye out for litter and other debris along the riverbank. Among the more unusual finds were a porch duck and a windshield wiper linkage—a reminder that you never quite know what you’ll discover during a river cleanup!

Events like this demonstrate the value of partnerships between organizations that share a commitment to protecting Ohio’s waterways. By combining the knowledge, resources, and enthusiasm of PCS and ODNR, even small cleanup efforts can make a meaningful difference while bringing people closer to the rivers they work to protect.

Kayaking to Girty’s Island provided an opportunity to experience the Maumee River from a different perspective. Getting out on the water allows volunteers to see firsthand the importance of keeping our waterways clean and encourages continued stewardship of these valuable natural resources.

Partners for Clean Streams is grateful to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for joining us on the river and helping make this cleanup possible. We look forward to continuing to build partnerships and create opportunities for volunteers and conservation organizations to work together for cleaner, healthier streams and rivers throughout our region.

All of Partners for Clean Streams programs are made possible through the generosity of our sponsors and community donations. This month, we are especially grateful for the support from the Jay and Valentina Jindal Fund in partnership with the Greater Toledo Community Foundation. With continued contributions like this, Partners for Clean Streams is able to advance our shared community goals of water stewardship and engagement across Northwest Ohio.

Thank you for helping us continue our mission to protect and celebrate our local waterways!

We are excited to announce that we will be celebrating 30 years of Clean Your Streams! Our Annual Clean Year Streams Day is happening on Saturday, September 26^th to celebrate 30 years of impact, service, and connection. We invite all participants, families, volunteers, and supporters to mark their calendars for this special occasion.

CYS 30 is Northwest Ohio’s largest watershed cleanup event, now in its 30^th year, welcoming individuals, families, schools, community groups, and businesses of all ages.

The clean-up begins with check-in and orientation at several kickoff locations across Northwest Ohio. This year’s locations include University of Toledo, Monroe St. United Methodist Church, Oregon Municipal Building, Westwinds Metropark, Side Cut Metropark, Woodlands Park, and Independence Dam State Park.

After orientation, volunteers will be assigned to cleanup locations throughout local watersheds. By mid-morning, teams will be actively removing litter from parks, streams, and riverbanks. At noon, volunteers will be invited to reconvene for an appreciation picnic, including free food, t-shirts, raffle prizes, environmental tabling, and to announce the winners of Clean Your Streams Challenges.

CYS 30 will also include our week-long, clean-on-your-own Remote Kickoff that leads up to Clean Your Streams Day. After you register for Remote Kickoff, you will choose a public waterway site where you will pick up trash and use the Clean Swell app to record your progress.

If you or your business are interested in becoming a sponsor of this year’s event, please contact PCS Executive Director, Todd Duvall, [email protected] for more information.

Unable to make it to the event but still want to support the mission? Click the link to donate and be a part of celebrating three decades of water stewardship! https://partnersforcleanstreams.org/donate/

Make sure to be following our Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X/Twitter, and keeping up to date on our website for more information as we start getting closer to the day!

Expanding our volunteer network allows us to continue collecting valuable water quality data across the region while also helping to keep discarded fishing line out of our waterways. If you are interested in getting involved, visit our website to learn more about our volunteer programs and how you can make a difference.

One-way volunteers are making an impact is through our Reel In & Recycle program, which provides collection bins where people can properly dispose of used fishing line which can pose a serious threat to wildlife and aquatic habitats.

This month, we’re highlighting our Point Place fishing line recycling bin. Thanks to the dedication of one of our volunteers, the bin has been consistently maintained and emptied throughout the year. Last year, the bin was overflowing with fishing line —better overflowing the recycling bins rather than our local waterways!

We extend a sincere thank you to all of our volunteers who continue to maintain monitoring sites and water quality testing efforts across the watershed. We also thank our community partners—the National Museum of the Great Lakes, the Toledo Naturalists’ Association, and the Toledo Zoo— for their ongoing support in advancing education, conservation, and awareness throughout the region.

At each river, teams held a cup that represented their waterway. Along the way at each cone down their line, they drew prompts that described real-world pollution events—such as “someone used fertilizer on their lawn and it rained”—and responded by adding two beans to their cup. Each bean represented a pollutant entering the water system. Other prompts included native plants or river cleanups that could remove a certain amount of their beans.

As the activity continued, the goal became clear to the girls: keep as little beans as possible from reaching Lake Erie. This activity helped illustrate how pollution accumulates as water travels and how small everyday actions can add up across a watershed.

You can recreate this same concept at home or in a classroom by using materials like cones or markers for stations, cups, and small objects to act as pollutants. Create your own prompt cards to see how different choices change the outcome. It’s an easy, hands-on-way to show how everything in a watershed Is connected and how important it is to prevent these pollutants from entering our local waterways.

This summer, we’re excited to host a community screening of Ripples of Plastic in partnership with National Museum of the Great Lakes. The film explores the growing impact of plastic pollution on our local environment.

The July 18^th screening will include a facilitated post-film panel designed to extend the conversation beyond the screen and into local action. The panel will provide space for attendees to ask questions and hear directly from regional experts working on plastic pollution and watershed protection.

Admission for Ripples of Plastic is $5 for advance, pre-ordered tickets and $10 at the door. Purchasing in advance is encouraged to help with planning and ensure seating availability, while still keeping the event accessible for all community members.

Click the link below for more information and to purchase tickets.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ripples-of-plastic-screening-tickets-1991782025656