Currents, September 2012

The 16th Annual Clean Your Streams could not have been possible without so much help from our many sponsors and our dedicated planning team. Our underwriter sponsors this year were BP-Husky Refining, First Solar, Lucas County Storm Water Utility, Johnson Controls, Perstorp Polyols, and The University of Toledo. Too many other great companies and organizations contributed to this incredible event to be named here but can be seen on our web site. Thank you to this year's incredible planning team which includes Cherie Blair, Marilyn DuFour, Patrick Lawrence, Erika Buri, Brian Miller, Bob Neubert, Beatrice Miringu, Andrea Beard, Don Nelson, Amanda Gamby, Kevin Laughlin, Jason Sisco, Chris Smalley, Lou Herbert and Terry and Diane Shankland. Also, thank you to the Toledo Metroparks for helping us with staffing and site access. Thank you to these and many, many other dedicated people that we are unable to name here. We would not have done this without you.

And of course, Clean Your Streams would not have been possible without the volunteers that came out to support our streams and rivers. Thank you to everyone who cleaned muddy or steep banks, removed piles of tires, waded through ditches or filled out data cards. you made a visable, immediate difference and we thank you for your dedication to cleaner waters.

The time is here! Construction efforts at camp are currently underway and the changes are everywhere. Geo. Gradel and Ecological Restoration are hard at work doing their best to stay the course and keep our timeline goal set for finishing visible work by the end of October. Ottawa River construction is underway with the installation of stream bank protection, utilizing techniques developed by Dave Derrick, stream hydrologist at the Army Corp of Engineers. Ecological Restoration is working closely with Derrick in order to properly install the bank protection as well as in-stream structures designed to redirect the thalweg, or the lowest line in a river bed (which typically indicates the fastest moving part of the river). The thalweg will show where a stream is moving the quickest, and in turn, show us where degradation is happening. By moving the thalweg back in the middle of a stream, bank erosion will significantly decrease. The in-stream structures are made from natural materials like wood and stone, so over time they won't even be noticeable.

Gradel is concentrating its efforts on the draining of Lake Sawyer for the preparation of excavating the lake. They will begin the excavation by removing excess sediment throughout the lake that has been deposited over time and return most of the lake to its original conditions and depth. The revitalization of the lake will undoubtedly enhance and create habitat for fish and other benfical organisms for the environment as well as give new recreational use for the Boy Scouts. Don't be surprised to see Scouts of all ages fishing, hiking around, and canoeing in the lake after the project is complete for many years to come.

We'll be adding more construction updates to our website as plans continue to evolve and milestones are reached. If you are planning on using the camp for any reason or stopping at the Scout Shop for materials, please be patient and courteous to our workers. Also, take note of the construction zones. Caution tape, flags and other markers are in place for your safety during this time. The low road into camp is currently closed for the duration of the project and the Scouts have indicated that the high road is currently a two-day drive for the time being. Take care when entering and exiting Camp Miakonda.

We appreciate all the cooperation with Boy Scouts and other organization that have helped to make the project possible in any way, shape or form. Thank you!

This year's Get the Lead Out! Program has been a huge success. With over 300 volunteer hours and 2 miles of river cleaned, this season has been record breaking! As our summer comes to a close, the Ocean Conservancy's The Blog Aquatic has taken note of the great work our volunteers have done with Get the Lead Out! for the past 9 years. The international Blog written by Catherine Fox explains how volunteers collect fishing line and lead left in the Maumee River after the Walleye and White Bass run each spring. Volunteers collect these dangerous materials to prevent long lasting fishing line from entangling wildlife, hooks from injuring people and wildlife and fishing sinkers made of lead from being ingested by wildlife.

The Blog also highlights how multiple partners have such an important role in protecting our rivers. A huge thank you goes to Zap Lures who buys and reuses the lead. Also, thank you to Bass Pro Shop which takes the collected line and sends it into Berkly Fishing company for recycling. Thank you to all the volunteers that have participate in Get the Lead Out! this and other previous years. We couln't have done this without you! See you next year!

Northwest Ohio Community Shares workplace giving campaigns are now underway! This workplace giving campaign goes to support 26 small, local non-profits here in northwest Ohio, including Partnesr for Clean Streams. Your support helps us promote clean, clear and safe streams and rivers for generations to come! You are now able to select Partners for Clean Streams as your designated recipient in your workplace giving campaign. Look for Partners for Clean Streams under Animal Rights & Environment or alphabetically in your donation materials. If your company is not affiliated with Northwest Ohio Community Shares, ask your employer to include them in your donations this year. It might be possible that your employer can match donations, whether given directly or through a combined charitable campaign. In advance, thank you for your contribution and support with the Nortwest Ohio Community Shares Campaigns!

Not a member of Partners for Clean Streams yet but want to be part of making a visible impact for our waterways? Become a member of Partners for Clean Streams! With your membership, you will receive our Currents E-newsletter, updates on events and projects, voting rights at the Annual General Meeting, free water bottle and the pleasure of being part of caring for our waterways. Your membership allows us to fund projects and events that certain grants are unable to fund and to secure additional grants. Did you know that just $52 provides supplies for 6 volunteers for Clean Your Streams Day so they can, on average, remove 156 pounds of garbage from the area rivers and streams? Check our our Donations web page to learn how you can make a significant difference and help us make our rivers fishable and swimmable for generations to come!

Save the date for the Annual General Meeting! Partners for Clean Streams will be at the Yager Center at the Swan Creek Metropark on Thursday evening, the 8th of November. At the Annual General Meeting, we will go over the numerous accomplishments of the year, discuss our plans for next year, elect new Board members and award Clean your Streams plaques to our Challenge Winners. If you are a paying member of Partners for Clean Streams, be on the look out for your invitation arriving to your door sometime in October. If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else as a Partners for Clean Streams Board member, please email Patrick Lawrence at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to find out more.