Earth Day 2010 - 5th Annual Celebration

INVITATION

SUNDAY April 18th

11am-4pm

Plans for Earth Day 2010 HAPPENINGS:

Come to our Open-Non-House!

Plant trees, seed, plant plugs, install erosion control mats and remove garbage on the banks of the Maumee when you have an hour or five to spare, rally for clean water, support your local waterways...and have fun doing it with live entertainment!

• Cleansing the riverbanks of garbage 11am - 4pm  - You won't be able to miss it meet us at the big tent!
   

• Soaring Hawk presentation with a short eared owl!
   

• Planting native riparian seed/trees/plugs and blueberries this year
   

• Installing erosion control mats. 
   

• River Education all around! Education material provided...
   

• Hour-long horse tours on the hour
   

• Unsure who "The Earth Day Heroes" will be (like every year) Please respond with your pledge to play at the event for a set or 2!

..Over the years musical talent has included:
Dave P., Grateful Groove, Wil Brown from the Afrodiziacs, Beyond all Rational Thought, Carol Dean and Les Lesser.

Cleaning up your dog's poop on a walk will also improve water quality, so don't forget your plastic baggie when you grab Rover's leash! - Dogs are not prohibited, but not encouraged at the event...

*Andy's Horse Stable horses will be available this year for $25/person/hour for guided tours on the banks of the Maumee, the price INCLUDES horse poop-pick-up! We don't want to contaminate your rivers! 

* Time slots for the horses will fill up quickly, so don't wait to reserve your family's horse! Call today (260) 417-2500 - Abby ~ Or call Andy direct (260) 350-7613 Proceeds will go to Save Maumee erosion control materials.

* A grand event in the works, so save the date to celebrate our Earth!

GOALS INCLUDE 1) Celebrate the cleansing of the riverbanks
2) Seeding native riparian Mesic Prairie Plants, tree planting, erosion control mat installation and blackberries!
3) Improve erosion and sedimentation through our plantings.
4) Rally the community’s awareness about our 3 River’s condition in Fort Wayne and restore aesthetic and recreational value through reclamation and restoration.
 

HOW TO PLANT SEEDS

1. Find a bare area where grass needs to grow…don’t walk on the other new life!
2. Stir up some dirt with your shoe or stick
3. Sprinkle sees in the raked up dirt
4. Cover the newly planted seeds with the other dirt you stirred up
5. Step-on the freshly planted seeds to hold them in the Earth!
6. On your way back from your walk, pick up all the garbage with the bag!
7. If you find something hazardous and feel uncomfortable touching it...Save Maumee Representatives will be there to assist in removal! WE DO NOT WANT YOU HURT!
 

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?

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

We choose this area because it is where the trash has the first chance to collect downstream of all the armoring (removal of trees/grasses and replacing with rock and pavement) upstream.  This is the first area the trash has a chance to collect on the streambanks.

If you want to see what we did in 2009 CLICK HERE!

If you were in the pictures from  2008 CLICK HERE!

If you want to see pictures from 2007 CLICK HERE!

NEED DONATED FOR EARTH DAY  ~

• 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 this year? Maybe!
• Suggestions for the event include recycling facility - a possibility, but most of the rubbish is river dirt, muddy - unsure to date
• Native seed, shrubs, grasses, bushes, trees and soil
• More Mats+More Seed = More $.  Bring your wallet, but this is a FREE event!
• Small transportation vehicle for volunteers or garbage.
   

  All money from the previous year goes to erosion control mats and purchase of more seed/trees/plugs for next year.
   

Updates from 2009 Earth Day

The mats the volunteers installed last year were a success, but the real success is always measured in spring! 

*Seed & tree planting from Earth Day: The grasses are definitely growing, yet struggling without enough water. It has been a very dry growing season in 2009. Your seeds you planted on the riverbanks on Earth Day would love you to come and water them…looking dry but still growing slowly! The Paw Paw Trees were a failure due to the dry season, yet the rest 400 or so trees: Persimmon, Oak, Maple etc. are doing VERY WELL! Come see the progress, visit your riverbank!
 

In 2010 we will be using plants from the greenhouse harvested from the Fox Island Seed Gathering - along with the usual Earth Source/Heartland Restoration seeds and plant plugs!

Other Happenings for the year:

* In the works is an Upper-Maumee Watershed Management Plan that is beginning to form! Save Maumee has been asking for a watershed plan to develop -THANK YOU! A watershed coordinator is needed for Ohio/Indiana and city/county boundaries! This may be the ideal position for me! If you want to see this plan take form and provide your input, PLEASE check out the website if you would like to attend a monthly meeting!  www.uppermaumeewatershed.com

*Currently, Top Notch Tree Service has donated space in their 10X30 greenhouse to grow OUR riverbank plants! THANK YOU! Many Save Maumee Supporters have put forth effort building the greenhouse, putting it together with 85% salvage and recycled material! YEAHHH! We will be ready to begin to plant what we have harvested from the Fox Island Seed Harvesting on Sept. 26th, 2009!

*Greenfest was very successful for the first annual event at the SouthWest Conservation Club thanks to Waynedale Green Alliance.
Fort Wayne Mayor, Tom Henry was there and listened to every word spoken when Abby educated the crowd! He said to come and speak with him any time regarding your rivers. Thank you Mayor!

*IPFW Earth Day April 22, 2010 - Save Maumee had a booth at our local college to speak for your rivers. We like to have ACTIVE events, but encourage events to raise awareness. There were lots of good give-aways here! We will be there, supporting Earth Day on its 27th year anniversary in 2010!

*Join us at one of our web communities...we are all about pro-active workings, so we don't update as often as we should....but we are DOING IT, not just talking about it!  Be our friend!

MySpace : www.myspace.com/savemaumee - more updates here too!
Twitter :  www.twitter.com/savemaumee
A Greener Indiana http://www.agreenerindiana.com/profile/AbigailFrost
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/savemaumeeabigailfrost

Please write your representatives: Tell them you do not approve of past mistakes and want clean water for our future and would volunteer your time and/or services to support efforts.    

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