Hello, my name is Jacob Lynch and I am the new Urban Technician for Clermont SWCD. I grew up in Hilliard, Ohio and have been living in the Loveland area for almost 3 years. I have an associate’s degree in Natural Resources Law Enforcement from Hocking College and a B.S. in Wildlife Management as well as a minor in Conservation Ecology from West Virginia University. I previously worked for The Ohio Department of Agriculture and before that I worked in construction up in Columbus as well several parks in the Central Ohio area (State and County level). In my free time you can find me camping, hiking or planning for the years hunting seasons. I look forward to working with the communities of Clermont County and being a part of Clermont SWCD.
Throughout the year, Clermont SWCD receives numerous calls from residents with concerns about water issues, some of which we can help out with, such as drainage or erosion issues on private property, and some are the responsibility of other organizations, such as cleaning up a roadside ditch. For people who are experiencing problems with erosion, drainage, sewers or other water-related issues, Clermont SWCD has created a guide to help identify the best organization to contact, which can be downloaded here. If after consulting with the guide you are still unsure about who to contact, please give us a call at 513-732-7075 ext. 2
The 2024 Ohio River Sweep will be held on Saturday, June 24th 2023 at four different locations:
Participants must fill out and submit a Registration Form and Waiver Form. The registration form can be found at www.springlittercleanup.com, and the waiver form at www.orsanco.org/river-sweep/volunteer-waiver/. For questions or concerns, please contact Rebecca Ploucha via email at rebeccaploucha@gmail.com
For more information about Ohio River Sweep, visit www.orsanco.org/river-sweep/
Clermont SWCD is pleased to host the Greater Cincinnati Master Rain Gardener Courses in fall. Registration opens June 1, 2023 at www.cincyraingardener.org.
2023 Spring Litter Cleanup volunteers at Clepper Park
The 2023 spring litter clean-up event was held on Saturday, April 22, in-person clean-ups at various sites across Clermont County and the East Fork Little Miami River watershed. Over 230 volunteers participated and collected a combined 310 bags of trash that morning.
The Litter Cleanup event is coordinated each year by the Clermont Soil and Water Conservation District and partially supported with a grant from Ohio EPA, Division of Recycling and Litter Prevention.
We truly appreciate the support from our event sponsor, the Southern Ohio Association of Realtors (SOAR). Thank you also to our partnering agencies and organizations, including the Adams/Clermont Soil Waste District, Clermont County Park District, Clermont Office of Public Information, Ohio Department of Natural Resources—Divisions of Parks and Watercraft, and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.
K-12 Spring Litter Cleanup logo design contest winners
This summer, Clermont SWCD has partnered with the University of Cincinnati in the first ever Braun Environmental Science Fellowship. This fellowship helps connect UC’s students with organizations and project managers like the Cincinnati Nature Center, UC Clermont’s Sustainability Committee, and us (Clermont SWCD). We are happy to introduce our summer intern Abigail Frazer who will be working alongside our direct staff in various projects. Abigail graduated this past spring from UC Clermont with an Associates in Environmental Studies and plans to continue her education in the future by pursuing a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies in the upcoming years. In the meantime she wishes to focus her time getting acquainted with different career opportunities in the field she obtained her degree in. Abigail has always been fond of the outdoors, which inspired her to pursue her Environmental Studies degree. When she isn’t out hiking and enjoying the great outdoors, she enjoys painting at home and spending time with family, friends, and their pets.
For the first time, Clermont SWCD will be hosting the Greater Cincinnati Master Rain Gardener Course. This is a 5-day course that takes place over six weeks from August 4 to September 8. During the course, students are guided through the rain garden design and installation process by experienced regional professionals. At graduation, students will have created a beautiful rain garden and will be ready to educate their neighbors.
Course Details
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
August 4, 11, 18, 25 and September 8
$50 registration fee
Location: Clermont County Park District, 2156 US Highway 50, Batavia OH 45103
For additional information, registration, and to see a list of rotating host locations, visit www.cincyraingardener.org.
Buttonbush is a great option for stream buffers and is a favorite of butterflies. Photo from U.S. Fish and Wildlife.
The “Be the Change for Clean Water” article describes how a buffer of native plants along a stream helps prevent bank erosion, filters pollutants, cools the stream, and provides habitat for pollinators and other wildlife. Several of the species we are offering as part of our annual plant sale work well as stream buffers. In particular, buttonbush will work very well along the stream edge. Other plants will fare well higher up on the bank including:
For questions on what plants would work best in your stream bank buffer, contact Clermont SWCD at 513-732-7075 for assistance.
