Despite the frigid weather, we had many guests attend our Annual General Meeting this year at Metropark’s Fallen Timbers Visitor Center in Maumee. We would like to thank the Toledo Metroparks for allowing us to host our meeting at this facility. We had food catered by Pumpernickel’s Deli in Toledo, a silent auction, a presentation of our yearly programs, and an awards ceremony. All of the Challenge Awards winners from Clean Your Streams Day were invited to receive their certificate. Congratulations again to all of our winners this year!

We also recognized our Clean Stream Partner for 2017. Each year this award is given to honor exceptional individuals and/or organizations in our community that work to improve our rivers and streams. Dr. Patrick Lawrence, Department of Geography at the University of Toledo, was our recipient this year.  Dr. Lawrence was one of the founding members of Partners for Clean Streams, as well as our past President. He worked to expand our Clean Your Streams Day program by serving on the Planning Committee, engaging his students to be volunteers, and presenting Site Captain training. He is truly a champion of the waterways and has done extensive research on the Maumee River watershed. He has published in multiple books and journals about his research on the Maumee Area of Concern. His involvement and dedication in the environmental field is apparent through his many projects. Notable projects include: habitat river restoration of the Ottawa River at UT, watershed management in the Maumee AOC, climate change education for high schools, and planning for Lake Erie coastal parks and protected areas. Thank you, Dr. Lawrence, for all you have done for us at PCS and all you continue to do for our watersheds!

Bob Neubert has been with the Office of the Lucas County Engineers since 1999 and works in the Drainage Department. His is a certified Floodplain Manager, Engineering Technician, and Surveying Technician. He graduated with an Associates Degree in Civil Engineering from Owens Community College. He lives with his wife and two children in South Toledo. He is very active with the Boy Scouts and has been a Volunteer Boy Scout Leader since 2003. His work with the Scouts has been closely tied to PCS through 8 years of Clean Your Streams Day and constructing 20 fishing line recycling bins this past summer. We look forward to his partnership with us as a Board Member.

Bill Hoefflin is the Senior Program Naturalist for Wood County Parks. He has been a Park Naturalist since 2004, having worked for Ohio State Parks, Toledo Metroparks, and currently Wood County Parks. He has an Associates of Applied Science from Hocking College in Wildlife Management. He lives in eastern Lucas County with his wife and three kids. He enjoys hunting, fishing, woodworking, camping, paddle sports, archery, and gardening. He is a certified instructor for canoeing, kayaking, stand up paddleboarding, archery, and fishing, as well as a Boy Scout Merit Badge Counselor. His expertise in all things outdoors will be an asset to our Board.

We would also like to thank Deanna Bobak and Colleen Dooley for their service. They have stepped down as active Board Members and we appreciate all they have done for Partners for Clean Streams.

If December’s weather is any indication of the winter we will have this year, it will be quite snowy and cold! To combat this climate, municipalities and homeowners often employ the use of salt to de-ice roads and sidewalks. While this certainly can make it safer for the public, it often creates a dangerous situation for our rivers, streams, lakes, and ground water. Once the snow has melted, the salt and other chemicals used to de-ice roadways leaches into the waterways, changing the pH balance and becoming a permanent pollutant. The Univesity of Wisconson-Madison recently featured an article detailing the effect road salt is having on our Great Lakes (click here to read). The only way to remove salt (chloride) is through reverse osmosis, a challenging and costly treatment process. Unfortunately, there are not environmentally safe, effective, and inexpensive alternatives to salt. This means, reducing salt in our waterways means reducing salt at the application source.

So, here are some tips to keep you and your waterways safe this year:

• Shovel more! Yes, this requires more manually labor, but it reduces the need for salt and is more effective at removing snow from sidewalks and roadways.
• Do not apply salt when it is below 15 degrees. At this temperature, most salts stop being effective as de-icers. You can use sand instead to help with traction.
• Drive Safe. Drive for various winter conditions and make sure to be cautious of snow plow operators. Buying winter tires can help with traction as snow and ice accumulate.
• Make sure you are not over-applying. Give salt time to work before adding more.
• Apply less. More salt does NOT mean more melting
  • Use 4 lbs of salt per 1000 square feet
    • One pound = 12 oz. coffee cup
  • Leave 3 inches of space between granules
  • Use a spreader to help with consistent spreading
• Sweep up extra salt. If it is visible on dry pavement, it is no longer working for its intended purpose and will end up in our water system.

By following these salting tips, we can limit the amount of chloride pollution that enters our streams, rivers, and lakes during winter months. Smart application of salt can make it safer for you as snow and ice arrive and safer for your waterways this Spring.   Make a vow to go low-sodium this year!