Meigs SWCD
Soil and Water Conservation District
located in the rural hills of southeastern Ohio
located in the rural hills of southeastern Ohio
The mission of the Meigs Soil and Water Conservation District is to provide assistance for the wise use of our natural resources for present and future generations.
NEWS AND UPDATES
*If you would like to be added to an email list to be updated on our events and activities, please send an email to our AmeriCorps member at LisaMPrince@gmail.com expressing your interest. Thanks!
Winter 2012 Newsletter
Applications for our 2012-2013 AmeriCorps member
Applications for all Rural Action AmeriCorps positions, including the position at Leading Creek, are now online! Applications are accepted until the 22nd of July. Click here for more details.
Watershed Day Camps
Watershed Day camps designed for students to learn about the natural environment while still having fun! They are set for June 13th and 14th from 9AM to 4PM at the Meigs SWCd Conservation Area. Both days of camp are FREE, with lunch and snacks provided to participants. Day camps are designed for children aged 9 through 14. Click here to see a brochure of the event. Click here for a flier and registration form. Participants must be registered by May 31st!
Ohio River Sweep
Ohio River Sweep is set for the 16th of June at 9AM. As in the past, we are coordinating 3 sites: Pomeroy, Racine, and Syracruse. Volunteers should meet at either the ampitheater stage in the river parking lot in Pomeroy, the Star Mill Park in Racine, or the shelterhouse by the ball fields in Syracuse. After the event, volunteers will receive free t-shirts and refreshments. This is a great event for families, groups, and individuals to come out and make a difference!
Adopt-A-Highway
The two final Adopt-A-Highway events of the year are scheduled for August 30th and October 11th. Voluneers are to meet at the Meigs SWCD office at 9 AM; the clean-up lasts until 12 PM. It takes places at the Meigs SWCD stretch of "adopted" highway, along Route 7, between Hiland Road and Route 124. Gloves and bags provided.
2nd Annual Howl-O-Ween 5K
The 2nd annual Howl-O-Ween 5K run/walk is set for October 27th 2012; so mark your calendars now! For more inormation and a registration form, click here.
The inaugural Howl-O-Ween 5k Trail Run/Walk was held Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011 at the Meigs SWCD Conservation Area. Runners and walkers, many of them in costume, braved the wet and muddy Pauline Atkins Trail.
For race results, click here.
To view more pictures, like the new Howl-O-Ween 5K Facebook page.
RECENT EVENTS
Passport to Fishing Field Trip at Forked Run
On May 4th, we led a group of 2nd graders from Eastern Elementary school on a field trip to Forked Run State Park. The children participated in activities including: habitat and water pollution, aquatic insects, casting, fishing, tying knots, and fishing laws. Despite the rain during the first half of the day, everyone had a blast! They all received free fishing reels and poles at the end of the day too!
Aquatic Insect Investigation Field Trip
We took a group of 5th graders from Southern out to a stream to look for aquatic insects (macroinvertebrates) on May 7th. All the students strapped on some boots, grabbed some nets, and went exploring in the stream! We did this again with a group of 7th and 8th graders on the 15th of May. Some of the insects that the kids found included: mayflies, caddisflies, dobsonflies, crayfish, stoneflies, riffle beetles, and aquatic sow bugs. So, we know it's a nice healthly stream!
Conservation Area Field Trip
A group of 3rd grade students from Southern Elementary came to our Conservation Area on the 16th of May! A staff member from the Hocking Hills State Park came to talk to the kids about birds of prey. He also showed them a red shouldered hawk and a barred owl! The kids also got to participate in a variety of activities, including: a fish shocking demonstration (led by OEPA staff), a nature hike, wetland exploration, and a soils study (led by a staff member of OSU extension/4-H coordinator).
2012 Annual Stream Sweep
On April 14th, we held our annual stream sweep. 55 volunteers came out and helped us clean up the watershed! In total they collected 1 ton of trash! They also were awarded with a free t-shirt, pizza, and snacks! See some photos below and visit our facebook page to see more. A HUGE thanks goes out to everyone who participated!!
2012 Annual Photo Contest
Winners of this year's photo contest, "Disgusting Water: Clean it Up!" were announced at this year's Stream Sweep, and prizes were given out. Congratulations to the top three winners and two honorable mentions: Josephine Hill, Teresa Shiflit, Amanda Taylor, Hanna King, and Levi Chapman! The top two pictures can be seen below. Please visit our facebook page to see more pictures and read more about the pictures.
Please check back later for more clean-ups, educator workshops, watershed tours, and other events! And don't forget to visit our photos page!
Leading Creek Watershed Updates
Leading Creek is always looking for volunteers to do water quality monitoring. Please visit our volunteer website for more information!
Visit our brand new page and 'like' us on Facebook!
Thomas Fork Doser Project Updates
Our very first limestone doser was recently installed on an unnamed tributary to Thomas Fork along Bailey Run Road. Construction started early in the fall of 2011, and the doser was up and running at the end of January 2012. Dosers work by releasing a set amount of Calcium Oxide (a highly alkaline solid) into the water. This will help increase the pH of the stream, which is currently has a pH of about 3; by comparison, healthy streams have a pH of 6.5-7.5. To read more about the doser, click here.
Recent water quality monitoring as shown that the pH in Thomas Fork is already looking much better than we have ever seen it! The metal loading is also decreasing, which is great news!
Project Learning Tree Educator's Workshop
December 21st was our last Educator's Workshop of the year! 11 participants recieved training on three Project Learning Tree activity books, did some fun activities, and recieved free materials and lunch! More workshops are in the making for next year!
Madtom Reintroduction
On November 19th 2011, Marc Kibbey and Michael Flores from the Ohio State University translocated 26 Brindled Madtoms from the Little Rush Creek (a tributary to Hocking River) to the Little Leading Creek. Subsequent reintroductions will take place throughout the coming year, as well as sampling for survival and recruitment. Marc and Michael plan to start more reintroductions on Saturday March 10th, and continue them every other Saturday.
Mussel Reintroduction
On October 13th 2011, Dr. Watters (curator of molluscs at the Ohio State University Museum of Biological Diversity in Columbus) came down to the Leading Creek Watershed to reintroduce the Fat Mucket into our watershed. These fresh water mussels disappeared in 1993 in response to a large influx of acid mine drainage into the Leading Creek. Freshwater mussels have been disappearing thoughout Ohio over the past couple of decades, and the causes are largely uncertain, although sedimentation and pollution could be contributing.
Visit the Leading Creek Watershed page and read the latest Leading Creek Newsletter to learn about other exciting news!
Check out photos of past events on the photos page.
Upcoming Events
Last updated 03/21/2012
