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SAVE THE DATE!
RRWC ANNUAL MEETING 

JANUARY 24, 2017     6:00 PM
Medina District Library
210 S. Broadway, Medina, OH 44256

 
Featured Speakers:
Dr. Randy Mitchel, Professor of Biology at the University of Akron – “Bumble Bees in Ohio”
Mel Hauser, Good Nature Organic Lawn Care – “Healthy Lawns for a Healthy Watershed”
 
The meeting is free and open to the public.  Light refreshments will be provided.
Two Grants Awarded for Habitat Restoration in the
Rocky River's Upper East Branch
Location of the Upper East Branch in the Rocky River Watershed (left), and a concept showing the proposed stream channel restoration at Royalton Farms.
Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District has been awarded funding for two projects to improve habitat and aquatic health in the Upper East Branch.  First is the Royalton Farms Stream Restoration Project, which was awarded $199,000 in Ohio EPA 319 grant funding, with the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District contributing $132,000 in matching funds.  Located in North Royalton, the project will restore habitat and stabilize streambanks, enhance floodplain connectivity and reforest the riparian corridor along an 800-foot stretch of the East Branch of the Rocky River.  Design work will begin in the new year, with a goal of constructing the project in 2018.  

The second project is located in the Upper East Branch's Mirror Valley subwatershed in Hinckley Township, home to the Rocky River's only population of native Brook Trout.  Funded primarily through a $50,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Sustain Our Great Lakes program, the project aims to reduce sediment pollution in the stream, which negatively impacts Brook Trout spawning habitat.  Sediment sources to be targeted include eroding streambanks and roadside ditches. The project also leverages financial and in-kind support from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History Trout Club, RRWC and Cleveland Metroparks.  

Look for more updates on these projects throughout 2018.
Welcome to Good Nature Organic Lawn Care -
RRWC's First Corporate Member
Mel Hauser (left) of Good Nature Organic Lawn Care presents a check for corporate membership to Rocky River Watershed Coordinator Jared Bartley. 
In November, Good Nature Organic Lawn Care became the first business to join RRWC through our new Corporate Member program. Like other membership categories, the $100 Corporate Membership contributes funds for RRWC to further its mission to protect and restore the Rocky River through outreach campaigns, water quality monitoring, planting and caring for streamside trees, conducting river cleanups and more.  It's also a way for businesses and other corporations to show their commitment to a healthy Rocky River.  

"Good Nature Organic Lawn Care is proud to support the efforts of the Rocky River Watershed Council," said Good Nature Community Outreach Manager Mel Hauser. "Their mission to 'Preserve, Protect and  Restore' falls in line with our corporate mission statement 'to make the world a better place one organic landscape at a time.' Our relationship is one of helping each other spread the word that water is a natural resource that the private business sector needs to work closely with public and non-profit groups. I would encourage other Northeast Ohio businesses and corporate leaders to consider how they might add their support to make 'The Rocky' a resource for all to enjoy and benefit from."

Thank you, Good Nature for your support of RRWC and the Rocky River!  You can learn more about Good Nature Organic Lawn Care and the services they offer at whygoodnature.com

To learn more about how your business can become a Corporate Member of RRWC, visit www.myrockyriver.org/membership or contact Rocky River Watershed Coordinator Jared Bartley at jbartley@cuyahogaswcd.org or 216-524-6580 x1003.

RRWC Seeking New Trustees
Do you love the Rocky River?  Are you committed to clean water and a healthy watershed?  Then maybe a position on the Rocky River Watershed Council Board of Trustees is right for you!  The RRWC is looking for a few new members of our Board.  If you think you might be interested, or you know someone who you think would be a good fit, please contact  Nominating Committee Chair Julie Lawson at jlawson@lawsononline.net. Trustees serve two-year terms, and elections will be  held at the RRWC Annual meeting  on January 24 at the Medina District Library.
Cuyahoga County Council Proposes Plastic Bag Fee
Plastic pollution is a serious problem and threatens water quality in our local creeks and streams, Lake Erie, and worldwide water resources, and is a hazard to the wildlife that depends on clean and safe waters to live. As anyone who has participated in a stream cleanup in the Rocky River or one of its tributaries can attest, plastic, and specifically plastic bags, are also a problem in the Rocky River.  In response to this, Cuyahoga County Council members Sunny Simon and Dale Miller have proposed instituting a countywide 10-cent fee on plastic and paper disposable bags.  If passed, the "Carryout Bag Fee for Environmental Remediation" would require retailers with a footprint greater than 7,000 square feet to charge customers 10 cents per bag.  The retailer would keep four cents per bag to cover the costs of administering the fee, with the remaining six cents deposited in a county Environmental Remediation Fund. The hope is to encourage the use of reusable bags over plastic and paper disposable bags.  The funds generated would be used to clean up Lake Erie and other waterways, and to help offset the cost of implementing the program.

The full ordinance language may be found by clicking here.

For a cleveland.com article explaining the proposal, click here.

To contact your County Council representative about supporting the proposal, click here.
The Rocky River Watershed Council is the only organization dedicated solely to the protection and restoration of the Rocky River and its watershed. But we can't do it alone. You can help us secure a healthy future for the Rocky River by making a donation or becoming a member.
Become a Member
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