In 2009, the Adopt-a-Stream program has become a true success story on the lower Great Miami River.  Throughout the year, cleanups have taken place between the City of Hamilton and the river's mouth at the Ohio.  Hundreds of pounds of trash have been removed this summer alone.  More stewards have signed on to take responsibility for specific stretches of watershed.  Many have taken on additional roles as we work to advance the protection and restoration of this oft-neglected watershed.
 
One of the most important developments for the program was the purchase of 8 canoes and a canoe trailer made available by a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Watercraft.  The boats have two main uses: one is for our certified instructors to teach paddling safety courses for Adopt-a-Stream participants and all other interested parties.  Second, they are to be used in cleanups by our stream sponsors who do not have boats of their own.  This has become especially important as larger organizations have signed on to the program.  Groups like Benchmark Outfitters, Stantec and Kleinger's and Associates are capable of bringing out more than a dozen people for each cleanup, and now they have a fleet of canoes waiting for them along the river. 

 

 
While it has been exciting to watch our volunteers have an immediate impact on the watershed, we know that lasting change is not accomplished overnight, or even over the course of one program year.  We've found that the Great Miami has long been harmed by a paradigm of thought that holds it is all right to dump cement, or even old cars, along the river banks to prevent erosion.  This is not the mindset of the majority of those who reside in the watershed, but over the years it has been employed by enough to detract from the public's overall experience of the river.  All too often, our volunteers have had to take out litter and debris that was intentionally dumped in the river corridor.
 
We knew this would be an uphill battle when we started the program, and so did our volunteers.  Early on we received a letter from a resident who was annoyed that we would spend our time and resources on cleaning up the river when the economy was as bad as it was.  Our answer: strengthening the local economy by encouraging recreational tourism is one of the primary motives for cleaning up the river.  We can no longer afford to let this remarkable resource exist well below its natural, recreational and economic potential. 
 
Many of our stream stewards have joined the effort because they want to help create additional economic opportunities along the river.  Livery owners, outdoor retailers and fishing and paddling clubs get daily reminders of the link between clean water and economic growth, or conversely, degraded water and lost dollars.  In signing on to the program, they have begun to take control over the economic destiny of the Great Miami watershed.  When faced with the choice between a degraded river and a premier water trail destination in southwest Ohio, the decision is clear: there is no reason why the Great Miami can't become what the Little Miami is to cities like Loveland, or what the Mohican River is to communities in northern Ohio.  
 
2009 has been a great year for the Adopt-a-Stream program.  Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers, we will increase the positive impact of this program on the river each and every year, and spread it to other watersheds throughout the region that could use the same benefit.  In fact, RU has already been contacted by groups on three other watersheds (the Little Miami, the Whitewater and the Licking in Kentucky), as well as a group on the middle section of the Great Miami north of the city of Hamilton, and in each case is working to expand the program to the benefit of additional communities.  Stay tuned for more news in the coming months. 

Make a splash- organize or join a cleanup this fall!  For more details, please email us at info@riversunlimited.org.

Atrazine in the Great Miami
A recent article in the New York Times on herbicides in the nation's waterways featured the Great Miami River.  The article discussed concentrations of atrazine (a common weed killer) found in the river: 
 

"For instance, in April 2005, the drinking water in Piqua contained atrazine concentrations of 59.57 parts per billion. The residents of Piqua were also exposed to elevated concentrations of atrazine in 2004 and 2007. Data shows similar patterns in dozens of other cities, like Versailles, Ind., and Evansville, Ill.
 
But the people of Piqua never learned about those spikes from local water officials or the E.P.A. City officials test for atrazine only once a month in the spring, and the annual report sent to residents in 2005 said the highest level of atrazine detected was only 11.6 parts per billion - 80 percent lower than the peak measured by Syngenta (the company that produces most atrazine). Residents were also not told when peaks had occurred or how long they lasted or whether there were multiple spikes.
 
Syngenta said the company regularly provided city officials with testing results. Piqua officials were largely unaware of or did not use those notifications.
 
"I didn't know that we got any information about atrazine besides our own testing," said Frederick E. Enderle, Piqua's city manager since 2005. "I'm not even sure what we would do with it."
 
Some residents are angry. "This makes my blood boil," said Jeff Lange, a Piqua resident and environmental activist. "I have friends and family drinking this water. How are pregnant women or sick people supposed to know when to avoid it?"
 
Read the full article
 
GMR Riversports' Promotional Video for the Great Miami:
Misty Duff and her husband Andrew own the only canoe and kayak livery on the lower Great Miami, and they have gone above and beyond in helping get RU's Adopt-a-Stream program off the ground.  From providing boats, including delivery and pickup, to leading cleanups themselves, they have done it all.  They've also produced a short video highlighting the river's beauty, and the reasons for its appeal to paddlers.  Watch the video.
 
Bald Eagles on the Great Miami:
Bald eagles have returned in the form of a nesting pair.  The Hamilton Journal News enlisted Misty Duff of GMR Riversports and Aaron Rourke of Rivers Unlimited to help them find the eagles this past April.  Watch the video.