​Upcoming public involvement opportunities

Community Water Quality Monitoring – You can be a citizen scientist! It’s time to prepare for the 2022 sampling season, which begins in March. Hamilton County Conservation District and their partners can use community water quality information to better understand where to focus our conservation efforts on a big picture level.  Volunteers meet on the second Saturday each month from March to November to collect and process samples in three different labs around Hamilton County, on the Great Miami and Little Miami Rivers, as well as the Mill Creek. Volunteer duties can range from collecting samples, conducting water chemistry tests, and new this year, conducting fish community sampling. No prior experience needed.

Sat. Feb. 12 – State of the Streams talk with 2021 volunteer data results at UC Field Station with professor emeritus Dr. Mike Miller.

Live Stake Harvest and Installation – For the last several years, Hamilton County Conservation District and its partners have harvested and installed ‘live stakes’ along eroding streambanks. Live stakes are cut dormant branches from water loving trees or shrubs. These dormant, living branches are then stuck into the side of eroding streambanks to grow roots to stabilize the soil and reduce pollution in our waterways. Volunteers will be needed to help harvest and install live stakes in late February and early March, just before spring arrives.

To learn more about these opportunities and sign up to volunteer, contact Sarah Meadows.