Photo contest winners

Congratulations go out again to winners in our recently completed photography contest

Best of Show: Autumn Leaves, Brianna Motley

Runner Up: River in Snow, Daniel Hancock

See you in 2012

Please check back here soon for details about our upcoming activities including upcoming photography contests. 

Mark your calendar for Tuesday, January 3 and Tuesday, February 7 for our next meetings.

Our meetings normally start at 6:30PM at the South Euclid Community Center, 1370 Victory Drive (north off Mayfield, next to Giant Eagle) - meeting on the first Tuesday of each month.

Meetings are free and open to the public. For questions, contact jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net.

December update

Welcome

Some of the items covered in this update include:

* Thanks for the holiday party, fundraiser, and recognition
* See you in 2012

If you have any input for this update or any questions please let me know at jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net.

Thanks for the holiday party - a great end to a great year
Our annual fundraiser and holiday party took place Tuesday, December 6. Thanks go to all involved.

The image of American Holly comes from the http://www.wildflower.org/ gallery.

See you in 2012

Please check back here soon for details about our upcoming activities. Mark your calendar for January 3 and February 7.

Our meetings normally start at 6:30PM at the South Euclid Community Center, 1370 Victory Drive (north off Mayfield, next to Giant Eagle).

Meetings are free and open to the public.

See the FOEC Year in Review video

Click on the following to see the wonderful video from Frank Skala.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQfSgljby4Y

Visit these interesting sites often

See these wonderful sites for interesting information about environmental issues related to the Euclid Creek watershed.

http://www.cuyahogaswcd.org/EuclidCreekFiles/enewsletter.htm
Thank you to Claire Posius for providing these newsletters.

http://friendsofeuclidcreek.nhlink.net/index.htm-
Thank you to Meiring Borchers for maintaining our web site.

http://www.highlandhtsgreen.com/

Thank you to Judy Dearden and all else who contribute to the Highland Heights Green Task Force and its informative web site.

Check out the presentation on energy efficient lighting recently presented by FOEC member Rick Evans at a Highland Heights Green Task Force meeting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMLarjHZLl4

Award winners

Here is the list of FOEC awards for this year presented at the FOEC holiday party.

Volunteer awards

• David Roache - David is President of Richmond Heights Council and a staunch leader and supporter of FOEC. He is a leader in the establishment of the Greenwood Farms restoration and community participation in the life of the center.


• Rick Evans - An unperturbed fixer and dependable volunteer, Rick is a good natured member of the steering committee. Rick can be counted on to deal with our electronics and volunteer with outreach activities.


• Lou Rifici - On the staff of Cuyahoga Community College, Lou is an environmental science teacher who graciously gives of his time to train our volunteers in the science of water quality monitoring.


• Barb Pophal - Barb has been the coordinator for almost 10 years of our holiday party and the auction. She does a great job each year and this this year she has taken us from our annual potluck party to a nicely catered affair.

Tom Jenkins Award
Ken Messinger Rapport

Ken does a great job as the FOEC finance manager. He is also on the FOEC steering committee. FOEC has been blessed with really good treasurers beginning with Tom Jenkins who we still miss because he was an outstanding member and citizen in every way. This award is made in his name, and Ken is surely deserving of being the recipient.

Ken quietly does the work and is on top of all of its elements. Finance manager is often a thankless job because it is so demanding but Ken is a totally reliable volunteer. In addition, he is a terrific public citizen like Tom Jenkins. Ken's work on gas fracking and his efforts to educate the city and state governments as well as his FOEC friends are remarkable. We are grateful for his dedication. Congratulations, Ken!

Pioneer Award

Lee Gase

Lee is worthy of special recognition, and we're happy to make a presentation to a member who deserves it. Lee is someone who has the imagination and energy to be a leader in preservation and restoration that creates the quality of life in a community and deserves the Pioneer award. Lee is a longtime public official first a City Councilman and then Council President in Richmond Heights. Now as development director, Lee goes the extra mile in finding ways to provide a quality-of-life environment.

Lee has been with FOEC from the beginning and contributed in many ways. He saw the potential for Greenwood Farms to become a center for the history of Richmond Heights and the rallying point for the city's preservation and restoration. He had the imagination to develop names for unnamed creeks and record those with the USGS to identify areas of the watershed. He is a real leader, and we are enriched by the work he gives to us and to Richmond Heights

Heartfelt congratulations go to all FOEC reward recipients.

Steering committee

Here are the notes from the December steering committee meeting. 

The committee met on Wednesday, December 22, at 7:00PM at the South Euclid Library. 

In attendance were Frank Skala, Barb Holtz, Rick Evans, and Jeanette Evans.  

Speakers and programs  

Discussed speakers and programs for first half of 2012 to include:  

• 1) Meiring Borcherds speaking on climate change affecting County health issues.
• 2) Judy Wollen, CSU, Microcistene in Lake Erie
• 3) Members speaking to Members forum (3,5 or 10 minute speeeches) - including a possible presentation by Barb on No Child Left Inside (unless she takes this as a subject for a monthly meeting)
• 4) Cuyahoga County Brownfields especially in Euclid Creek watershed speaker Ginny.
• 5) Dusty goldenrod meadow field trip
• 6) Christie Myers from Ohio environmental council could speak and dangers to ground water supply and quality of water in Lake Erie from Gaswell fracking.
• 7) What is on the computer for friends of Euclid Creek website, Euclid Creek news blog site, Soil water conservation District.
• 8) Euclid Creek manager could speak on the issues of Euclid Creek Metropark and how the role of friends of Euclid Creek could help out.
• 9) Could have water testing results presented to us by Ken Radie and his student group.
• 10) What is the next step in identifying and protecting land areas that we have have designated as interesting areas in the Euclid Creek watershed?
• 11) How about an update from the sewer district possibly frank Greenland on the Euclid Creek tunnel project and the latest information on cities opposing and suing the sewer district on storm water tax increase assessment?
• 12) How about a field trip to Wildwood state park and Oxbow Island that is being redesigned. We could couple that with a site visit to the property at Marcella and Lakeshore Boulevard.

A possible schedule through December could include:

• Jan. - Park manager,  Frank Greenland, or Barb Holtz (depending on availability)
• Feb. - Meiring Borcherds
• March - Members speaking
• April - Park manager,  Frank Greenland, or Barb Holtz (depending on availability)
• May - Spring wildflower walk with Barb Holtz
• June  - Ginny on brownfields
• July - Summer picnic
• August - Judy Woolen, depending on availability
• Sept. - Dusty goldenrod meadow walk with Barb Holtz
• Oct. - Water testing with Ken Radie, depending on availability
• Nov. - Possible speaker bureau presentation
• December - Holiday party 

Recap of holiday party

• We want to do another video provided by Frank. 
• Catering was a good option.  
• Chinese auction name may change.
• Software and other items we could auction off at an upcoming meeting.  

Equipment

• Rick Evans to buy a jump drive and extension cord.

Awards

• Where do the awards to Dave Roche and Lee Gase stand? Frank will follow up on this. 
• Jeanette gave Lou Rifici him his award. 
• We should invite winners to the holiday party next year.  

Photo contest

• We agreed with would like to do another contest.
• Stu Pearl would like to be involved from the beginning of the process.

Newsletter

• Barb to provide a sample and time the newsletter to the membership drive. 

Scholarship

• We could provide a $500 scholarship for a student interested in environmental studies.
• Jeanette to research other scholarships and provide ideas to Frank.  

Year in review video

To see the wonderful video that Frank Skala created and showed at our holiday party, please see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQfSgljby4Y