March 8, 2023 - Important Safety Announcement RE: Mill Creek Contamination
Trash-A-Thon: Getting the Cleanups Rollin
2022 Trash-a-Thon has commenced! Two intrepid Trash Team members went out to "scout".....except they forgot their paddles....and of course they went any way, each using 1/2 of a kayak paddle.
While it was scheduled to be a quick planning trip to look for best places to cleanup, the team couldn't help picking up a few bits, pieces, and mounds of trash along the way including a shopping cart, 6 tires, and a BOWLING BALL! In addition, the "quick" trip didn't turn out to be very quick (remember they only had 1/2 paddle each) and by the time they reached the take out, it was 9 pm!
Bad news, it is hard to unload heavy wet trash in the dark. Good news, when you paddle the creek in the dark, the moon light is gorgeous and the chances of seeing a great horned owl skyrockets!
Teams went back on Saturday morning to continue their adventures, bust out some log jams, and clean up more sections of Mill Creek. You can BE A PART OF THIS FUN(draiser) too! JOIN THE MCA Trash-a-Thon and help us pick up trash and bring in cash. All proceeds benefit our award winning education, restoration and recreation programs. Find out more at: www.themillcreekalliance.org/tat
Thanks to the Trash Teams for "getting things rolling" !
We're on the Radio!
2021 Trash-a-Thon Raises $12,000 for MCA Programs
Our 2nd ANNUAL Trash-a-Thon was even more successful than our first!
Small groups of dedicated people worked “tirelessly” in September and October to turn trash into cash! VOLUNTEERS got their hands dirty and feet wet while DONORS made generous contribution and helped us meet our goals.
Why? Because the Mill Creek is an amazing regional asset and WE WORK TOGETHER to champion its resurgence!
THANKS TO ALL WHO DONATED AND MADE THIS FUNDRAISER MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN WE EVER IMAGINED! Donations fund our restoration, education, and recreation programs.
Thanks to the Event Sponsors!
Wildlife, at the Fringe
(VDV/Shutterstock.com)
A heron rookery, aflutter with Great Blue Herons, has been spotted along the Mill Creek near IKEA West Chester in Butler County, OH!
What is a rookery, you say? It is a location where more than a pair of birds nest in a group. The number of nests, birds, and bird species can vary. The rookery is easily observed looking SW from the back of the IKEA building near the edge of the parking lot, across the retention pond to the opposite side.
This is an encouraging development at the Mill Creek. The retention basin (highlighted by the green line in the map) sits in the Upper Mill Creek Watershed, where there has been a large, human-population increase over the past four decades. Land uses surrounding the basin are, primarily, commercial and light industrial. At the SW border of the pond, an edge of towering trees line the banks, offsetting a lack of tall canopy heights and foliage. The duration of this intact section of habitat is, most likely, a contributing factor to encouraging a thriving ecosystem of wildlife.
Protecting the herons. Birders have documented (using iNaturalist app) the presence of the Great Blue Heron at this location since 2017. There are 64 species of heron in the family Ardeidae. They prefer to live near water and feed on edges of marshes, lakes, and ponds. The environment of the rookery at the IKEA retention pond includes a newly planted tree buffer behind the building, the strand of tall trees on the banks of the Mill Creek, an isolated location off the beaten path, and plenty of fish; perfect for this siege of birds.
Want to take ACTION in wildlife conservation in the Mill Creek Watershed?
Cincinnati Parks & Great Parks created a local Cincinnati/Hamilton County team for City Nature Challenge 2021, a collaborative competition between cities across the world. There is nature all around us, even in our cities! Knowing what species are in our city and where they are helps us study and protect them, but the ONLY way to do that is by all of us – scientists, land managers, and the community – working together to find and document the nature in our area. By participating in the City Nature Challenge, from April 30 through May 3, not only do you learn more about your local nature, but you can also make your city a better place – for you and other species!
The City Nature Challenge, a bioblitz-style event, bouts cities against each other in healthy competition, to see who can:
● make the most observations of nature
● who can find the most species, and
● who can engage the most people.
The event utilizes the free iNaturalist platform (web and app) to record environmental data. In addition to City Nature Challenge 2021, participants can log photos of plants and animals they see in the Mill Creek Watershed to iNaturalist, throughout 2021. The information collected will be helpful in community programming and education, controlling invasive species, and prioritizing natural areas in need of further preservation efforts.
Your participation could make a difference!
To Get Involved:
Download the iNaturalist app on your smartphone (or take pictures with your camera and upload them later to the iNaturalist website)
Go outside! (with your phone charged and your spirit ready)
Species documented in the Mill Creek Watershed during the City Nature Challenge will automatically be added to the Cincinnati Hamilton County Project and the MCA 2021 Bioblitz. If you like, become a member of the two open projects in the iNaturalist app:
MILL CREEK ALLIANCE - Nonprofit of the Year
UPDATE: MCA has been awarded Non Profit of the Year by Cincy Magazine! The Mill Creek Alliance has been named as a Finalist for Cincinnati Magazine’s 2020 Greater Cincinnati Nonprofit of the Year Awards. These awards recognize outstanding accomplishments by nonprofit organizations, staff and volunteers who are dedicated to the business of doing good in our community. We have been nominated in 2 Environmental Quality categories:
Community/Nature Area Cleanup/Enhancement
Outdoor Environmental Education
Voting will begin on November 4th at 8 am and ends November 20th. Check out all the details on our website.
This competition is sponsored by VonLehman CPA & Advisory Firm.
Teach a Child to Fish...
There was a time, not too long ago, when a father would hesitate to teach his child to fish on the Mill Creek. Thirty years ago the water would have been too polluted to fish in and besides, there was not much life in the stream. Years of industrial degradation and misuse of the creek created a habitat that was, well, uninhabitable!
But today, a father can take his child to the creek and teach him to fish. Together they will find plenty of large mouth bass, hybrid striped bass, fresh water drum, bluegill, pumpkinseed sunfish, catfish, and carp.
Its also possible that on the Mill Creek, they might find turtles, beaver, osprey and great blue herons.
This summer, we checked in with Andy Suthoff, a Maketewah Angler who said, “I've seen more smallmouth bass this year in the Mill Creek than in past seasons. Smallmouth are a key indicator fish for water quality, so it's reassuring to see this species present in the urban waterway.”
Recently, Andy made an unexpected catch on the Mill Creek. “Today I caught a "new" species on my lunch break and named it the Mill Creek Walleye. I don't think we've officially documented walleye in the creek yet. What this fish lacks in size, it makes up for in novelty. “
As the creek has gotten cleaner and more of the low head dams have been removed, the stream habitat has gotten healthier and more and more species are returning. Ultimately, we hope the Mill Creek will be clean enough so you can catch your fish and eat it too*!
(*For now, the water is not quite clean enough to eat the fish caught in the creek. Patience!)
May 2020 Historic Rainfall on Mill Creek
Source: https://msdgc.vieuxinc.com/
Where were you during the record breaking rainfall this past Monday, May 18, 2020? We hope that you and your property weathered the “storm” and record breaking precipitation. What did all that rain do to the streams near you? We asked folks to submit pictures of the Mill Creek in their neighborhood and received a lot of responses. See for yourself!
Source: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=03259000
Historic rainfall means historic stream flow. All this rainfall eventually finds its way into our streams. A rule of thumb is that for each 1” of rain on saturated soil, a 4’ rise in water levels results in our streams.
Keeping in mind we had multiple days of rain, you can understand the 16 foot increase in the Mill Creek on May 18th.
Fun Fact: You can monitor the rain on the Mill Creek yourself using the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) stream gage in real time.
This chart shows a typical stream flow at about 100 cfs (cubic feet per second). This past week, the flow rate increased to 9,000 cfs in just two days! That 100 fold increase of flow pummels the stream with 280 tons (the weight of 7 loaded 18-wheeler trucks) EVERY SECOND! How can a stream possibly withstand that force?
Stream restoration projects address heavy rainfall events like May 18th. At the Mill Creek Alliance, we work with partners and communities to address opportunities and challenges in the Mill Creek Watershed.
Look at these photos before and during the May 18 record rainfall along the Mill Creek Greenway Trail at Seymour Avenue near Caldwell Park It’s a short distance from the stream gage and the site of a 15 year old Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSD) restoration project.
You can see some of the standard features of stream restoration and stabilization: (1) The streambank is “armored” with heavy rock. (2) Deep-rooted native vegetation complements the stone work, traps sediment, and further “bioengineers” a stable streambank and (3) Rock vanes extend into the stream to dissipate the immense energy of flowing floodwaters.
Here’s a look at another Mill Creek Alliance restoration project upstream at the Evendale Commons in the Village of Evendale. Before a flood, a stream channel is where a stream typically flows most of the year including the dry summer months.
However, during a flood, streams need connections to a wide stream corridor and a floodplain where flood waters can safely be contained away from people and property.
We’re glad to see our projects hard at work as part of the natural infrastructure of the Mill Creek Watershed - a natural and community asset.
The Mill Creek Alliance thanks you for your ongoing support and intererest. Stay safe everyone!
Lots of people share MCA’s love for water and the Mill Creek. Take a peek at one of our Facebook Friend’s video sharing how he dealt with this week’s precipitation!