Victories for Our Rivers 2009
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TO DATE: As of Feb 2010 our official stats for Save Maumee include: Removal of 7.5 tons of garbage, planted over 740 trees, 700 lbs of DNR approved native riparian seed, installed over 10,000 sq ft of erosion control mats, planted 50 native fruit trees, harvested 27 lbs worth of seed and raised awareness
SUCCESSFULLY!

•Because of YOU Save Maumee has successfully raised enough money for Earth Day 2009 to plant 390 trees, 3 acres worth of native DNR approved riparian seed, 4,500 ft. of erosion control mats and 200 plant plugs (previously started plants) to be installed on OUR riverbanks!

•Consultants have been asked, "What are the best streambank's best management practices?
….this is it! We have raised over $3,000 in 2009 for today’s erosion control techniques in in-kind and cash donations for this hypothesis driven riparian project! We could not do this without our volunteer’s back muscles.

•Almost 200 volunteers on Earth Day 2009 last April & 60 volunteers at the Canoe Clean-Up, Can YOU Clean Up during the rainy Sept. event! Namaste! Translates: I respect the divinity within you that is also within me…or…The light within me honors the light within you! Truly, thank you!

•Got the word out in 2008 about our rivers at Sol-Fest, Frieman Family Fun Nights, Maumee Music Fest, Boy & Girl Scout Groups, St. Jude School, Little Brother Radio, Rock 104, Today's Catholic, Newscenter 33 & 21, Whatz Up Magazine, Canoe Clean Up Video on ACCESS Ft. Wayne, neighborhood association letter & speaking to anyone who will listen. CLICK TO SEE SAVE MAUMEE IN THE NEWS...

•Abigail is now a certified “Watershed Expert” & “Master Naturalist” in June, Currently the Upper Maumee River Watershed Management Group is working for a  "watershed management plan," which is necessary to bring funding to the area.

•Upper Maumee River Watershed Group has been meeting since July 2009:
 www.uppermaumeewatershed.com YEAH!
Call or EMAIL Secretary Jason Rohrig (419) 782-8751 if you would like to attend or be represented in one of the categories of: Agriculture, Business, Building, Conservation, Government, Education & Resident WE NEED YOU!
EMAIL JASON if you want to be on the included in the online forum for this group. It will give all who subscribe an up-to-date information exchange of questions, activities and concerns within the Upper-Maumee Watershed.

•Our 3 Rivers were represented in Washington DC for Clean Water Week; sponsored by Healing-Our-Waters, Representing Save Maumee – THANK YOU Bruce Allen!

• Army Core of Engineers & National Resource Conservation Service has requested information about the Upper-Maumee River Basin for the Western Lake Erie Basin evaluation. Save Maumee sent ACE a package of information that weighed 13 ounces…150 papers or so to inform them of local conditions and sent NRCS all the past 6 months of research! The Maumee’s outlet is in Lake Erie’s Western Basin. The Maumee River is also the largest and longest contributing stream to The Great Lakes in the USA.

•In the last year we have filed 6 complaints – not bragging here, the laws are in place to protect YOU and your family and our waterways for the future. CALL me if you cannot get anywhere with a complaint – Abby (260) 417-2500

•Save Maumee will be in the independent film, “Rivers” by Kristine Taylor

•Abigail participated in Ft. Wayne’s Rain Garden Program & Green Business Program – both have great ideas to engage your home in efficient practices and real sustainability! These programs are currently taking volunteers and are FREE! Try one!

•April 25 2009 - Abigail presented information about our local rivers for Waynedale Green Alliance's Earth Day at the Southwest Conservation Club - Call April for details 260.747.4865 on "Green ABC's"

•February 2009 Save Maumee will be published in Associated Content and American Chronicle. A True Grassroots Activist - Associated Content Article

•Feb 24-27, 2009 Save Maumee represented in Washington DC by Bruce Allen, Earth Literacy Master's and Master Naturalist. Sponsored by Healing Our Waters and the Audubon Society Feb. 24-27 for the Clean Water Week '09, Clean Water Network biennial national conference. CWW is a time for clean water experts from across the country to network with colleagues, participate in policy discussions and attend topic specific trainings. A day will be spent lobbying with decision makers on Capitol Hill! Bruce Allen in the News! - post Washington D.C.

OTHER UPDATES:
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*The website gets refreshed over the winter, so if you are looking for some specific kind of research about your rivers, please drop an email! It always needs an update, but that is the downfall to being a volunteer! "Do what you can" is a mantra we should all live by!

*Top Notch Tree Service's Greenhouse will be in-part to grow Earth Day foliage! It is almost completely DONE! Reused/salvage material includes, 12 large windows, bricks, planks, metal, particle board, lots of 2X4's etc. that has taken 2 years to collect! We don't want to start growing in an area that has the potential to freeze and kill all our hard work! We will wait till it is complete before we begin to grow!

*Thanks to a band member in Pleasing Melanie, 15 large ferns were collected and planted next to the N. Anthony Bridge (on east side of structure)  by the Hosey Dam in the shade! I also gave myself poison ivy doing it! BOO~I am always told to stay away from it~I still get it!

*Bruce Allen collected 9 tires, a car bumper, a gas tank, a metal shelf and a chair... since he said he "felt guilty he did not make it to the Canoe Clean-Up" THANK YOU BRUCE
 

*The Grateful Groove, played a benefit for Save Maumee for $5 at the door! KIDS are ALWAYS invited! www.gratefulgroove.com

MUSIC FUNRAISER made $536 and INCLUDED:
o Silent auction & raffle, educational brochures, Ringing in the Rivers Light Show, music and dancing!
o The Brass Rail supplied a cash bar for all kinds of beverages for the afternoon - We all listened  in a brand new state of the art Sweetwater Theatre with the good ol' boys of folk rock that changed the face of the 60's THROUGH the 90's!
o Always a great opportunity to shake what your maker gave you and rub elbows with those who are willing to help YOUR Rivers locally!
o All proceeds went to our seed /plant and erosion control mat purchase for Save Maumee Earth Day 2010 ~ Remember, $530 for a 45 lb bag of Midwestern Wet Mesic Prairie Seed and $90 for 900 sq ft of erosion control mats to keep the seed from being washed away when there is a rain event!
o Silent Auction & Raffle items included: Unique jewelry, Ore House Chardonnay, hula-hoops, Save Maumee T-Shirts, local artist paintings (ex. Terry Ratliff), native riparian seed for the riverbanks, foliage to be planted at your home in the spring, homemade clothing & baked goods, The Herbal Apothecary's Herbal Salve, Cloud 9 & The Bean Coffee Shop Gift Certificate, $120 worth of in-home computer service from Indiana Computer Service, Poop Happens Gift Certificate, Science Central Gift Certificate, hula-hoops, garden art etc! 

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* The only other Fundraiser was put on by Alysen Wade and Lexicon at a Poetry reading at Calhoun Street's-Soups Salads and Sprits. Local talent performed poetry and showed support for our rivers, raising $234 dollars in proceeds for Earth Day 2010!

Update to FIRST Fox Island Seed Harvest - Sept, 2009:
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Thank you bush wackers! You know we cannot do this without you! All of you did such a great job! I think the kids loved it! A special gracious thank you to Ron Zartman, Executive Director of Fox Island, who suggested Save Maumee come to Fox Island to collect seeds at the end of the season! A nature preserve that opened their home for the sake of your rivers!

There were 28 volunteers present that collected approximately 29 pounds of quality seed in the 4 hour allotment! ...(the guy with the glasses & pony tale) would win most collected seed! THANK YOU! Fort Wayne Children's Zoo Keeper 1, David Messman was a strong competitor along with Greg Konger - HARDEST WORKERS EVER!

I sent all of our volunteers out to find primarily Big Blue Stem, Indian Grass, Canada Wild Rye and a little Switchgrass and Prairie Dropseed. The grasses that are taller than your head were the ones we were seeking out and the ones that Save Maumee spends all of your hard earned money upon! Some of the seeds will be grown in our greenhouse (growing them into plant plugs)...and the rest we will be planting on Save Maumee Earth Day, Sunday April 18, 2010:

Seed able to be identified and gathered this year; of course this is not an exhausted list!

Harvested on 9/26/09 and planted on the Maumee Riverbanks on Earth Day 2010 
In order of AMOUNT collected

*Big Blue Stern & Canada Wild Rye & Indian Grass - 16 lbs (TOTAL of these 3)
*New York Iron Weed/Tall Iron Weed - 5 lbs
*Bergamot/Monarda - 2 lbs
*Gray Headed Coneflower - 2 lbs
*Milkweed (most of the Milkweed was too green to harvest, but some were)                    75 pods OR 15 ounces
*Yarrow - 12 ounces
*Mullein - 12 ounces
*Switchgrass - 6 ounces
*Common Evening Primrose - 6 ounces
*Prairie Dropseed - 6 ounces
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TOTAL SEED COLLECTED: Approximately 29 lbs!

This will definitely make our area have a diverse variety of plants!


So how much is it worth?

The following (in blue) is a price list from Heartland Restoration/Earth Source Inc.

Big Bluestem: $12/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 10lbs = $120

Canada Wild Rye: $14/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 5lbs = $70

Indian Grass: $8/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 2lbs = $16

Tall Iron Weed: $225/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 5lbs = $1,125

Wild Bergamot: $352/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 2lbs = $704

Gray Headed Coneflower $105/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 2lbs = $210

Common Milkweed: $7/oz, $108/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 15 ounces = $105

Switchgrass: $2/oz Save Maumee collected approx. 6 ounces = $12

Prairie Dropseed: $18/oz Save Maumee collected approx 6 ounces = $108

So how much is all of this worth in dollars saved by plucking it ourselves?

Approximately: $2,470 WORTH OF SEED!!! THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!


The seeds that were collected are currently drying flat in open air in my garage, I turn the grasses once/day and have a 100 watt compact florescent bulb shining on them! Not very hot or bright...but will do the job to dry the seed so it does not mold over winter!

Not harvestable but present:

Gray Goldenrod
Aster
Blazing Gray-Feather
Lemon Balm
SOME Common Milkweed was harvested but most was green ~ Monarch Butterflies need this...Why?

* Milkweed contains a chemical called cardenolides - a form of a steroid that is a cardiac arrester (stops the heart). (Different species of Milkweed have different concentrations) When a Monarch caterpillar eats the leaves from the Milkweed it ingests the cardenolides that makes them toxic to many vertebrate predators. For example if a bird ate a Monarch butterfly of caterpillar it would throw up. (Birds know this) Research has found that Monarchs have high levels of this steroid from having eaten Milkweed so they are much less susceptible to being predated by birds and mice! Great way to keep the 'bad guys' away eh?...We will keep collecting it!

2008 Accomplishments
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This note is for ALL of you who helped in one way or another for the successful outcome of Earth Day 2008 and the first “Canoe Clean-Up, Can YOU Clean-Up” and let you know what else we have been doing to improve  your waterways! The river thanks you from its bottom!

This is what volunteers did on our 3rd Annual Earth Day!

Because of almost 200 volunteers on Earth Day the Maumee River has the following improvements!  YOU have:

• Installed 3,000 sq/ft of erosion control mats called Geo-Jute.  It's made from coconut shavings and allows seed to grow through the mesh and the seed we planted will be held down in case of a major rain event.  Mats will disintegrate in 4 years.
• Planted 100 lbs of blended seed -Virginia Wild Rice, Switch Grass, Indian Grass and mixed riparian drought AND flood tolerant species called Mesic Prairie Plants.  All these seeds are mixed with Annual Rye that will root and sprout quickly allowing the riparian seed to hold better.  ALL seeds are native to Indiana and are pre-approved by the Department of Natural Resources.  If we can get these grasses to hold for 5 years, seed like Indian Grass, will root up to 10 ft into the ground that will then live through flood or drought when fully matured!
• Planted 100 Tulip Trees (aka Poplar Trees) which is the Indiana State Tree donated THAT DAY from  Matt Jones & Allen County Partnership of Water Quality 
• Planted 200 Cottonwood Tree "poles" that are not the ideal tree for the riverbanks but will serve the purpose of;
  A. Creating a buffer strip area to help slow runoff and slow the fast moving water during a rain event
  B.  "Drink" water quickly - so volunteers planted them in standing water areas to help with "West Nile" stagnant water puddles
  C.  Erosion/Sedimentation is the #1 pollutant in our watershed, holding down the soil with roots, so it is not washed away.  The water moves so quickly all small trees/foliage are quickly pulled out from the fast moving river!
  D.  Help with flooding because trees & grasses can absorb more water than barren soil.  Trees and vegetation slows water down WHILE helping to compensate for enormous wetland loss in Indiana.  Only 13% of wetlands remain in Indiana!
• 1-2 tons of garbage were removed from the riverbanks according to the nice Solid Waste man that picked up the 30 yard garbage container! Weirdest things we removed...
  A. 4ft long steel cable "pre-form"
  B. Inflated plastic globe of Earth
  C. Muddy KISS CD in its original case
  D. 2 dead fish / 3 animal skulls
  E. Booster child seat (our Home Depot sponsor, Shawn, pulled this out!)
  F. Rubber duckie
  G. Empty 3 Gallon Tank of Industrial Fertilizer Spreader- We donated this away

 *We also passed out 40 shovels & 11 rakes to participants who wanted them for their home use!

• WE STILL NEED PICKED UP / COULDN'T GET OUT steel drums and barrels on the south side of Maumee Riverbank, downstream less than a mile from the Hosy Dam - on down the Railroad Tracks - Thanks Patrick for finding them!
• Save Maumee is requesting an official sign for littering and ONLY non-motorized vehicles on the Greenway! We also cleaned up 35 bags of garbage from "The Ravine" self-dug bike track and they need a garbage-can & pick-up!
• Save Maumee is requesting the city waives the fee for next year's Earth Day!

This year Save Maumee was very proud we have raised enough money in 2007 to buy 3,000 sq/ft Soil Erosion Control Mats called Geo-Jute.  It is made from coconut or bamboo shavings and allows seed to grow through the mesh and be held down in case of a rain event.  The “friendly” mats will disintegrate completely in 4 years, while the “staples” to hold them down will completely disintegrate in 8 years…Allowing enough time for plants to establish themselves.

Check it out…seed and erosion control mats and is where your hard earned money will go for Earth Day 2009!  We are grassroots, no funding besides our beautiful supporters and area citizens.

 Here are some comments from volunteers from Earth Day 2008:

"Why isn't the river clean yet?" - JJ, a 4 year old boy.

"It looks so much better than before!" -Rick

"See what one person can do! Look at all the people who care!"  -Ryan Bailey

"Every year I come, I think the riverbanks look better!"- My mom

"You have inspired me to find my hippie, activist roots.  After I read your article last year, I have tried to make the World a better place." -Ben, a first time Save Maumee participant.

"I cannot believe all this garbage around" - Lisa Chintaka

"I came from New Jersey for my job, and here I am in Fort Wayne planting trees!" - Karrie

"After cleaning all this up, I will never litter again!" - Anonymous

 Next Year Looking For Someone to Buy:

• Printing Services
• T-Shirts
• Funding for Abby to go to Purdue’s Watershed Academy in W. Layfayette.
• Eco-friendly trash bags
• MORE SEED = $530 for one square acre of Midwestern Prairie Erosion Control Mix of native riparian seed
• Erosion Control Mats = $90 / 900sq/ft.
• A Save Maumee Banner!
• Waders so we can stay dry when picking up in-river garbage!
• Large 50 gallon barrels for the raft race and engineering of everything to make it float!

Other Accomplishments & Developments 2008/2009 

Ø   Save Maumee was represented at the National River Rally in Ohio on May 3-5.  We received the highest scholarship available to attend!

Ø   Save Maumee was also represented at the Eco-Film Fest @ IIT Cinema Center, giving away 50 evergreen trees to attendees! – Thank you Partnership for Water Quality!

Ø   Chad Shaw, working on his Masters Degree is planning to do his entire year's thesis on "Ecological Storm-water Management Retrofits for Urban Fort Wayne."  With his undergrad degree from Ball State’s Dept. of Landscape Architecture he is planning to create and present a plan for urban Fort Wayne, next year and we want him to work with Save Maumee!
 

Ø                  Omni Source has expanded and has a concrete recycling project directly next to the Maumee River, this is extremely detrimental.  Why? – Asbestos is in old concrete and when it is “ground up” the dust is flying directly into our river. This needs to end.  Remember this is the same water that Toledo and Defiance OH gets their drinking water.  Save Maumee was present at the brainstorm meeting formed by Sewer Advisory committee.

Ø   Dawn Kennedy is doing her photography project on Save Maumee & Earth Day at IPFW!

 Ø                  Save Maumee is on the approved volunteer list for IPFW students to gain community service credits for “Naturalist” type degrees.

Ø I produced a 1/2 hour show for Access Fort Wayne from Earth Day 2008- Watch, you may even be on it!  We also had a camera present for another production on our Canoe-Clean-Up, Can you clean up to be played on Public Access!

 Ø  Ron James & Acres Land Trust is working to keep Cedar Creek protected against development in an extremely sensitive area.  Save Maumee had 70 people sign a petition to keep the rules, regulations and codes set in place…not negate the current laws for the sake of illegal development. 

2008 FYI – Ryan Bailey and Bruce Allen have removed 60 tires, an automobile gas tank, construction nets, a suitcase and as much plastic as one American can consume in 1 year.

 5/2 & 5/3 - Solfest @ Fox Island . Save Maumee and the Allen County Partnership of Water Quality joined in with education, food, fun, live music, games, good times. We danced the May Pole & enjoyed. We educated the children for 12 hours that weekend!

5/2 – 5/6 – River Network’s National River Rally – Heartland Communities & Save Maumee were  in the house representing & participating in a national meet-up and conference of Watershed Coordinators & Environmental Pioneers.

5/17- Camp Scott Open House. Come take a tour of a successful mitigated and constructed wetlands project.

5/18 - Every 3rd Sunday is the Really Really Free Market w/Community Action Network @ Frieman Square . Come & participate in a free alternative economy. Come to pick up goods, materials, or equipment. Or come to drop them off. Come practice giving & receiving freely & help hedge consumption & waste.  Only giving and receiving here.

Educating the public about their watershed is extremely important. With the enviroscape demonstration we have provided a public service with a hands-on approach so everyone can understand how important each individuals’ choices are, in the scope of water quality.  It shows the decisions you make in your household and business can affect our entire watershed negatively or positively .The places we presented demo’s were…

6/7/08 Rock the Plaza (Downtown Library) 7-10pm - 12 children
6/21/08 Eagle Marsh  11am-2pm Open House 
6/12/08 Freiman Family Fun Night   6pm-9pm 40 children                                                  6/14/08 Rock the Plaza 7-10pm 
6/21/08 Rock the Plaza 7-10pm 12 children
7/12/08 Rock the Plaza 7-9pm 18 children
7/20/08 Rock the Plaza 7-10 9 children
8/9/08 Save Maumee Fun-Raiser Volleyball Tournament 6 children / 6 adults 1-6pm
9/13/08 Save Maumee Canoe Clean-Up  - 14 children 12pm-5pm

 5/31- Hoosier Riverwatch Training “a volunteer water quality monitoring program,” with the St. Joe River Watershed Initiative at the USDA offices. Sign up to become a Hoosier Riverwatch Volunteer!  CALL for the next schedule of free water testing classes!

 6/12 County Council Met to “rubber stamp” Canyon Cliffs.  Canvassed 70 signatures in 3 days and presented 13 copies to Allen County Council to oppose Canyon Cliffs Project on Cedar Creek.  Reduced the impact from 28 homes approved, to 6 homes approved. ($750,000-1.5 million) Just so you know * 1 acre of agricultural farming run-off for 1 year without erosion control techniques will erode 1 ton of soil.  *1/2 acre of land development (home/business) in 1 year without erosion control techniques will erode one ton of soil.  Sediment/Erosion is the #1 pollutant in our watershed. Canyon Cliffs is a slap in the face to anyone trying to improve our waterways.  County Council President (Bodenhaffer) has set precedence for others to follow down the pollution pathway.  He should resign.  This is still in the process of being approved write County Council TODAY!

 Save Maumee supported, and all of you stopped the EPA from using Yazoo Pumps!  On September 2nd, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a rare Clean Water Act veto to put a stop to the Yazoo Pumps project in Mississippi Delta once and for all. This outrageously destructive project would have used $220 million federal tax payer dollars to drain up to 200,000 acres of some of the nation’s richest wetlands. The project was originally designed in 1941 and would have benefited only a handful of farmers while destroying wetlands that have the ability to store up to 200 billion gallons of floodwater. After receiving almost 50,000 comments, 99.9 percent opposed to the project, the EPA issued their twelfth Clean Water Act veto ever. Thank the EPA for its historic and environmentally responsible decision. (River Network email Sept. 2008)

 6/19 – Eagle Marsh had an open house for anyone interested and Save Maumee was there to help!

 8/ 9 - River City Bar & Grill, Mike Harvey & Fair Play Volleyball – Hosted a volleyball tournament and all proceeds went to Save Maumee restoration materials for future projects! - ROSEMARY GATES entertained us!  We raised enough money to get 1 acre worth of seed (100lbs) and 2 erosion control mats (900 sq ft).  Streambank stabilization projects are receiving 0 dollars in Indiana currently. (Allen Co. Soil & Water Conservation District July 24, 2008)

 8/08 – Filed 2 formal and 2 informal complaints about people and companies dumping into Fort Wayne Rivers.  To report dumping call 260.417.2500 and it will be immediately addressed! Anonymity is always respected.  ALL of us desperately need to put a stop to this.

 8/26 – Spoke to Top Notch Tree Service about combined efforts to begin a greenhouse for native riparian seeds to be raised in prospective greenhouses.  The larger the plant growth-the larger the dollar figure it takes to nurture them.  Seed = less money  The larger the plant=the larger the $$.

9/10 – Abigail Frost was on “Public Access Council Call-In Live with City Council” Mitch Harper. It will be playing for the next month; Fort Wayne of Rivers; Problems&Solutions.

 9/12 – Save Maumee had 3 members attend “The Nature Conservancy’s Wabash River  Assessment Program.”  Report is out December 2008 – Should be an interesting report!

 9/13/08 – Canoe Clean-Up, Can YOU Clean-Up? Free Canoes were be provided by Earth Adventures on Main St. and Fort Wayne Outfitters and Bike Depot.  Two competitors; working together, who share a common goal, to beautifying our rivers. Enviroscape for the kids & education at noon, 1:30 & 3pm.  Spoke about History of our Rivers (Matt Jones) and a Plant/Herb Walk (Jain Young).  It was too late in the season to plant but we got just under a ton of rubbish from the riverbanks.  50-60 people were in attendance and we made the Sunday Journal Gazette in an article from Becky Manley.  Strange things pulled out? – a blow up purple flamingo, a safe, a dead bloated rat, no trespassing sign, a hundred tampons and hundreds of condoms from the CSO discharging that day.  Everyone said how fun it was!

 October – Abigail is signing up to receive a “Master Naturalist” title from IPFW extension office put on by the DNR.  Classes will begin in February and completed in June 2009.

11/6, 11/7, 11/8 Postponed 3 months due to the presidential election– Abigail has been chosen from the State of Indiana to receive a full scholarship to “The Renewable Energy Conference,” in Boston, MA.  She has been chosen as a grassroots organization / community organizer by CLEAN to show how coal, oil and misaligned incentives and technologies are harming our water, air and soil.  They will show the full circle of how renewable energy is the ONLY way for Mother Earth and how we are all related.

January 2008 – Abigail has received a scholarship to attend Purdue W. Layfayette’s Watershed Leadership Academy.  This will allow me to receive the title of Upper Maumee Watershed Coordinator/Watershed Specialist or decided upon title!  One full time semester will be added to my degree and render me an expert for our watershed so the work can move forward!

 Earth Day 2009  - BE THERE!!  April 22^nd is Earth Day, but we made it on a weekend to honor the full day on SUNDAY April 19, 2009.

 Between April 1^st & May 15 there is a tentative plan for the Formal Blackberry Ball.  Kekionga aka Fort Wayne was the capital city of the Miami Nation which is where the Maumee gets its name!  Save Maumee will receive a percentage of monies for this environmental and cultural event and will hold a place as “River Chief” on the dais put on by Our Lady Missionaries. (tentative for 2009)

Save Maumee & Heartland Communities have joined forces to officially adopt the Upper Maumee Watershed through city, state and national support, grants and fund-raising.  No other watershed group has stepped up to protect and rehabilitate the Upper Maumee Watershed that is recognized by Indiana of Environmental Management until now. We are in the process of applying for a 319(h) grant in August 2009 from EPA / IDEM to create a Watershed Management Plan “comprehensive plan of the watershed,” and do a land/water inventory of the entire Upper Maumee watershed. If you would like to be supportive in any way of this enormous project please contact me!

 Rumors have it that 3 Rivers Festival Raft Race WILL BE ON!  Save Maumee is considering entering the “Garbage Barge” and picking up garbage along the way.  Come and see us OR help us design it.  CANCEL THAT – Three Rivers Festival Staff wrote “I am sorry but the raft race is not coming back. There are too many issues right now with trying to bring it back and we have not gotten those figured out yet. We are still trying to figure out a few events to try to bring some focus back to our rivers but currently I don’t have any details to reveal. But I can tell you the raft race will not be back in 2009.” Sorry
Kenna Fast Three Rivers Festival

 Why will planting trees and grasses help river water quality?

Plantings will aid in combating erosion/sedimentation, which is the #1 pollutant in our watershed.  The grasses will help to settle out suspended sediment in the water and trees will help to hold down the soil that could be washed away because there is nothing to hold down the barren soil when the water comes rushing when we have a rain event. Riparian projects like these will eventually will help with flooding too, it will allow a "rain-garden" type area so plants will drink it rather than just runoff into the river!  Plants produce enzymes, absorbing bacteria and “eating” bacteria out of water. 85% of wetlands in Indiana no longer exist, these restoration practices will aid in replenishing wetland species right here!  These practices also eliminate standing pools of stagnant water left over when the river water recedes - thus controlling West Nile and replacing pooling with grasses and trees to drink the standing water! ( West Nile is spread by mosquitoes that hatch in standing, pollution ridden water) Too little Dissolved Oxygen (DO) shows a negative snapshot of stream health.  Fish cannot breath and either die or move elsewhere.  Oxygen is taken out of the water from decomposing material and nitrates.  Creating shade increases Oxygen in the water.

What is in the river that makes it so polluted?

 There are 249 active NPDES permitted discharges (legal discharge points) and 44 CSO discharge points in the St. Joseph/Maumee watershed.  Additionally there are illegal point source discharges such as tiles discharging septic tank effluent that exist in our watershed. According to Joe E. Johnson there has been 64 potential CSO discharges between July 2007- Sept 13, 2008.

E. Coli. and bacteria from combined sewer overflows (CSO's), geese, cattle and pig farms contaminate water.  Research shows the EPA will allow 5 CSO’s/year. Dissolved Oxygen (DO) problems present in the Maumee will reflect on the wildlife also!  DO is simply the content of oxygen in the water and if too low, wildlife cannot exist in it! PCB’s & heavy metals from large corporations, and factories stemming all the way from the rust belt time of 1920’s 30’s 40’s and 50’s still loom in the Maumee today and continues to be a dump site in 2008. IF YOU SEE SOMEONE DUMPING ALERT ME IMMEDIATELY! Indiana also used to have a natural "water filtration" system because we had 1/4 of our land mass covered with wetlands.  With the removal of 85% of the wetlands within 4 generations, our natural "water filtration system" is devastating to our rivers and may be directly related to flooding!  And of course too many nutrients from our own households and yards.  There are so many chemical variables; metals, alkalinity, temperature, turbidity, organics, nutrients.  Whatever you flush down toilets and sinks DOES end up in the rivers in Fort Wayne! Be conscious!

 What impact has this had already on your family?

·         Non-recreational river….No Three Rivers Festival Raft Race, no swimming, no canoeing, no enjoyment in our beautiful resource.

·         Fish consumption advisories-fish can contain Mercury (Hg) Plastic, heavy metals.

·         Economics - Increased cost as consumers pay to heavily treat city water.

·         Health of future generations will lack the cleanliness of our renewable natural resource.

·         The history of our 3 rivers is not being held in high regard.

·         Drinking water for all the people downstream and the greater good for the health of Lake Erie, where the Maumee ends.

·         Flooding – the losses are enormous

·         Habitat and species lost

 What can I do to help clean up Fort Wayne ’s Three Rivers

§         Write to City /County/ State and National Officials and tell them you will not vote for them in the next election unless they do something to move forward with all of your concerns.

• Begin your own campaign within your circle of friends to sign a petition.
• Have river clean up days where you get your family and friends to join the fun.
• Don’t pour ANYTHING but water down the storm drains, don't pour medication, grease, cigarette butts, or ANY garbage down the toilet or sink....it will ultimately go to your drinking water! ONLY POOP & TP please with MINIMAL amounts of cleanser please!
• Support Save Maumee and other organizations that share your concerns.  Joining in will help to bring forth successful restoration efforts in our watershed. 
• Practice Sustainable Living

Earth Day 2008 - WAS - April 20th
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NOON-6pm

Plans for Earth Day 2008 HAPPENINGS:

• River Education - NOON

• Cleansing the riverbanks of garbage NOON - 6pm  - You won't be able to miss it meet us at the big tent!

• Planting native riparian seed

• Installing erosion control mats......all with the addition of pole planting Cottonwood Trees and Mulberry

• Dave P. and the Earth Day Heroes playing modern and classic rock and some "easy on the ears" jams. 5ish - 6:30 or so?

Please join Save Maumee on Earth Day to celebrate the cleansing of the riverbanks; seeding and pole planting, erosion control mat installation! Our goal is to pick up all trash between mile marker 1 and 2, plant 250lbs of native riparian seed and and rally the community’s awareness about our 3 River’s condition in Fort Wayne. Educational information will be provided.
 

Don't just dream about clean rivers...Come out & help rain or shine....if not you....WHO?

The amount of water used by people along the river has an impact on the health of the woodlands and river life.  Pumping more water out than is replenished every year causes the water table to drop;  plants that depend on ground water can no longer reach their roots to that depth and die.  When the water table is lowered, more river water will soak down into the ground, leaving less flow on the surface.  A larger problem in our watershed is sedimentation/erosion,  The #1 problem in the Great Lakes Watershed, in which the Maumee River is carrying the majority of sediment into Lake Erie.  Trees can hold down more soil so erosion is less likely to occur.  Flooding issues in Fort Wayne can also be addressed by encouraging large trees to grow.  While holding down the soil it also encourages shrubs and grasses to grow under the canopy of trees.  These "wetland" like areas will give the raising water a place to "spread out" being cleansed by the settling sediment having a place to rest among the grasses, mesic plants and trees.

In your yard Cottonwoods and Mulberry may be unwanted, but these "trash" trees are beneficial to riverbanks. 

Cottonwood have an adaptation that land managers can take advantage of: a long, young branch of a cottonwood tree (aka Pole, 15-20 ft long) can be cut and put in the ground where it will send out roots and grow.  We can have tall trees immediately, without needing to grow a young seed for years.  Young cottonwoods can reach the sapling stage after their human-encouraged head start.  Remember cottonwoods NEED to have their roots in water to survive, so walk on down to the riverbanks or puddle area.  Dig a hole as deep as you can, with all but a few feet of the branch buried.  This is considered an expensive project for enhancing miles of riverbanks, but Kenny and Becki Barker from Top Notch Tree Service has pledged their services to cut branches from my cottonwood trees and mulberry trees. We will dip the branches in "root enhancer" and then hand to volunteers to plant.  Shovels and rakes will be provided by Home Depot for volunteers to keep.

 Check out the websites free downloads to see pictures of our restoration activities and how they progressed last year. 

The mats the volunteers installed last year were a success, but the real success will be measured in spring!  Our test area was underwater for approximately 6 weeks, receding and cresting over a 6 month period.

• All money this year will go again to erosion control mats and purchase of more seed.

  Seed will have to be purchased 2008 due to the larger response and money raised last year for the mats instead of other supplies. 

Bad News:

 I always hate to seem negative or dark in presenting information, but If you don’t like what you read, do something about it.

 The following information was presented at the meeting.  A limited liability corporation is trying to put a concrete grinding area in the floodplain, (illegal), spraying its dust (approximately) all the way to  the new ball diamond, in the 46803 cancer zone,  there is asbestos in the old concrete (causes cancer) and all this is located on the superfund site on the Maumee and said that it does not disturb the ground where they work.  This L.L.C. has also moved dirt into this area to put their equipment above flooding area. This is horrible, please read on...
 A group of concerned citizens are taking action and organizing the Fort Wayne community in hopes to repeal the Fort Wayne Board of Zoning Appeals case # 90-2004 Brooks Construction Co., Inc. asphalt and concrete recycling facility.

The Proposed site is listed as 1200 S. Coliseum "land search reveals the actual address to be 500 N. Coliseum." The site sits south just off the banks of the Maumee River , north of the railroad right-of-way and Washington Blvd and is an IN3 zoning district.

This will be an active facility that will pulverize asphalt and concrete, store, and distribute.

The Board of Zoning Appeals "BZA" gave a conditional approval to Brooks Construction and gave a list of 10 conditions for Brooks Construction to address and follow in regards to this endeavor. The list can be acquired from the Office of Land Use Management at the City County Building on Main St .  The list is as follows.

1. Equipment storage onsite shall be limited to 3 times a year and up to 30 days.

2. An 8 foot screening wall shall be constructed outside of the floodplain to the east of the facility.

3. Stormwater erosion control, detention, and silt shall be reviewed and approved by the City's Stormwater Engineering Department.

4. No fill, equipment, material, or debris shall be located in the floodplain.

5. The drive leading into the facility shall be paved to meet the appropriate standards for an industrial use. A drive-cut permit obtained through the Right-Of-Way Department for this pavement.

6. Any access improvements required by the City, County, or State shall be constructed prior to beginning.

7. A site plan addressing the development requirements shall be submitted and approved by City Planning staff with 30 days, and implemented within 90 days.

8. Status report in one year, at that time Board may amend conditions as may be appropriate at that time.

9. Any plans to build any new structures shall be submitted, reviewed, and approved through the commercial site plan routing review process.

10. Should the use of the property as an asphalt and concrete recycling facility be discontinued for a period of 12 consecutive months, this approval will lapse.

There are many issues that are raised by having such a facility so close to the Maumee River and on the floodplain, the effects it will have on the residents as of safety, land value, and health are numerous. The noise would pile on to the already high levels of destructive noise the neighboring population endures. The dust it will raise will blanket a large radius; it is possible the dust could travel far enough to reach our new baseball diamond at Harrison Square . A great way to secure our investment, our biggest public city development of the decade. The 46803 zip code area "area of site location" already has the highest cancer rates in Allen County and to add the toxicity of the contaminants in asphalt and concrete will most likely raise these rates even higher and lower the over all health of the biosphere of the Fort Wayne urban community and the Upper Maumee watershed.  

The above is well noted and accepted by any social and environmentally conscious citizen. But some of the biggest issues we concerned citizens have is that the public was given no notification of an approval hearing on this case so that we could have our say in the approval process which is a violation of the public process. "There is confusion on this, this case was originally denied by the BZA in 04, when there was a public hearing, then the case went to the courts, and the judge ruled in favor of Brooks because the Office of Land Use Management and BZA failed to support their case in any form. So then the case went back to the BZA and straight into conditional approval and the public was not notified to be able to react and have their say in what was thought to be a closed case." So that's why when 150 of us in opposition showed up on Jan 31st 2008, is was in futile effort for conditional approval was already granted and we were ill prepared in consideration to the listed conditions. Another qualm is the address the City/County/IDEM have for this site does not represent the actual site in development. We are sure there is more out there and we need your help to find it and put it to use.

So what can we do? What is the solution? The solution is we find Brooks in violation of their 10 conditions, or the BZA in violation in public policy and procedure. How we are going to do this is we are going to organize our strength and capacity as active citizens. To launch this pro-active participation, we are having a meeting tomorrow evening Feb 25th which will be hosted at Lakeside Golf Course of Coliseum Blvd just north of Washington Blvd and it will be held at 6:30 . We ask for stakeholders from all levels of interest to come and participate in some progressive and sophisticated community organizing. Together we can win this campaign and promote a positive stewardship of our health, land, air, and water.

Middle School Tested Water and found Pollution - Emily's Results

Emily Tallo, tested the water in the rivers and the results found were not good....
The St. Mary River was terrible; its ammonia levels were lethal to fish near Swinney Park. It’s nitrate/nitrite totals were above EPA standards. The St. Joe was the cleanest; however its oxygen levels were too low at some points, along with the Maumee. All three suffered from large amounts of bacteria, lead, and pesticide pollution. Sites 1-4 are the St. Mary, 5,9,10 are the Maumee, and sites 6,7,8 are the St. Joe. Emily’s science fair experiment made regional’s and won first in environmental sciences category.  Save Maumee was included in my bibliography. Below is just the raw data...

Earth Day 2007
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Links in the 2007 area may not work on the site...just cut and paste...they were for my personal references for the speech.

April 27, 2007

Update to 2^nd Annual Earth Day 2007

            Save Maumee again wants to thank you! I was so pleased over 100 of you attended and scoured the riverbanks’ rubbish.  The riverbank truly looks beautiful today thanks to everyone who worked hard on garbage duty.  Solid Waste Dept. donated a 40 yard garbage container and it was over 1/3 filled by the end of the day! We pulled out 27 tires or so, fishing line, cable cords, and lots of assorted riverbank rubbish!  Fire Department Station #10 showed support and safety for volunteers, by dropping their boats in the Maumee.  We were on News Channel 21 for Earth Day interviews.  We made the Journal Gazette together, Tuesday, April 24, 2008,   Metro Section. Frank Gray spoke about the Erosion Control mats and lack of funding for Save Maumee.  This was Mr. Gray’s 2^nd article in 2 weeks!   Thursday April 12, 2007 he presented Save Maumee’s concerns about the strait pipe discharge, garbage and Earth Day. He reiterated the fact that Save Maumee has no “real” members yet has contributed significantly to environmental awareness and restoration for the last 2 years.   

Abby, behind the scenes this year on the work crew instead of an engaging greeter!    This year I truly needed to be down in the trenches.  Fifteen volunteers seeded and secured over 5,000 sq/ft of erosion control mats called Geo-Jute. The coconut mesh mats will completely decompose in 4 years, leaving behind; Indian Grass, Virginia Wild Rice, Wild Barley and other DNR approved riparian vegetation and grasses.  The mats allow seed to hold and root while discouraging erosion and sedimentation.  The Indian Grass matures in 5 years and then is able to live in floods or dry spells.  After 5 years the grass’ roots can reach 10 feet into the ground, help with erosion, sedimentation & Dissolved Oxygen in the water, all while being a natural filtration device for pollution and providing shelter to local wildlife. The vegetation the mats yield may eventually stop river water from pooling, helping control mosquitoes and West Nile, a concern in Fort Wayne. I have noticed Erosion Control Mats in other parts of the greenway, however only in the places where trucks and heavy equipment were working on other construction projects.  There are no restoration practices in place were the water truly runs fast, due to dams and the Army Core of Engineers paving the river bottom upstream by Tennessee Ave.  Currently, the mats are under water so with a little prayer let’s hope they hold the seed in place and themselves!

Update May 6, 2007:  
Prayers have been answered ALL mats made it!  They were under water for 6 days; the water has receded and now looks as if life is slowly beginning to bud.  One can definitely tell where the grasses were planted! This is an exciting accomplishment.

Support and Thank You’s

 Dave P. and the Outrageous 5 donated 2 hours of live entertainment for the troops in the trenches.  They were also great at entertaining all the kids.  The kids were rolling down the hill; racing and the band cheered everyone on!   Old Crown Coffee served their coffee, and Health Food Shoppe served all natural chips and granola bars. The water was kept cold by Triangle Park and 412 Club’s ice, while mats were purchased with their cash donations!

 This year I spent most of my time in the trenches securing a heavy seeding covered by erosion control mats.  I bought the mats called Geo-Jute from D2 Land and Water Resource Inc, in Indianapolis.  We bought 6,300 sq. ft. and secured 5,300 sq. ft. into the ground before running out of seed.  This year we had 50 lbs of seed donated from Heartland Restoration and 25lbs of seed donated from Spence Restoration in Muncie. We planted Indian Grass, wild rye and annual barley to begin immediate roots (Last year we had a total of 250 lbs donated and bought last year, but I spent all the money on erosion control mats this year, losing close to $150.00)  It took Save Maumee a year to raise a total of 545$ for the erosion control mats.  We raised another 79.68$ on Earth Day.  The assorted cash donations came from local citizens like future councilman Byron Peters, Dr. Mark Stoner, Alisha Dawson Dr. Chad Levitt, and businesses like Triangle Park & 412 Club. I want to send a special thank you to all the people and businesses for you’re your support, cash donations are the most difficult to secure.  Save Maumee is always looking for new support in any facet.

 I heard several comments throughout the day, “We can’t stay because we are working today…but here are some gloves and bags.” “It’s amazing the things we pulled out of the river!”  “Wow, I haven’t seen that many people hang out in one place without alcohol in a long time!”  Wow, I haven’t seen the river this clean and I have lived here 25 years! Good job!” “Thank you, it really looks beautiful.” “Are you planning to clean up all the river areas?  “You need to do this every week!” 

                                       Future of Save Maumee 2008

      Save Maumee wants you to be part of this year’s research.  This is a list of things we need physically and we are looking for the-know-how to get them done.  First, I want you to know that everything I hear and read are usually marked as such.  After finding different facts and statistics and speaking with different “experts” I want to do my own research this year.  Before even reading the rest of this letter I encourage you to view my website’s download of the PowerPoint Presentation on the left side of my home page I am willing to present this material to any group interested in learning more about local river conditions.

      I live on the Maumee River and will reap the benefits of cleaning up the CSO’s, straight pipe discharge and of course the aesthetic features of the waterscape with no garbage…Everyone should.  I encourage you to participate and one day the city will take responsibility for our Historical 3 Rivers, all of them.  Save Maumee has been placed focus on the Maumee because Headwaters Park area / Water Filtration Plant are where the St. Joseph and St. Mary’s converge and the Maumee begins.  The Maumee River is a great place for the city to use it as a sewer because it is taking it downstream, and out of Ft. Wayne, making it someone else’s problem.

 I am seeking permanent employment to make a difference in Fort Wayne’s 3 Rivers.

Save Maumee Grassroots Organization has definitely cut into my meager earnings!  Everything in excess this year was purchased by my other jobs (e.g. car, gas, phone calls, insurance, time) I regret that I cannot spend all my time and efforts on Save Maumee and I am calling on you to help.  I am the one willing to step up to the plate and willing to spend my time, energy and hard earned dollars so this is what I am trying to accomplish. These are the goals for the next year. I would love to hear any and all ideas.

       First and foremost we need funding to maximize positive results.  I am unable to secure government grants due to my lack of being a 501 (c)3 non-for-profit. Heartland Communities picked up Save Maumee for donations to be tax deductable!  I am looking for a fiscal sponsor or a corporate sponsor.  This year I do not plan to pursue the title of “Save Maumee non-for profit” and will continue in the trenches as a grassroots organization.  I spoke with my lawyer and he told me to continue on with my work instead of pushing papers.  I always follow my attorney’s advice.

     The river continues to flood with CSO discharges and strait pipe discharges from business industry and old septic pipes.  We will let the city worry abut CSO’s this year but keep your ears open about where all your city utility new charges are going!  I really hope the CSO’s are being addressed.  Senate Bill 620 expires in 2010 and supposedly so do the permits to let CSO’s continue to spew into the river.  I can’t wait to see the legislature in 2010!  Fort Wayne alone has 44 CSO points that are currently permitted to discharge over 1 million gallons per day! The Clean Water act has been amended and changed since 1972, so let us hope 2010 will be our year! 

     I am hoping to spend quite a bit of time floating down the Maumee River this summer.  We will map all the pipes dripping/spewing into the Maumee between the Hosey Dam on Anthony and New Haven.   I am looking for a large hardcopy map, so I can physically pinpoint where I am claiming the pipes and large garbage lie.  I will mark each spot on a Global Positioning System that is accurate up to 10ft in diameter. Each GPS mark will be transposed onto a map, with a picture and caption.  This information will be available on the website by the end of summer.  The end result will be a map where windows show each exact point of strait pipe discharge outlet area. This will help to determine who is responsible for the property.  I will forward this information for an investigation for the EPA.  The EPA will at least have all the information even if they cannot use it until 2010, when current legislation expires.

     Beyond the river trip, I am always looking for employment to serve nature.  I would like to continue my work with Erosion Control Mats, (Geo Jute is such a wonderful tool for our riverbanks.)  I would like to secure a position as an employee or a contractor for the city and clean up our waterways, all of them.  Securing seeds, bushes, grasses and trees, with erosion control mats, to replace garbage will always be the goal.    According to Frank Gray, his article elicited a response from a county agency that said they ‘clean up riverbanks all the time’ and his article made them look like they are not doing their job.  There are other riverbank clean-ups, however far-and-few-between, due to “insurance, health & safety.”

I heard a comment as to, “Why don’t we drudge the rivers to remove heavy metals, PCB’s and contaminated sediment from the top layer of the river bottom? I have heard different things, but I know it is expensive but it works.  The problem is you have to completely stop the water with mobile dams.  These are set up to retain the suspended sediment in the water after being disturbed.  If these metals are released again into the stream flow it can cause death and destruction downstream.  Remember, projects should leave the environment in better condition thank when you started.   I would love to be a part of the dredging also, let me know where to sign up for this too!

WILLING TO:

• Begin the restoration project with Mesic Prairie Grasses beginning at the Hosey Dam on Anthony Blvd. and ending in New Haven on Rose Street. Only where native riparian grasses and erosion control mats are needed of course!
• Pick up garbage on the banks of our 3 Rivers. 
• Map the straight pipe discharge areas are occurring and I am looking for someone who is familiar with maps and plotting.  This summer there are plans to GPS map the discharge points and have the results/pictures/captions available on the web.
• Water test.  I want the water in the Maumee River tested downstream from CSO’s and the straight pipe discharges.  Remember: the solution to pollution is NOT dilution.   I want you to know I am not anti-business or wanting to partner with slow economic growth, but the rivers are being used as sewers.  It is unacceptable, yet today I don’t know how to change it. Today, people need to at least become aware where the problems exist in the watershed first.  I am willing to look for the answers.
• Help us receive a water testing kit that will be donated to Save Maumee from Hoosier Riverwatch Program, the DNR outreach program.
• Educate / Train

NEED DONATED FOR EARTH DAY 2008

• Someone who will commit to letting us use their copy machines, laminators, printers to make pre-approved copies of related Save Maumee material that will be distributed to the public. 
• Earth Friendly garbage bags 2008? Maybe!
• Rakes / gloves
• Native seed, shrubs, grasses, bushes, trees and soil
• More Mats+More Seed= More $.
• Small transportation vehicle for volunteers or garbage.
• Any and all ideas!

 One last thought.  In 2008 should Earth Day stay true to April 22 (it will be a Tuesday) or should we have it on a Fri or Sat?  If I were to keep Earth Day true, school age children should be targeted for participation.

In the mean time I will continue to speak with people and find the niche that is so desperately being overlooked.   My passion drives me to make a difference in Fort Wayne waterways!  Please call me or email any and all information you may find enlightening for the organization or if you just want to know how the erosion control mats are doing!

Log May 15, 2007

Spoke with Non-For-Profit Resource Center librarian Kerri Killion-Mueller at the Fort Wayne, Downtown Library.  She basically told me that I could not pay myself for the work AND receive grants, my paperwork load would double, so I may want to quit my jobs where I actually receive money to completely work on Save Maumee and its “all volunteer” projects.

Unfortunately, I live in the real world and my house payment does not pay for itself. 

Needed: A strategic business plan

Needed:  A fiscal or corporate sponsor.  Fiscal Sponsorship through Heartland Communities a 510 (c)(3) non-for-profit organization

Log May 17, 2007

Called the IDEM Allen County Soil and Water Conservation District and they said NO they do not have any maps of the Maumee River.  They told me to call Riegal’s Tobacco, they have maps.  Makes me wonder, no maps of the water from the Water Conservation District? 

 Log May 17, 2007   Received Letter

 I've got some great news.

First, scholarship application for Rivers Rally was received 

and you will be getting a scholarship.  You should receive 

an e-mail as well as a packet in the mail. Second, because 

of your enthusiasm we have decided to award you 

equipment early (instead of waiting for September).  

Please fill out your application and send it to us 

(e-mail, fax, mail).  We encourage you to work on 

your Articles of Incorporation, from what I understand 

it shouldn't be too difficult.  From there we will figure 

out how to get you your equipment. Please let me

 know if you have any further questions.

Lisa Ritter-McMahan

Hoosier Riverwatch Volunteer/Outreach Coordinator

Fort Harrison State Park - NREC

5785 Glenn Road

Indianapolis, IN  46216

317.541.0617

riverinfo@dnr.IN.gov

 Log May 17, 2007 Received this letter the same day!

Dear Scholarship Applicant,
 
Thank you for your interest in applying for a scholarship to attend the Indiana Rivers Rally. I am pleased to inform you that you have been awarded a scholarship to attend the Rivers Rally. Due to the limitations of our on-line system, scholarship recipients can not register on-line. You will be receiving a package in the mail early next week that includes a hardcopy registration form and instructions on how to claim your scholarship. Please make sure to return your registration form by May 30, 2007. If you do not receive a package in the mail by next week, please contact me, (812) 866-6846
 
If for some reason you are unable to accept your scholarship to attend the Rivers Rally, please contact me as soon as possible.  You may also choose to substitute someone from your organization, if needed.  Please contact me to make those arrangements.

 I look forward to meeting you in June!

Best,
Kiran Qureshi Program Specialist
Rivers Institute at Hanover College
812.866.6846
www.riversinstitute.org

Log May 17, 2007

·         Due to plans to GPS map the strait pipe discharge and large 

rubbish in Maumee, e.g. overturned boats, shopping-carts, 

steel drums etc., Save Maumee is looking for the following.   

 Needed: A doctor to give me Tetanus Shot and Hepatitis A & B shot.  

I don’t have a doctor, or health insurance.

Needed: 3 pair of waders so I can wade around next to the CSO 

and water test in the Inlet (located at the Maumee River directly S. 

of Lake Ave. and Beacon.)  I realize this will not be part of the 

water testing research turned into Hoosier Riverwatch, unless they

 prefer me to turn in ALL water tests performed.  However, when 

completed all the results will be available on the web site.

I asked, “Isn’t that expensive to make a river run another direction?”  He responded, “Yea, we are expecting the beavers to do all the work.”  The other man added, “We are definitely interested in the environment.” I just love the respect I get when I am a waitress.

May 27, 2007
Dry run for pictures/GPS marking for spots along the river greenway that have strait pipe discharge or deteriorating condition areas that are harming the river from Anthony Blvd. to Coliseum Blvd. on the north side of the Maumee.     Erosion control mats are so good….the grasses are over 12 inches tall.  Definitely can tell the difference between where the mats end and the barren ground begins! YEA!!        

August 23. 2007
Mats are currently underwater, but they lived last time underwater for 6 daysand made it through our drought for the last few months….so we will hope for the best!Used my new Water Test Kit, from Hoosier Riverwatch, for the first time and sent in the information to the national database!

 September 20 – Water is starting to recede and the top of the test area is emerging… the mats have still made it thus far…we’ll see about the plants

 October 10 2007 – The erosion control mats emerged finally and I will take pictures soon to make sure the plants are still secured. Pictures currently available on the home page.

October 28 – A few days before presentation and checked the area for conclusions to present to the Army core of Engineers.  I can defiantly tell the area where the plants survived and the rest of the vegetation not secured by mats were all washed away.

 PLANTS LIVE!   

November – Omni Room @ Courthouse meeting room – met with Army Core of Engineers to discuss entire Great Lakes Watershed improvements                       

 Speech for the Army Core of Engineers Watershed Suggestion Meeting  Nov/07
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 I am Abigail Frost founder of Save Maumee Grassroots Org 2005.  I have been studying the St. Joe, St. Mary, and Maumee Rivers since 2000 and practicing restoration strategies since 2005….when I purchased a house next to the Maumee.  I have several jobs but Save Maumee Grassroots Organization is my calling (vocation). 

A grassroots organization is not a non-for-profit, a non for profit means they have money to pay people to work……everything I do is done with volunteer work and accomplished with my good word alone. 

I want you to think about where your drinking water comes from.  Who knows? Ok Which river?  I think you all probably take your drinking water coming through the faucet for granted don’t you.  How about the water you drank from the drinking fountain or gave your dog or cat this morning?

People do not have clean drinking water today and our group here tonight can make a difference for the USA's drinking water in the future and ensure we will not have water shortages or pollution problems for our future generations 

What I want you to remember today is that your drinking water is being polluted and YOU can do something about it.  Water is not being considered an important natural resource. Problems in the Maumee River include of course the number one pollution problem: sedimentation/erosion, too little DO, nitrates from sewage, suspended solids and runoff from paved surfaces and agriculture,  and Fish Consumption Advisories. the smell of eggs from sulfur dioxide those of you who live by or frequent the river would know this odor. All of this happening in Indiana, a state that had 1/4th of its area covered in wetlands and currently has only 13% of it’s wetlands remaining.  With all of these habitat alterations, wildlife is also a concern.
 

 I have an immediate solution one that can begin this Spring. It is attainable and its success is measurable. We need projects to encourage erosion control and provide natural cleansing techniques…one solution is “wetland plants” or “Mesic Prairie Plants let me address how my idea would work on a larger scale specifically I am speaking on all the riverbanks of the Maumee on the N. and South sides, and any inlet from the Hosey Dam on N, Anthony Blvd. to New Haven Bridge and Rose Street New Haven (WHY and how in pictures).
This is the most polluted area in my opinion we need to identify the sources and identify where all the straight pipes what exactly the straight pipes are discharging the citizens of our community and New Haven have a right to know what is being dumped.

I am also asking that inventory is taken of all the point source straight pipes between the Hosey Dam and New Haven. And I am not just speaking of the storm sewers I am talking about all the small pipes that are dripping into our rivers.
SO lets talk about my idea for the solution: How Mesic Prarie Plants will Benefit this area.
 
Mesic are in themselves becoming rare in Indiana due to large open areas, where they used to grow, have been taken over by agriculture, business and housing. Mesic is Greek… meaning neither wet nor dry so Mesic Prairie Plants can live through droughts or floods. They occur in fairly level outwash deposits and glacial regions like ours. Mesic Prairie Plants retain less water and provide more surface drainage than barren soil  is my first point. The more drainage the less standing water there is for west Nile mosquitoes have to breed because water will soak in but not as easily collect in pools.

 In essence I am speaking of creating a kind of wetland/prairie area on the riverbanks that can act like a buffer strip or protective sponge, which captures stores water longer than just dirt and slowly releases water over a longer period of time which will reduce the impact of floods and slowly cleansing and releasing fresh water. The plants roots are being held in place and the stalks will reduce the destructive energy of wind and faster moving water due to the rivers adaptations armoring like dams and the Tennessee Bridge area project where all the trees were removed.

 With the faster moving water the Mesic have special adaptations like extensive and deep root systems and hairy leaves and skins that help them live through the fast rising water or drought To keep all of the seedlings and new growth anchored where it is we used Geo-Jute or Erosion control mats.

 
Let me show you the test project still in the works…Earth Day Pics.
Some of the things that this type of project would help would be providing aquatic plants and animals with their Biological Oxygen Demand. Dissolved Oxygen is a measurement of stream health . DO is simply oxygen that is dissolved in water. Too little dissolved oxygen indicates water pollution. By encouraging Mesic Prairies to grow it creates nitrogen rich soil, this nitrogen rich soil will also provide other native vegetation to grow like woody trees that will cool the water with shade and help with the Biological Oxygen Demand because cooler water increases dissolved oxygen.
 The erosion control mats and added vegetation will help with the #1 pollutant in our watershed, sediment/erosion.  We need to stabilize these banks  
There are Erosion issues because there is lack of vegetation, the water has to adjusting to new flow volumes since the water level average on the Maumee is 1.9 feet and can raise several feet at least, when it floods, these areas have to adjust to new flow volumes extremely rapidly, like in the St. Mary's area in Ft. Wayne.
Help with bank slumping and collapse from groundwater outflow. Channelization where channels to the river are being made my rainwater finding its path of least resistance and cutting away vegetation.
Lack of Oxygen  increases the toxicity of other chemicals like hydrogen sulfide and ammonia. Which may be part of the smell of eggs or  Sulfur Dioxide may be the cause. Approx 100 million metric tons of Sulfur Dioxide per year enter this is harmful to plants, causing them to yellow the green portions of the plants so we would be replacing lost foliage.
Wet species Mesic Prairie Plants will also remove nitrates that is present in sewage. Bill Grant a LaGrange County Health Department Biologist did research on this successfully and reduced nitrates in well water.
 Wet Mesic Prairie plants have worked successfully in LaGrange from a LaGrange County Health Department Biologist named Bill Grant. His work has shown that these plants have removed nitrates in well water and included many
 I have written a rough draft plan of action for the Maumee River beginning at the Headwaters of Maumee and ending in the city of New Haven. I want to leave you with a sense of urgency. I love Fort Wayne! Not to mention we are encountering droughts in our own country and we have to protect our fresh water sources. River restoration is a necessity not a luxury. U.S. citizens depend on the services that healthy streams and rivers provide at an extremely fundamental level, Please invest in Natural capital.
 

I just want to leave you with two things first this type of project would show noticeable and measurable results and give  a positive direct impact to the environment that citizens would notice in a few months time. 

Thank you for listening and God Bless your decisions on this matter. Current national legislation for environmental water issues expire in 2010 and new legislation will begin. I am pleading with you because I know all of you can make a difference!

The following are resources to help you restore the St. Joe/Maumee Watershed:

 Bill Grant, a retired LaGrange Health Department Biologist has done successful work with Mesic Prairie Plants removing nitrates from well water.  I spoke with him on the phone.

Bill Grant
LaGrange County Health Dept.
114 W. Michigan St.
LaGrange, IN. 46761
219-463-7824
FAX. 219-463-7835

 This article is about wetlands and water quality and has statements from researchers about pathogens in water.

“Flushing into the Next Century” Proceedings from Sewage Treated Alternatives for Rural Areas” 1999 Pokagon State Park, Angola, IN

www.wood-land-lakes.org/adobe/1999flushproceedings.pdf

 Explanation of how Mesic Prairie Plants are drought and flood tolerant, and lists some species of Mesic Prairie Plants:

Peat Biofilter Project has much quality information on how to clean up waste water
www.p2pays.org/ref/21/20849.pdf

 EPA’s Booklet on “Protecting Water Resources With Higher-Density Development” On Page 3 of this booklet it shows an example of how precipitation either soaks into the ground, evaporates or is run-off.  This shows a good example of how providing more grassland and trees, areas are better able to have water soak into the ground and use plants/soil/rock slowly treat water instead of picking up all car’s waste and other pavement pollution and run-off directly into storm sewers then directly into rivers.  http://www.epa.gov/livability/pdf/protect_water_higher_density.pdf

This lists EPA-regulated facilities by area code in Fort Wayne, Indiana so you can view all the companies who are permitted to discharge waste into the water legally with NPDES permits. 
This page also lists all the hazardous waste handlers.
 

“Indiana Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and assessment Report 2004 Executive Summary of IDEM.”

 In 2000 IDEM and Offices of Water Management stated that “ALL of the St. Joseph River had a severity ranking of high for levels of Fish Consumption advisory for PCB’s and Hg (Mercury).”  This is the same source 34 million gallons per day are being treated and 230,000 people get their drinking water. 

Hoosier Environmental Council
Watershed Restoration Took kit:
A citizen’s Guide to Improving Water quality
www.hecweb.org/Watershed2/Watershed2/toolkit(word).htm

“Plan It Allen”  is Allen County/Fort Wayne’s Plan of action in future years.  It states that by 2025 we need 1,223 more acres of parkland.  It also states that most of the forested river corridors in the county have been removed. Mesic Prairie Plants can help with this too, a type of non-conventional parkland, but parkland citizens can use half of the usable months! (Executive Summary, Plan It Allen. pg. 5 & 6)www.planyourcommunity.org

Discusses Dissolved Oxygen and how to create more Oxygen in the water for Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) for aquatic plants and animals.
bcn.boulder.co.us/basin/data/COBWQ/info/DO.html

Stop the Mudness fro the Great Lakes Commission

Explains how Rain+bare ground=mud   …you never thought such simplicity could be so solution based!
www.stopthemudness.net/mudness.html

 A high quality original prairie site “Grant Creek Prairie Nature Preserve. Will County, Illinois”

In “Silent Streams” by Mary Battiata Nov. 27, 2005 Washington Post.  She discusses thet within 20 years there has been 38,000 stream restoration projects around our country.  3,700 of those have been in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. 

 She says the “Potomac Watershed Roundtable,” a new coalition of N. Virginia watershed planners, led by Fairfax County Supervisor Penny Gross, sent a proposal to give local governments the power to pass tree conservation ordinances.  This would establish a link for the first time, between the storm-water management fees, paid by housing developers, and the number of trees they preserve. (This would have helped Fairfax County’s severely degraded Little Rocky Run, where citizens spent a long weekend planting 300 trees along the creek only to learn that elsewhere in their watershed, at the very same time, a developer had clear-cut 10,000 trees, an entire forest!) Founder Ned Foster of the Friends of Little Rocky Run has prodded officials to get things right with his new science, citizen awareness and the local governments are slowly realizing that a healthy stream can be as valuable as real estate  an asset comparable to good schools or adequate roads said Diane Hoffman, head of the states influential Soil and Water Conservation District office in Northern Virginia.  …  “Low-Impact design” a variety of systems to catch storm water before it gets to the corner storm drain.  These systems include everything from planting “green roofs” of rain thirsty vegetation which captures rain water to attaching rain barrels to downspouts and conserving water for lawn and garden use.  …low t6ech ideas like simply cutting up massive parking lots into smaller islands of asphalt that allow for wedges of absorbent green space in-between.  All of these are better ideas than the weed choked, now discredited stormwater management ponds installed in subdivisions and shopping centers in the 70’s &80’s

Wet Mesic Prairie Grasses …same idea.

 Davey Resource Group. Has an article about “Measuring Urban Forestry Benefits” www.davey.com/drg

IDEM has a great ideas/goals on their “CLEAN community requirements” webpage - Official Draft
http://www.epa.gov/ncei/stategrants/PDFs/examplegoodfinalreport.pdf

SHAW Nature Reserve has a Native Landscaping Manual on “how to have a storm-water management plan.

 JFNew has resources for materials and help for erosion control practices.  www.jfnew.com

Dept. of Nat. Resources Division of Resource Management has a Wisconsin Biodiversity as a Management Issue.  Chapter 9 written by Steven W. Miller talks about the importance of wetland communities and Mesic Forest.

Larry Chalfan. (503) 279-9383 from the Zero Waste Alliance helps leading public agencies develop Environmental Management systems. 
www.zerowaste.org

Final Report:  The US EPA Environmental Management System Pilot Program for Local Government Entities

Earth Day 2006
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Sponsored by Save Maumee

Earth Day 2006 was successful! We had in attendance over 60 people in our community that were concerned about your river. We made news coverage with an interview on local channel 21, and recognition on local channel 15. Save Maumee successfully planted approximately 250 lbs  of native seeds and 30 spicebush and 10 lbs of wildflowers between the Hosey Dam on Anthony Blvd. and the Ravine BMX bike trails (some rollerblades said they planted our seeds all the way to New Haven!). 

Interesting things we pulled out of the riverbeds; car bumper, keg bottom, bedroom dresser, Christmas Trees, spray paint, car tires, bicycle, large sheets of  plastic, clothing and lots and lots of cans, paper and plastic bottles.

• Our volunteers had many things to say about the conditions of the river:

• "Why is there so many pipes with water coming out of them and going into
  the river."

• "What is coming out of the pipes?"

• "We went way back on the other side (South Bank) of the River it was really scary over there...there were a bunch of leaky steel drum barrels turned over and hidden." 

• "There is so much garbage over there...I was going to leave but decided to make one more trip so I could really make a difference."

• "Why doesn't anyone else clean up the riverbanks?"

Well, the good news is we will be back again next year and the year after that to
plant native riparian seed, clean up the banks of the Maumee River, and raise awareness about the conditions of our beautiful waterways...same time same place.
 

Please write your representatives and tell them you do not approve of past mistakes and want clean water for our future.     

WHO IS YOUR LEGISLATOR? ~ Click Here

      Please email  Abigail Frost or call (260) 417-2500 if you have any questions or comments.

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