December Currents

Now that we have a moment for reflection before we begin a new trip around the sun, let’s review all the accomplishments for the year. From removing record breaking amounts of lead and line from the Maumee River, to over a thousand storm drains being marked and breaking new records with Clean Your Streams Day, we have increased the number of volunteers participating, raised more awareness in local communities and are closer to clean, clearer and safer waterways.  Here are the official results from this year’s activities.

This was the largest year for Storm Drain Marking in terms of number of volunteers, participating jurisdictions, and number of drains stenciled. On April 21st, for Earth Day and Global Youth Service Day, 113 volunteers marked 356 storm drains with the message “Drains are for Rain, Flows to Waterways”. Also, 1,159 homes received educational door hangers in 10 different jurisdictions in the greater Toledo area. Throughout the summer, more volunteers went into local neighborhoods in Lucas Township. The yearly total was the largest ever. A record shattering 1,101 storm drains were marked and 2,139 educational door hangers were distributed with 221 volunteers. Thank you to the volunteers that helped educate citizens about the dangers of dumping harmful materials into storm drains that lead directly to local waterways.

During the 8th Annual Get the Lead Out! this summer, we broke records with number of volunteers, distance covered and amount of lead collected.  Volunteers walked through and around the Maumee River removing derelict, potentially harmful fishing line, hooks and lead sinkers from the environment. A total of 64 volunteers covered 2.5 miles of the Maumee River between Perrysburg and Maumee in 10 separate outings. Because of low waters and increased participation, we were able to retrieve 210 pounds of lead sinkers and 3 large bags full of discarded fishing line, way more than ever before! The collected lead is being resold and reused while the line has been sent to Berkley Fishing to be recycled. Thank you to each of you who made this year’s Get the Lead Out! such a success!

PCS has done many other things this year. Our new website was released at the end of April and the new version of our E-newsletter, “Currents”, is now in full working order. Our first Annual Report was completed. We led many one-time public education events this year with local universities, Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts and other organizations. Habitat restoration is mostly complete on our largest grant project ever, the Ottawa River and Camp Miakonda Habitat Restoration. The Consumption and Contact Advisories in stretches of the Ottawa River were reduced and the Maumee RAP celebrated its 25th Anniversary. We are so thankful for everyone who has participated, supported and guided our programs to have such a huge impact this year. We look forward to more incredible accomplishments next year! 

PCS has been in the media multiple times this year. You may have seen these before, but check out this year's highlights here!

• Get the Lead Out!  from The Toledo Blade, by Matt Markey on June 10th, 2012
• Hook, Line and Sinker  from The Ocean Conservancy, The Blog Aquatic, by Catherine Fox on September 12th, 2012
• Volunteers clean up local streams  from The Toledo Blade, by Kelly McLendon on September 17th, 2012
• Editorial: Boy Scouts of America, Partners for Clean Streams cleaning area rivers  from Toledo News Now on September 2012

Did you know that you could join PCS and help support our programs all year long? Whether a student, professional, or business partner, your membership allows us to match more grants, bringing more resources to the community to improve our local waterways. Your membership also provides direct support to our programs, especially for items that grants won’t cover. It demonstrates your commitment to clear, clean, and safe water for all of us (and our families) who live, work and play in Northwest Ohio. Your support allows us to implement new programs and to adjust for current programs that are exploding in community impact (see the recap for 2012 details). So as you plan your end-of-the-year gifts or you’re giving for the upcoming new year, please take a moment to join PCS. It’s easy to do on our website and we have a donation level that should fit every budget – from $15 to $500 and above. And perhaps just as importantly, we pledge to be good stewards of your gift. In doing so, we’ve chosen not to send expensive “giveaways” or gimmicks for membership incentives, but instead to regularly communicate with you through pictures, e-newsletters, and other ways to show you the impact your gift has on the community. After all, clear, clean, and safe water benefits each of us directly, now and in the future.

A Fish Consumption Advisory discussion group for local fisherman and fish consumers will be held on January 14th, 2013. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Partners for Clean Streams, and the Minnesota Department of Health are working together with Cornell University to recruit people who catch and eat locally caught fish to give us their opinions about the materials that we use to teach people about the risks and benefits of eating locally caught fish. The information obtained will be used to improve communication methods with angles and other fish consumers. Similar focus groups are being held in several Great Lakes’ states.

We are reaching out to anyone who catches and eats fish caught near the lower Maumee River and Maumee Bay, including Swan Creek and the Ottawa River. A two-hour guided discussion group will be held January 14th from 6-8pm at the Bass Pro Shops located in the Conservation Room at 10000 Bass Pro Blvd in Rossford, Ohio. Discussion group participants will receive a $25 dollar Visa gift card and a light meal. We still have a few spots open for this discussion group. We will be starting a waitng list soon and are happy to add to add your name to the list.  Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 419-874-0727 for more information and to reserve your spot for the discussion group by January 7th, 2013