The printable edited PDF version of the Fall 2011 newsletter can be found here. Below you will find the the full articles of the Fall 2011 newsletter below.
New Work at West Branch Headwaters Treatment Area for Sunday Creek
By Michelle Shaw, Watershed Coordinator with Sunday Creek Watershed Group
Sunday Creek Watershed Group is proud to announce the completion of our West Branch Headwaters Restoration Project. This project is located on both sides of State Route 155 between Hemlock and Shawnee. This project treats water from two underground mine discharges and will improve water quality in the West Branch of Sunday Creek.
Last year, we completed gob pile reclamation and filled in subsidence holes at this project site. This year, the second phase of this project included the treatment of two underground mine discharges (WBHW 17 and WBHW 19) that originate from the abandoned deep mine complex Py-27 (Sunday Creek Coal Company Mine #21), which was abandoned in 1901 and mined the #6 coal seam. Historically, the mine discharge on the north side of the road has a pH of 6.05 and high iron concentration. The WBHW 19 discharge will be pumped into a constructed wetland where iron will settle out before the water is returned to the stream.
Historically, the mine discharge WBHW 17 on the south side of the road has a pH of 3.4 and high concentrations of both iron and aluminum. WBHW 17 is being treated with the construction of a limestone leach bed. Limestone is a very alkaline material that will react with the acid mine drainage and help neutralize the acid, raising the pH, and allowing aluminum and iron to come out of the water before it reaches the stream.
Funding for this project was provided through partnerships between the Sunday Creek Watershed Group and the US and Ohio Environmental Protection Agencies, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Mineral Resources Management, and the Office of Surface Mining.
Words from a Grumpy Old Hunter
By: Dana White
The 2011 Deer Gun season has just ended. Many of the hunter that I talked with this past season complained they were not seeing many deer. Actual statistics show that Perry County deer kill was down 14%. The Athens County harvest was down 5%. Hocking County hunters got 2% more deer than later year.
Given this year’s weather, standing agricultural crops and a new check-in system, the numbers don’t seem to indicate a falling deer herd. The truth is, hunters (including myself), always have strong opinions and think we know more than the experts. That is one thing about us hunters that never changes!
Transforming Education in the Little Cities
By Joe Brehm, Environmental Education Coordinator for Rural Action
Monarch caterpillars seemed to drip off milkweed plants at Monroe Outlook during Millcreek Elementary 5th grade class’ field trip to the Wayne National Forest wildlife opening in early September. Several of the caterpillars students found were almost ready to form their lime green, porcelain-like chrysalises. They would soon emerge from these protective cases as adults and complete a multi-generational round-trip migration between Mexico and Canada. In fact, students were able to see monarch butterflies in every stage of their life cycle—egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and adult–during the outing led by Rural Action’s Environmental Education program and Sunday Creek Watershed Group and funded by a grant from the Ohio Environmental Education Fund.
This field trip was the culmination of a unit focused on life cycles, food webs, and pollination with Angie Plant’s 5th grade science class. Rural Action Americorps members Lynn Grabowski, Molly Jo Stanley, and Jenn Wallace designed lessons for Mrs. Plant’s class that took advantage of Millcreek’s excellent outdoor space. These lessons set the stage for an exciting field trip to Monroe Outlook to see real examples of food webs, the monarch butterfly life cycle in action, and pollinators in their natural habitats.
Little Cities of the Forest and Rural Action are collaborating on projects such as these, which are designed to teach students about the tremendous natural heritage that surrounds them. These organizations strive to enrich students’ and teachers’ academic experiences by taking advantage of the outdoor resources available to them. Schools such as Millcreek Elementary do not have to travel far to learn about biodiversity, wildlife, and food webs because of places like Monroe Outlook.
Little Cities of the Forest has helped turn Monroe Outlook into the tremendous outdoor classroom it is today. Led by Dana White, LCF has committed to steward Monroe Outlook, an ecologically rich prairie habitat surrounded by forest, and has worked hard with Wayne National Forest to make this place one that accommodates school groups such as Mrs. Plant’s class.
As the students prepared to file back onto the bus and return to school, they were all able to see a wild Monarch chrysalis hanging from the kiosk in the parking area. The children squealed with excitement and crowded around the developing butterfly to examine this creature they had learned so much about in the past week. Thanks to organizations such as the Ohio Environmental Education Fund, Little Cities of the Forest, the Wayne National Forest, and Rural Action, these students now know more about their natural heritage and have more of the knowledge they need to become lifelong stewards of the land.
Trail Building at Trimble High School: an Americorps’ Account
By Lynn Grabowski, Americorps member with Rural Action’s Environmental Education Program
We have broken ground on trail building for the Trimble High School. Behind the building is an 11-acre land lab, which we are slowly making more and more accessible for students and teachers. We began with a scouting mission accompanied by Richard Lutz of the Buckeye Trail Association. At this point in the year, the trees were still green, the vegetation lush, and the vernal pond was low. We discovered a lovely flat area at the ridge top overlooking the high school campus ideal for an outdoor classroom.
We began flagging the route of the trail with the students from Mr. Brar’s environmental science class on a cold rainy day in October. We discovered many changes to the environment since our scouting mission, including downed trees, mud, and a much fuller pond. The kids working on this project in Mr. Brar’s classroom, however, are fantastic and quickly regained their enthusiasm once they were handed tools and able to get started. An early challenge we encountered was that the prairie portion of the lower field was basically a seep for ridge and pond drainage. This challenge gave us a fantastic opportunity to teach the students how to install water bars and a “turnpike” to aid drainage.
As we continued up the hill, the days became sunnier and our enthusiasm grew like a tree reaching for the sun. The students made remarkable progress as they learned how to grade and flag trail on a hill, and began benching the trail for easy hiking. We also installed a small set of stairs to ease one short steep section. We managed to complete clearing the trail to both the vernal pond and the flat outdoor classroom. There is still work to be done benching as well as clearing roots, and some pruning in the classroom area, but we hope to finish this first section of the trail by mid November.
Upcoming additions to this project include extending the trail down through the pine savannah area and ending at the school garden. Plans also include planting of native prairie species and installing a series of interpretive signs highlighting flora along the path. The school wood shop class is excited to have the honor of creating a trailhead sign and benches for the outdoor classroom.
Winter Hike at Burr Oak State Park
By: Richard Lutz, AmeriCorps with the Buckeye Trail Association/Little Cities of the Forest Collaborative
This February 4th the Sunday Creek Watershed Group and the Little Cities of the Forest Chapter of the Buckeye Trail Association and the North Country Trail Association will be hold a Winter hike at Burr Oak State Park.
“The hike will be a first for both groups and hopefully an annual tradition like the hike at Hocking Hills State Park. The hike will allow us to experience the beauties of Burr Oak during the wintertime. We will witness the transformations that have occurred over the long winter months, and begin to see some glimmers of the approaching spring” said Susanna Bigham, AmeriCorps with Sunday Creek Watershed Group. The hike will consist of a 2.5 mile loop beginning at the park office and will include sections of the Buckeye loop and Tanager trail on the east side of Burr Oak. The hike will be led by the Environmental Education team with a focus on seasonal changes including winter birds, tree ID, and animal tracks.
Celebrate Christmas with a real Christmas tree and wreaths this year.
By Ann Bonner with Southeast Ohio Urban Forestry of ODNR
How does purchasing a real Christmas tree benefit the environment and economy? Choosing a live Christmas tree and real wreaths benefits local tree farmers and the lands that produce these renewable products. If tree farms are viable, they won’t be sold or developed. Supporting local farms is just one way that we can cultivate local and sustainable economies, while benefiting the land.
In America, there are over 100,000 people that are employed in the growing of Christmas trees. There are Christmas tree farms in all 50 states. On average, it takes between 7 and 15 years to grow one tree. For every tree harvested, 2-3 seedlings are planted. Many Christmas trees are never harvested.
While these lands can be very productive for people, the lands that grow Christmas trees also provide many environmental benefits throughout the year. Interestingly, Christmas tree species can do well on lands that are not adequate for other types of agriculture. Tree farms provide wildlife habitat, erosion control, carbon sequestration, pollution filtration and beauty to the neighborhood. When Christmas trees are cut and purchased, rest assured, that new trees will be planted for future supply. Supporting this local tradition, you are ensuring that it will continue.
A real Christmas tree is an American tradition. The smell and look can not be duplicated with sprays and plastic and metal fake trees. Fake Christmas trees are made with fossil fuels in factories far away. Some fake trees have been known to leach lead and other chemicals in one’s home or storage area. Sooner or later most of them end up in our increasingly stuffed landfills. They never achieve the grace and beauty of a real Christmas tree.
A real tree can be composted, set out in water for fish “structure” otherwise known as habitat, or it can be laid out under your bird feeder or in a naturalized area in your yard for protection and cover for songbirds that tough it out in our snowy, cold winters.
If you consider the environmentally conscious option this Christmas, it will be real tree. Buying a real Christmas tree supports tree farmers and the land that trees grow on. Real trees symbolize the true meaning of the holiday season. Purchasing a real tree and bringing it into your family home is an American tradition that adds beauty, scent and all things good in our Holiday season.
