PCS and Maumee RAP Legacy Projects

In 2018, the Village of Ottawa Hills, with assistance from The Nature Conservancy, published a 10-year environmental strategic plan for the Village (Envisioning a Greener Future). This plan was crafted after a group of concerned citizens came together to determine ways that the Village could improve the condition of the Ottawa River (and its watershed) as it runs through the Village. The four major components of the plan were community environmental engagement, Ottawa River watershed conservation, river ecosystem health and water quality, and floodplain health. A suite of initiatives and activities to address each component were determined by a resident-led Environmental Task Force. Partners for Clean Streams and The Nature Conservancy were involved in several stages of this work between 2018-2020, and helped to encourage and facilitate many of the associated activities.

For seventeen years between 2002–2019, the annual Patch Day Workshop, was a time for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and other groups in 2nd through 5th grade to earn the blue and white embroidered ‘Partnering for Clean Streams’ patch by participating in various water-related activities. Water quality professionals from around Northwest Ohio led activities that taught youth the importance of water in daily life. Adults and youth alike were introduced to the role of stormwater in our local water system, the importance of storm drain stewardship, waterway pollution issues, and ways to conserve and protect our shared water resources.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded PCS a $800,000.00 grant that funded seasonal, part-time, temporary and/or full time positions. This team of workers focused on habitat restoration within the Maumee Area of Concern – primarily the Ottawa River and Swan Creek Watersheds, with the help of several partners like Metroparks Toledo, The Nature Conservancy, The University of Toledo, Boy Scouts of America, and City of Toledo. The Maumee Corps utilized a variety of restoration techniques, such as invasive species management within floodplain forest, wet prairie, and riparian habitat. The workers also focused on wetland restoration initiatives, re-planted areas devastated by the Emerald Ash Borer with suitable species, and stream bank planting. The grant ended in 2015 and the numbers speak for themselves. In total, 2,451 acres were treated (includes both acres restored and acres treated more than once), 925 acres were restored, and 37 workers collectively put in almost 38,000 hours.

The Joyce Foundation grant was awarded to PCS to be used to implement three projects that improved the quality of the lower end of the Maumee River and Lake Erie, in terms of both water quality and ecosystem function. These projects – human health and ecological risk assessments for Duck and Otter creeks; preparing a pipeline of mitigation projects for Swan Creek and the Ottawa River; and decommissioning of the Highland Park Dam, not only had direct impact, but also represented and demonstrated solutions to the problems of urban and industrial areas within the western Great Lakes basin.

Give Water a Hand has been one of the most successful environmental awareness campaigns in northwest Ohio. Its success can be attributed to the highly collaborative team of people behind the effort. Over 20 communities and organizations partnered together to create the Give Water a Hand Residential Campaign. Many of those continued with the program as we created the Business Campaign, and new partners joined the program with the Watershed Awareness (stream signing) Campaign and the Storm Drain Marking Campaign. This program has received requests and compliments from organization in many states and the Residential Campaign was awarded an Honorable Mention in a national competition by the National Association of Regional Councils in June 2006 and the Ohio Environmental Education Fund’s 2006 Outstanding Environmental Education Project. The entire project was funded by the Ohio Environmental Education Fund, Local Jurisdictions and other partners. All materials are still available upon request.

The Toussaint River Improvement Incentive Program was developed to reduce sediment and nutrient loadings into the Toussaint River and Lake Erie. As a part of Phase I (1997 – 2000), incentives were available to landowners along the 36-mile mainstem of the Toussaint River. Landowners made a five-year commitment to maintaining newly installed conservation practices. Twenty-seven miles of filter strips and 233 acres of floodplain were set-aside under Phase I. Phase I activities and events included the creation of two full-color booklets illustrating the success of the project, media/information events, and conservation buffer area signage. Water quality assessments of the river were made before practices were put into place and then again after they were established. As a part of the Phase I program, a streambank stabilization project was also conducted.