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.
Is your house located along a stream? Streams are dynamic systems, meaning they are constantly changing. Your stream may be a babbling brook most days but after a heavy rain, it can become a roiling river. The best way to get along with your stream is to protect the edge with a buffer strip of native grass, forbs, trees, and/or shrubs. Streamside buffers are beneficial for many reasons:
A buffer of vegetation helps stabilize the bank and protect homes along O’Bannon Creek
Plant roots help stabilize the stream bank. Native plants have deep root systems which hold the soil in place.
Clermont SWCD staff can provide guidance on how to establish an effective and attractive stream buffer. If you would like our assistance, please give our office a call at 513-732-7075.
For a list of stream buffer friendly plants available through our Annual Plant Sale, see page 2.
(Adapted from an article published by Franklin Soil & Water Conservation District)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Ohio Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications from landowners interested in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) to build on existing conservation efforts to increase operational efficiencies and environmental benefits as well as reduce overall input costs.
This year, Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding is providing additional financial opportunities for select conservation practices and enhancements to increase direct climate mitigation benefits. The deadline to receive fiscal year 2023 funding for both CSP-Classic and CSP-IRA is April 7, 2023.
Through CSP, agricultural producers and forest landowners earn payments for actively managing, maintaining, and expanding conservation activities like cover crops, ecologically-based pest management, buffer strips, and pollinator and beneficial insect habitat – all while maintaining active agriculture and forestry production on their land.
Learn more about the CSP-Classic and CSP-IRA application process and eligible land use resource concerns on the Ohio NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program webpage. Landowners in Clermont County who are interested in signing up or learning about other technical and financial assistance available through NRCS should contact Christina Gates, District Conservationist, at christina.gates@usda.gov or (513) 732-2181 ext. 3.
This winter, Clermont SWCD plans to host multiple public meetings to gather input from residents and landowners on the our programs and services. Information gathered from these meetings will be used to update the District’s five-year strategic plan. Please watch www.clermontswcd.org or our Facebook page for updates and information on how you can participate. If you have questions, please email jmcmanus@clermontcountyohio.gov or call (513) 732-5075 ext. 3