Earth Day 2008 - INVITATION

SUNDAY April 20th

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.
 

On the corner of N. Anthony Blvd. and Niagara Dr.

We will meet here:

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.

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.
• Donate on Earth Day some hard earned cash, but this is a free event.

  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

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 or qureshi@hanover.edu.
 
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

 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 1/4^th 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.

 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.

 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