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
Tree and Wildlife Packet Sales
Click here for a brochure and description of what's available. Click here for an order form. Forms are due by February 29th, 2012. Please mail or bring your orders and payment to the Meigs SWCD office at 33101 Hiland Road, Pomeroy, Ohio 45769.
Adopt-A-Highway
Come out and celebrate your love for the Earth by helping to clean it up this Valentine's Day! On February 14th, we will be holding an adopt-a-highway event along route 7/124 in Pomeroy from 9AM to 12PM. Gloves and bags provided.
Volunteer Monitoring
We will be offering training opportunities for our Leading Volunteer Monitors Program on the 14th of February starting at 1PM and on the 13th of March at 1PM. Please let us know if you would like to attend in advanced, by emailing LisaMPrince@gmail.com. Also, feel free to let us know if other dates and times work, and we will try to work around your schedule.
We are now accepting entries to our 2012 Photo Contest!!
The theme of this year's photo contest is: "Disgusting Water: Clean it Up!" We chose this particular theme in order to promote awareness of water pollution and litter, as well as to increase efforts to clean it up. Photos are due by the 6th of April (at the Meigs SWCD office or by email), and winners will be announced on the 14th of April at our annual Stream Sweep. The top three winners will receive cash prizes! For rules and regulations and submission form, please click here. We look forward to seeing your photos!
2012 Annual Leading Creek Stream Sweep
This year's Stream Sweep is in the planning! It is scheduled to take place on April 14th at Jim Vennari Park in Rutland, so mark your calendars now! Stream Sweep begins at 9 AM and ends at 12 PM with a free lunch. We will be holding an adopt-a-highway event at the same time, and will also be announcing the winners of our photo contest at this event! The first 100 registered participants will also receive a new Leading Creek Stream Sweep T-shirt. So come out and help beautify the watershed! We will also be offering a collection for old electronics (NO tvs).
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.
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
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 put up at the end of December. We hope to get the doser running and treating the water soon! 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.
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.
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 02/01/2012
