VICTORIES FOR OUR RIVERS 2009

TO DATE: As of Feb 2010 our official stats for Save Maumee include: Removal of 7.5 tons of garbage, planted over 740 trees, 700 lbs of DNR approved native riparian seed, installed over 10,000 sq ft of erosion control mats, planted 50 native fruit trees, harvested 27 lbs worth of seed and raised awareness
SUCCESSFULLY!

• Because of YOU Save Maumee has successfully raised enough money for Earth Day 2009 to plant 390 trees, 3 acres worth of native DNR approved riparian seed, 4,500 ft. of erosion control mats and 200 plant plugs (previously started plants) to be installed on OUR riverbanks!

• Consultants have been asked, “What are the best streambank’s best management practices?
….this is it! We have raised over $3,000 in 2009 for today’s erosion control techniques in in-kind and cash donations for this hypothesis driven riparian project! We could not do this without our volunteer’s back muscles.

• Almost 200 volunteers on Earth Day 2009 last April & 60 volunteers at the Canoe Clean-Up, Can YOU Clean Up during the rainy Sept. event! Namaste! Translates: I respect the divinity within you that is also within me…or…The light within me honors the light within you! Truly, thank you!

• Got the word out in 2008 about our rivers at Sol-Fest, Frieman Family Fun Nights, Maumee Music Fest, Boy & Girl Scout Groups, St. Jude School, Little Brother Radio, Rock 104, Today’s Catholic, Newscenter 33 & 21, Whatz Up Magazine, Canoe Clean Up Video on ACCESS Ft. Wayne, neighborhood association letter & speaking to anyone who will listen. CLICK TO SEE SAVE MAUMEE IN THE NEWS…

• Abigail is now a certified “Watershed Expert” & “Master Naturalist” in June, Currently the Upper Maumee River Watershed Management Group is working for a  “watershed management plan,” which is necessary to bring funding to the area.

• Upper Maumee River Watershed Group has been meeting since July 2009:
www.uppermaumeewatershed.com YEAH!
Call or Nicole Grindley (419) 782-8751 if you would like to attend or be represented in one of the categories of: Agriculture, Business, Building, Conservation, Government, Education & Resident WE NEED YOU!
EMAIL JASON if you want to be on the included in the online forum for this group. It will give all who subscribe an up-to-date information exchange of questions, activities and concerns within the Upper-Maumee Watershed.

• Our 3 Rivers were represented in Washington DC for Clean Water Week; sponsored by Healing-Our-Waters, Representing Save Maumee – THANK YOU Bruce Allen!

• Army Core of Engineers & National Resource Conservation Service has requested information about the Upper-Maumee River Basin for the Western Lake Erie Basin evaluation. Save Maumee sent ACE a package of information that weighed 13 ounces…150 papers or so to inform them of local conditions and sent NRCS all the past 6 months of research! The Maumee’s outlet is in Lake Erie’s Western Basin. The Maumee River is also the largest and longest contributing stream to The Great Lakes in the USA.

• In the last year we have filed 6 complaints – not bragging here, the laws are in place to protect YOU and your family and our waterways for the future. CALL me if you cannot get anywhere with a complaint – Abby(260) 417-2500

• Save Maumee will be in the independent film, “Rivers” by Kristine Taylor

• Abigail participated in Ft. Wayne’s Rain Garden Program & Green Business Program – both have great ideas to engage your home in efficient practices and real sustainability! These programs are currently taking volunteers and are FREE! Try one!

•April 25 2009 – Abigail presented information about our local rivers for Waynedale Green Alliance’s Earth Day at the Southwest Conservation Club – Call April for details 260.747.4865 on “Green ABC’s”

• February 2009 Save Maumee will be published in Associated Content and American Chronicle. A True Grassroots Activist – Associated Content Article

• Feb 24-27, 2009 Save Maumee represented in Washington DC by Bruce Allen, Earth Literacy Master’s and Master Naturalist. Sponsored by Healing Our Waters and the Audubon Society Feb. 24-27 for the Clean Water Week ’09, Clean Water Network biennial national conference. CWW is a time for clean water experts from across the country to network with colleagues, participate in policy discussions and attend topic specific trainings. A day will be spent lobbying with decision makers on Capitol Hill! Bruce Allen in the News! – post Washington D.C.

OTHER UPDATES:
  • The website gets refreshed over the winter, so if you are looking for some specific kind of research about your rivers, please drop an email! It always needs an update, but that is the downfall to being a volunteer! “Do what you can” is a mantra we should all live by!
  • Top Notch Tree Service’s Greenhouse (PICS) will be in-part to grow Earth Day foliage! DONE! Approximately 85% reused/salvage material includes, 12 large windows, bricks, planks, metal, particle board, lots of 2X4′s etc. that has taken 2 years to collect! We don’t want to start growing in an area that has the potential to freeze and kill all our hard work! We will wait till it is complete before we begin to grow!
  • Thanks to a band member in Pleasing Melanie, 15 large ferns were collected and planted next to the N. Anthony Bridge (on east side of structure)  by the Hosey Dam in the shade! I also gave myself poison ivy doing it! BOO~I am always told to stay away from it~I still get it!
  • Bruce Allen collected 9 tires, a car bumper, a gas tank, a metal shelf and a chair… since he said he “felt guilty he did not make it to the Canoe Clean-Up” THANK YOU BRUCE
  • The Grateful Groove, played a benefit for Save Maumee for $5 at the door! KIDS are ALWAYS invited!

MUSIC FUNRAISER made $536 and INCLUDED:
o Silent auction & raffle, educational brochures, Ringing in the Rivers Light Show, music and dancing!
o The Brass Rail supplied a cash bar for all kinds of beverages for the afternoon – We all listened  in a brand new state of the art Sweetwater Theatre with the good ol’ boys of folk rock that changed the face of the 60′s THROUGH the 90′s!
o Always a great opportunity to shake what your maker gave you and rub elbows with those who are willing to help YOUR Rivers locally!
o All proceeds went to our seed /plant and erosion control mat purchase for Save Maumee Earth Day 2010 ~ Remember, $530 for a 45 lb bag of Midwestern Wet Mesic Prairie Seed and $90 for 900 sq ft of erosion control mats to keep the seed from being washed away when there is a rain event!
o Silent Auction & Raffle items included: Unique jewelry, Ore House Chardonnay, hula-hoops, Save Maumee T-Shirts, local artist paintings (ex. Terry Ratliff), native riparian seed for the riverbanks, foliage to be planted at your home in the spring, homemade clothing & baked goods, The Herbal Apothecary’s Herbal Salve, Cloud 9 & The Bean Coffee Shop Gift Certificate, $120 worth of in-home computer service from Indiana Computer Service, Poop Happens Gift Certificate, Science Central Gift Certificate, hula-hoops, garden art etc!

* The only other Fundraiser was put on by Alysen Wade and Lexicon at a Poetry reading at Calhoun Street’s-Soups Salads and Sprits. Local talent performed poetry and showed support for our rivers, raising $234 dollars in proceeds for Earth Day 2010!

Update to FIRST Fox Island Seed Harvest – Sept, 2009:

Thank you bush wackers! You know we cannot do this without you! All of you did such a great job! I think the kids loved it! A special gracious thank you to Ron Zartman, Executive Director of Fox Island, who suggested Save Maumee come to Fox Island to collect seeds at the end of the season! A nature preserve that opened their home for the sake of your rivers!

There were 28 volunteers present that collected approximately 29 pounds of quality seed in the 4 hour allotment! …(the guy with the glasses & pony tale) would win most collected seed! THANK YOU! Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo Keeper 1, David Messman was a strong competitor along with Greg Konger – HARDEST WORKERS EVER!

I sent all of our volunteers out to find primarily Big Blue Stem, Indian Grass, Canada Wild Rye and a little Switchgrass and Prairie Dropseed. The grasses that are taller than your head were the ones we were seeking out and the ones that Save Maumee spends all of your hard earned money upon! Some of the seeds will be grown in our greenhouse (growing them into plant plugs)…and the rest we will be planting on Save Maumee Earth Day, Sunday April 18, 2010:

Seed able to be identified and gathered this year; of course this is not an exhausted list!

Harvested on 9/26/09 and planted on the Maumee Riverbanks on Earth Day 2010
In order of AMOUNT collected

*Big Blue Stern & Canada Wild Rye & Indian Grass – 16 lbs (TOTAL of these 3)
*New York Iron Weed/Tall Iron Weed – 5 lbs
*Bergamot/Monarda – 2 lbs
*Gray Headed Coneflower – 2 lbs
*Milkweed (most of the Milkweed was too green to harvest, but some were)                    75 pods OR 15 ounces
*Yarrow – 12 ounces
*Mullein – 12 ounces
*Switchgrass – 6 ounces
*Common Evening Primrose – 6 ounces
*Prairie Dropseed – 6 ounces

TOTAL SEED COLLECTED: Approximately 29 lbs!

This will definitely make our area have a diverse variety of plants!

So how much is it worth?

The following (in blue) is a price list from Heartland Restoration/Earth Source Inc.

Big Bluestem: $12/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 10lbs = $120

Canada Wild Rye: $14/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 5lbs = $70

Indian Grass: $8/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 2lbs = $16

Tall Iron Weed: $225/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 5lbs = $1,125

Wild Bergamot: $352/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 2lbs = $704

Gray Headed Coneflower $105/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 2lbs = $210

Common Milkweed: $7/oz, $108/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 15 ounces = $105

Switchgrass: $2/oz Save Maumee collected approx. 6 ounces = $12

Prairie Dropseed: $18/oz Save Maumee collected approx 6 ounces = $108

So how much is all of this worth in dollars saved by plucking it ourselves?

Approximately: $2,470 WORTH OF SEED!!! THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!

The seeds that were collected are currently drying flat in open air in my garage, I turn the grasses once/day and have a 100 watt compact florescent bulb shining on them! Not very hot or bright…but will do the job to dry the seed so it does not mold over winter!

Not harvestable but present:

Gray Goldenrod
Aster
Blazing Gray-Feather
Lemon Balm
SOME Common Milkweed was harvested but most was green ~ Monarch Butterflies need this…Why?

* Milkweed contains a chemical called cardenolides – a form of a steroid that is a cardiac arrester (stops the heart). (Different species of Milkweed have different concentrations) When a Monarch caterpillar eats the leaves from the Milkweed it ingests the cardenolides that makes them toxic to many vertebrate predators. For example if a bird ate a Monarch butterfly of caterpillar it would throw up. (Birds know this) Research has found that Monarchs have high levels of this steroid from having eaten Milkweed so they are much less susceptible to being predated by birds and mice! Great way to keep the ‘bad guys’ away eh?…We will keep collecting it!