Currents April 2017

Did you know that the Great Lakes are the biggest freshwater source in the world? Lake Erie is the most productive for fishing of all the Great Lakes. Your support helps make our streams clean, clear and healthy so they can support this complex ecosystem. By donating to PCS, you help us reach our goals of restoring rivers that lead to Lake Erie beaches that promote fishable and swimmable conditions for generations.

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April

April1Only a few more weeks to register your group for Storm Drain Marking as our project for Global Youth Service Day 2017! On Saturday, April 22nd, take part in marking local storm drains with the message, “Drains are for Rain, Flows to Waterway”, which helps clarify the common misconception that water entering storm drains is treated.  Our volunteers also pass out informational door hangers to residents living near the marked drains. From 9:00am-12:00pm, volunteers will mark the storm drains in preselected jurisdictions including Toledo, Holland, Sylvania, Waterville, Jerusalem Township, and Oregon (only available 4/29). At 12:30pm, volunteers are invited to an Appreciation Picnic held on the lawn at the United Way building in downtown Toledo as part of Global Youth Service Day.  If weather does not permit us to mark drains on April 22nd, a rainout date is scheduled for April 29th.  For more details and to register, please check out the Storm Drain Marking flyer and registration form on our website.  Registration ends on April 12th. Register today in order to celebrate with us on Earth Day!

April4Spring has sprung and anglers are in the rivers looking for a big catch. Spring also means it is time to install our fishing line recycling bins throughout the area! Later this year, we will build more bins to install along the Maumee River, throughout several city parks and Metroparks, and at other popular fishing spots. If you have seen these bins and would like to support this program, we are now accepting sponsorships for this year’s season! Thank you to last year’s sponsors, Hull & Associates, Shankland’s Catering, and Toledo Edison. Sponsoring one bin is $50, two bins is $125, and 5 bins is $200. A sponsorship gets your business’s logo on the bin signage and directly supports our efforts to keep rivers clean and line-free for future generations of anglers. If you would rather support us through volunteering, you and your co-workers, family, or friends can adopt a fishing line recycling bin for the season!  When you adopt a bin, you are responsible for removing the contents and separating the fishing line from the trash and other debris; recording the amount collected; bringing the line to the PCS office to be sent to the recycling facility. This maintenance should be done once per month, if not more, depending on the location of the bin. For more information on sponsoring or adopting a bin, go to our website or contact our office. 

April2

Every April, PCS staff, Board Members, and volunteers go out into the community to celebrate the Earth and to empower others to take action to protect and improve local waterways. This year it is no different! Look for us throughout the month of April at various outreach events and programs all over the area. To plan where you want to see us, continue reading to explore your options or check our calendar on our website:

  • Potbelly Restaurant Soft Opening & Fundraiser, April 17th – Jeff Gibbs, a PCS Board Member, is hosting a soft opening for his new Potbelly Restaurant location in downtown Toledo. Patrons of the soft opening will be able to sample Potbelly's delicious food by making a donation onsite to Partners for Clean Streams! The more friends you bring and the more you enjoy the food, the more you support a local non-profit! Join us for this exciting event to enjoy food from Potbelly while giving back to your local waterways. The event will be from 11:00am to 4:00pm and the new restaurant is located at 413 Madison Ave. in Downtown Toledo. 
  • April 22nd, Earth Day!
    • Storm Drain Marking for Global Youth Service Day – Register your group today! Check out the article above to learn more or head to our website to download the registration form
    • Party for the Planet – We are again participating in the Toledo Zoo’s Party for the Planet! We will have a table set up from 10:00am to 3:00pm inside the Zoo where we will be passing out information about our programs and offering a hands-on marine debris activity to visitors.
  • April 23rd, the Mercy Health Glass City Marathon – Whether you are running, walking, or cheering, you will most likely see us near the finish line on race day. For the second year, we are partnering with the Marathon to help make the race more sustainable through recycling, composting, and Terracycling efforts.
  • April 29th, Walleye Festival – The City of Perrysburg is hosting the 1st Annual Perrysburg/Maumee Walleye Festival this year and we will be there! Look for our table on Saturday, from 10:00am to 3:00pm, at Hood Park in downtown Perrysburg.
  • April 30th, BG Earth Day Celebration – As a part of Bowling Green’s Earth month, we will be participating in their celebration on Sunday from 2:00 to 4:00pm at the Montessori School. We will have information and kids’ activities about marine debris and what you can do at home to help protect local waterways.  

 

April3Whether you are running the race, cheering on the sidelines, volunteering, or spectating along the route, you can be an honorary member of the Mercy Health Glass City Marathon Green Team. Continue reading to find out how you can help!

At the start line, recognize where trash bins are located and properly dispose of your pre-race snack wrappers, water bottles, energy bars, coffee cups, energy drinks, and all other waste. At the water-stops along the race, listen to the volunteers as they give you water, food, or energy packs and kindly give them back to the volunteers or throw them in their general area for ease of collection. If you eat an energy pack, or other energy supplement, while running, hold onto the wrapper until the next water stop instead of throwing it on the ground.

Once you have crossed the finish line (congrats!), you will enter the post-race party where there will be food, beverages, medical attention, and a place to sit. There will also be several waste pods throughout the lot, with recycle, compost, and landfill bins. At each pod will be a volunteer to help you properly dispose of your waste. You can expect: food waste, paper plates, and napkins to be composted; plastic cups, water bottles, heatsheets, and plastic bags to be recycled; and plastic silverware, aluminum cans, styrofoam cups, and miscellaneous plastics items to be thrown away.

Once you have properly disposed of your waste, please help those around you do the same. This is a collective effort – the more each of us does on race day, the more trash we can divert from the landfill and the happier our Earth will be.

We, at Partners for Clean Streams and on behalf of the Mercy Health Glass City Marathon planning team, thank you for your cooperation and support with these efforts. We also especially thank the University of Toledo for all their assistance this year. The environment provides us a place to run and water gives us the endurance to finish the race – it’s time that we say thank you by reducing our impact. If you would like to endorse our partnership with the Marathon and support our efforts throughout the community, we invite you to donate to PCS through the Marathon’s website. See you on race day!

April5Spring is finally here – birds are chirping, tulips and daffodils are starting to come up, and you may be thinking to yourself, “What should I plant in the garden this year?” Here are a few tips on what to plant that will make your garden beautiful and beneficial to local waterways!

Native plants create attractive, low-maintenance borders for your garden or lawn. They have deep thirsty roots that help retain water in your yard and absorb fertilizer before it can run off. Deep-rooted native plants also help stabilize soils and prevent erosion, make them a great choice for steep slopes, berms, or stream banks. Some examples of native plants are Juneberry, Silky Dogwood, Black-eyed Susan, Butterfly Milkweed, and Coneflower (see picture). Before planting, learn what native plants are best suited for your garden. In northwest Ohio, we have a variety of soil types like the sandy soils of Oak Openings in western Lucas County and the heavier, clay-based soils of eastern Lucas and Wood Counties. Contact Toledo Botanical Garden or your county Soil & Water Conservation District with questions about what might be best for your garden.

If your home is on a lake, river, or stream, it is especially important to prevent excessive or unnatural water runoff and soil erosion. Maintain a native plant buffer along the water’s edge. Keep the buffer at least 15ft wide, with narrow access paths winding to the water. Never apply fertilizers, pesticides, or fungicides near or on this area as these chemicals may leach into the nearby waterway.  

Native plants create an inviting habitat for butterflies, birds, and other small wildlife. As the seasons change, you will enjoy watching a variety of different wildlife in your garden. For information on what native plants you should invest in, contact the Toledo Botanical Garden, your local OSU extension office, or Soil and Water Conservation District.  Also, mark your calendars – Oak Openings Blue Week Native Plant Sale is on May 20th and 21st from 10:00am to 4:00pm at Kitty Todd Preserve in Swanton. 

Currents: April 2017


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Terry Shankland
President of the Board
Private Citizen

Andrew Curran
Vice President
Assistant Scout Executive,
Boy Scouts of America

Colleen Dooley
Treasurer
Attorney, Private Practice

Kyle Spicer
Secretary
Private Citizen

Deanna Bobak
Board Member
Private Citizen

Denise Fonner
Board Member
Private Citizen

Jeff Gibbs
Board Member
Private Citizen

Joan King
Board Member
Private Citizen

Chris Smalley
Board Member
Park Services Supervisor
Metroparks of the Toledo Area

Patrick Lawrence, Ph.D.
Past President of Board (non-voting)
Associate Dean, College of Arts & Letters
University of Toledo

Partners for Clean Streams Inc. is striving for abundant open space and a high quality natural environment; adequate floodwater storage capacities and flourishing wildlife; stakeholders who take local ownership in their resources; and rivers, streams and lakes that are clean, clear and safe