May 2011 update

Welcome
Please let me know at jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net if you have any input for these updates.The image of coreopsis comes from ohioprarienurseries.com.

Our regular meetings normally start at 6:30PM the first Tuesday of every month at the South Euclid Community Center, 1370 Victory Drive (north off Mayfield, next to Giant Eagle). We attended the Cleveland Metroparks- 2020 Emerald Necklace Centennial Plan presentation on Tuesday, May 3 at the North Chagrin Nature Center where the focus of the discussion was on the creek reservation.

FOEC participates in Green Dream
A thank you goes out to all who helped at the FOEC table and rain barrel exhibit at the Green Dream event in April at the Beachwood Community Center.

The image of the purple coneflower - a good native choice for Ohio landscapes - comes from The Wild Ones. Coneflowers attract butterflies and birds.

News to note
Please see Frank Skala for details on the following.

• Tuesday, June 7 meeting covers the topic of gas well drilling and is to include us seeing portions of the film Gasland with a follow up discussion led by environmental attorney and FOEC member Ken Messinger-Rapport.
  
• Tuesday, July 5 at 6PM is our FOEC picnic. Details to be announced shortly.
  
• Wednesday, August 24 at 6PM is an outing with the Sierra Club.
  
• Nominations for FOEC officers and board members are currently being accepted.
• Stay tuned for details on FOEC Youth Corps activities.
  

Consider native flowers and plants
Now that is it May, April showers bring May flowers can come to mind.. Here are some natives to consider for flowers in our own landscapes, per Native Plants of Ohio.

* full sun - coreopsis, coneflower, aster
* full or partial sun - black-eyed susan
* shade or full/partial sun - wild columbine

Here are Ohio habitats and native choices for each habitat.
* prairies - coneflower, goldenrod
* forest - Chrismas fern, cinnamon ferm, lady fern, spicebush, wild ginger
* wetland - goldenrod, sensitive fern
* disturbed - black-eyed susan, coreopsis

Burning River Fest 2011
Lauren Boveington, Marketing Assistant, Great Lakes Brewing Company has brought this event to our attention. She states -

Every summer, people from all over the Great Lakes region raise a pint at the Burning River Fest to salute the “watershed moment” that raised a new level of eco-consciousness—the 1969 burning of the Cuyahoga River. With a projected attendance of 8,000, the 2011 event will feature live music, fresh food from local farms and eateries, educational environmental exhibits and a special appearance by Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Christmas Ale!

The Burning River Foundation, created by the founders of GLBC, is a non-profit organization whose purpose through grants, donations and community involvement is to provide extensive education and resources for preserving the following for the waterway:
· ecological conservation
· environmental protection
· scientific exploration
· historic preservation

This year, we are giving non-profits the opportunity to be involved and raise money for their organization. If Friends of Euclid Creek is willing to promote BRF on its website, e-mail lists and social media outlets, BRF will give you an online code to use for online ticket sales. For every ticket sold, BRF will give back $1 to the organization (Presale tickets are $8 and general admission after presale is $10).

For more information please contact -
Lauren Boveington
Marketing Assistant
Great Lakes Brewing Company
2516 Market Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
216.771.4404
greatlakesbrewing.com

Burning River Fest 2011
Good Cheer. Good Cause. Good Beer.
July 23-24, 2011

Steering Committee meeting minutes

The FOEC Steering Committee met on May 18 at the South Euclid Library with Frank Skala calling the meeting to order around 7PM. In attendance were Frank, Carolyn, Steve, Fran Hogg, Ken, Larry, Ginny, Gary, Rick, and Jeanette. We discussed the following items.

Youth Corps
FOEC could work with Claire on increasing youth participation on projects. We could talk to science teachers and superintendents. Fran will go through the membership list to see who could have interest in supporting these projects. Frank will do a related email blast.

June Meeting
Ken will lead the discussion after a viewing of Gasland.

June 18 Outing
Ginny provided details on the Cuyahoga River event. She will follow up with an email.

Future Meetings
A member of the Department of Economic Development could speak at a future meeting about brownfields in the Euclid Creek watershed. We could discuss updates on Oakwood at a future meeting.

July Meeting
Summer picnic and potluck will be our July meeting. We agreed we liked the pizza at the last picnics.

Upcoming Voting
We discussed voting for officers and steering committee members at future meetings. Larry will follow up.

Computer and Insurance
Rick provided Ken with an invoice for the software upgrade. We agreed to donate the unused software package to the holiday meeting raffle. Jeanette updated on insurance with State Farm. Ken will get additional quotes.

Sierra Club
August 24 we are invited to join the Goodtime III cruise with the Sierra Club of NE Ohio.

Adopt-a-Beach
We are to work with Steve Love on these projects.

April 2011 update

Welcome
If you have any input for these updates, please let me know at jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net. Most images in this update are from our photography contest. For more images, see http://picasaweb.google.com/FriendsofEuclidCreek/2011PhotoContestEntries#

Save the first Tuesday of every month
Our regular 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. Thank you to Claire Posius for speaking at our April meeting and Ginny Aveni for being facilitator. For details on our May meeting, please contact jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net.

Cleveland Metroparks- 2020 Emerald Necklace Centennial Plan

• Tuesday, May 3, North Chagrin Nature Center, North Chagrin Reservation, Mayfield Village – 6:30pm-8:30pm
• 2020 Emerald Necklace Centennial Plan - 2nd Round of Public Meetings
• Presentation and discussion to focus on Creek Reservation, North Chagrin & South Chagrin Reservations

Creek Dam Removal Celebration
Please join the Euclid Creek Watershed Program Project Partners as we celebrate the removal of the Euclid Creek East Branch Dam. The event will be held on Thursday, April 21, from 5:00-7:00pm at the Cleveland Metroparks Euclid Creek Reservation at the Upper Highland Reserved Picnic Area.

This public meeting and tour celebrates the removal of the Euclid Creek East Branch Dam, theculmination of six years of work. Several speakers will briefly discuss the fish passage and stream restoration project, followed by a short hike to the overlook of the former dam site.

Meet the project partners and funders pivotal in making this project happen and learn why a dam removal project is important to Euclid Creek. For more information, call or email Euclid Creek Watershed Coordinator Claire Posius at 216-524-6580 x16 or cposius@cuyahogaswcd.org.

Highland Heights green task force
Contact Judy Dearden at hhgreentaskforce@yahoo.com or see http://www.highlandhtsgreen.com/ for more information.

Oakwood Park update

For information about Oakwood Park, please see: http://www.heightssno.org/announcements/oakwoodparkcanstillbearealityodparkcanstillbeareality

Green Dream is coming
April 15, 2011 1-7pm Beachwood Community Center 23235 Fairmount Blvd. Beachwood, Ohio google map

April 22 is Earth Day
April may be a good time to get your rain barrel out of storage or set one up for the first time.It could be a good time to apply the first treatment of lawn fertilizer.

Black-eyed susan is a good native choice for semi-shade
For sunny or partially sunny locations, these are naturally found in dry fields, roadsides, open woods, and waste places. They flower June to September (from Native Plants of Ohio).
Rain Barrel Workshop & Sale
Euclid Saturday, April 30 10:00am-11:30am
Historical Society Registration required by April 21st, 2011
Click here for flier
Contact Claire Posius to register and for details - 216-524-6580x16

Euclid Creek Invasive Plant Pull Event & FOEC Bioswale Service Day
Saturday, May 14 10:00am—noon Wildwood State Park , Cleveland Volunteers are needed to help remove invasive garlic mustard. Contact Claire Posius , cposius@cuyahogaswcd.org or 216-524-6580 x16 for more info. Join us at 9:00am in main parking lot by Marina to learn about the Bioswale and help with weeding and trash removal in the landscaped median.

Euclid Creek Stream Cleanup Event & FOEC Bioswale Service Day
Saturday, September 10 10:00am–noon Wildwood State Park , Cleveland Volunteers needed!! Contact Claire Posius, cposius@cuyahogaswcd.org or 216-524-6580 x16 for more info. Join us at 9:00am in main parking lot by Marina to learn about the Bioswale and help with weeding and trash removal in the landscaped median.

Recycling discussed at Highland Heights group meeting

http://www.highlandhtsgreen.com/ gives more details about the meeting that included Jeff Riebe, a naturalist, who noted that recycling benefits include having a cleaner earth, conserving wildlife and natural resources, creating jobs, and reducing pollution.

He continued with a list from the National Parks Services that indicated the number of years it would take items to degrade. Some of the items he mentioned include:

• plastic bag = 10-12 years to degrade


• a foam cup = 50 years to degrade


• disposable diapers = 10-20 years to degrade


• fishing lines = 600 years to degrade


• plastic bottles = 450 years to degrade


• plastic from a 6-pack = 100 years to degrade

Dam Removal Celebration
The image comes for http://www.cuyahogaswcd.org. As explained at
http://http//www.cuyahogaswcd.org/EuclidCreekFiles/EC_EastBranchDamRemoval.htm - the Euclid Creek East Branch Dam is located in the Euclid Creek Watershed.
It is on the East Branch of Euclid Creek, a tributary to Lake Erie that is heavily urbanized and affected by urban runoff and habitat degradation.

The dam is located near the confluence of the East Branch and the Euclid Creek main stem in the Euclid Creek Metropark Reservation.

March 2011 update

Welcome
If you have any input for these updates, please let me know at
jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net.
Most images from this update are from our photo contest.

Save the first Tuesday of every month
Our regular meetings 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.

Thank you to Tom Evans of URS for speaking at our March meeting. The URS Cleveland Office, formerly Dalton, Dalton, Newport Inc., has been providing architectural and eco-engineering services to both public and private sector clients in and around the city of Cleveland and surrounding areas for over 50 years. Mr. Evans presented architectural information on the plans for the lower Euclid Creek (E 185th spillway to Lake Erie).

Highland Heights green task force
Please contact Judy Dearden at hhgreentaskforce@yahoo.com or see http://www.highlandhtsgreen.com/ for more information.

Oakwood Park update

For information about Oakwood Park, please see: http://www.heightssno.org/announcements/oakwoodparkcanstillbearealityarkcanstillbeareality

Black-eyed susan is a good native choice for semi-shade
For sunny or partially sunny locations, these are naturally found in dry fields, roadsides, open woods, and waste places.

March, St. Patrick's Day, seeds, and gardens
Just a reminder that many gardener's start plants from seeds on or near St. Patrick's Day in March. Some garderners also apply the first treatment of lawn fertilizer around St . Patrick's Day.

Start a compost pile
The image comes from http://ourohio.org/ which states that ...leaves and yard trimmings and food waste make up 23 percent of the material Americans send to the landfill, which is a waste of landfill space and natural resources.


http://www.cuyahogaswd.org/pdf_cuyahogaswd/en-US/Brochures/backyard_composting.pdf

gives the following instructions for starting a compost pile.

• 1. Place 4” – 6” of base material such as chopped brush, twigs or wood chips on the ground. This will allow air circulation around base of pile. (Skip this step if using a compost mixing container).
• 2. Alternate 2”- 4” layer of green organic material containing nitrogen and 4”- 6” brown organic material containing carbon. Keep a ratio of 1-part green and 2-to-3- parts brown. Do not compact layers to allow for air circulation.
• 3. After each green and brown layer add 1” to 2” of an activator to introduce microorganisms into the pile. Activators such as manure, garden soil, bone meal or urea fertilizer will provide nitrogen to encourage the reproduction of microorganisms. A pile must have microorganisms to decompose the organic waste.
• 4. Water the pile, so it’s moist, but not wet.

Upcoming Events in Euclid Creek
Euclid Creek Public Involvement Committee Meeting
Friday, February 11 9:00am-10:30am Euclid Community Center

Cleveland Geological Society Lecture: The Euclid Creek Watershed: Its History, Future, Why It Matters, and Who's Doing What,
Speaker: Claire Posius
Wednesday, March 16 7:30pm Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Classroom A, C Floor

Rain Barrel Workshop—South Euclid
Tuesday, March 22 6:30pm-8:00pm South Euclid Community Center Registration required by March 14th, 2011 Click here for flier
Contact Claire Posius to register and for details - 216-524-6580x16

Euclid Creek East Branch Dam Removal Celebration
Thursday, April 21 5:00pm-7:00pm Euclid Creek Reservation - Upper Highland Picnic Area
Join us for a presentation and tour of the former dam site and to meet the Euclid Creek East Branch Dam project partners.
Contact Claire Posius for more details - 216-524-6580x16 Click here for flier

Rain Barrel Workshop & Sale— Euclid
Saturday, April 30 10:00am-11:30am Euclid Historical Society Registration required by April 21st, 2011 Click here for flier
Contact Claire Posius to register and for details - 216-524-6580x16

Euclid Creek Invasive Plant Pull Event & FOEC Bioswale Service Day
Saturday, May 14 10:00am—noon Wildwood State Park , Cleveland
Volunteers are needed to help remove invasive garlic mustard. Contact Claire Posius , cposius@cuyahogaswcd.org or 216-524-6580 x16 for more info. * Join us at 9:00am in main parking lot by Marina to learn about the Bioswale and help with weeding and trash removal in the landscaped median.

Euclid Creek Stream Cleanup Event & FOEC Bioswale Service Day
Saturday, September 10 10:00am–noon Wildwood State Park , Cleveland
Volunteers needed!! Contact Claire Posius , cposius@cuyahogaswcd.org or 216-524-6580 x16 for more info. * Join us at 9:00am in main parking lot by Marina to learn about the Bioswale and help with weeding and trash removal in the landscaped median.

Rain Garden Presentation to Lakeshore Garden Club
Monday, September 19 1:00pm–3:00pm Henn Mansion , Euclid

Compost Seminars and Bin Sales for Backyard Composting - Cuyahoga Solid Waste District
The Solid Waste District has partnered with city service departments and local organizations to educate and promote backyard composting. In an effort to provide Cuyahoga County residents with how-to-compost instructions and affordable compost bins, the Solid Waste District is proud to introduce the Compost Seminar & Compost Bin Sale program. If you've always wanted to start composting coffee grinds, banana peels and leaves, but just didn't know how, this is your chance!

After you attend a 60 minute seminar about backyard composting, you will have the opportunity to purchase a bin for your home.
Wishing Well Composter - $50.00 · Ultimate Dirt Machine Digester - $50.00 · Sure-Close Compost Pail - $5.00

2011 Upcoming Compost Seminars & Bin Sales:
Tuesday, March 15, River's Edge on Rocky River Drive , 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 16, Orange Village , 7:30 p.mWednesday, March 30, Downtown Cleveland at the Galleria, 11:45-12:45 p.m.Thursday, March 31, North Royalton, 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, Bay Village , 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, April 19, Parma , 7:00 p.m.Tuesday, April 20, Garfield Heights , 7:00 p.m.Saturday, May 21, Euclid , 9:30 a.m.
Tuesday, May 24, South Euclid , 7:00 p.m.Thursday, June 1, Garfield Heights , 7:00 p.m.

Registration for each seminar is required [call (216) 443-3731 (216) 443-3731 or http://us.mc1803.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=krocco@cuyahogacounty.us] or for more details view: http://www.cuyahogaswd.org/en-US/Composting.aspx

March 2011 steering committee meeting minutes

Ken, Barb Holtz, Rick, Gary, Fran, Lou, Brian, Kathy, Larry, and Jeanette attended on March 16 at the South Euclid library.

Larry called the meeting to order around 7PM.

Wild Plant identification for smart phones proposal
Brian Gilbert explained a possible plant id program for wild plant identification using a smart phone and noted his interest in a show of support. Four hundred plants are included. We discussed an endorsement. Gary will put together this letter. Schools at the junior high and high school level could be the audience for the application.

Membership letters
Fran noted that 122 membership letters were mailed. Printing cost $24, and stamps cost $70. Fran will email the file to Meiring to put on the website.

Bylaw on time limits
The final text was provided for the bylaw voted on unanimously at the last meeting.

Bylaw on who can sign checks
A draft for consideration was circulated by Ken. We discussed related auditing issues.

Euclid Creek pins
White background with a green heart and Friend and Euclid Creek is the design voted on at the last meeting. Claire asked for these as a token of appreciation for volunteers. 500 pins estimate is $300 or about 60 cents each. $425 for 1000 or about 39 cents each is another estimate. 500 should last a few years, and we agreed to this. We discussed a smaller pin and possible bumper sticker which Barb will look at.

Corporate rain garden
We discussed running a small ad. Our interest is in a business that will install this. Fran suggested a letter to the editor.

Feb. meeting survey results
Barb Holtz summarized the results. Combined sewer overflows and dumping appeared as top environmental pressures. No one knows where the watershed is and what is a watershed - these are top educational needs identified. City governments should have laws that allow for practices good for the watershed - this is another top goal identified. We discussed a tie in to our mission statement and goal. When will Claire reach 1000 rain barrels? A year of the rain barrel campaign was discussed.

Hydrofracking
Ken can get someone to talk about this if we give them a date. Kathy will look at the date.

Office 2010
We can get the software at a discount.

The image of the Eastern Cottontail Rabbit comes from http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/ which states the species has been spotted in every county in Ohio.

Euclid Creek Dam Removal Celebration
Euclid, OH – Please join the Euclid Creek Watershed Program Project Partners as we celebrate the removal of the Euclid Creek East Branch Dam. The event will be held on Thursday, April 21, from 5:00-7:00pm at the Cleveland Metroparks Euclid Creek Reservation at the Upper Highland Reserved Picnic Area.

This public meeting and tour celebrates the removal of the Euclid Creek East Branch Dam, the
culmination of six years of work. Several speakers will briefly discuss the fish passage and stream restoration project, followed by a short hike to the overlook of the former dam site. Meet the project partners and funders pivotal in making this project happen and learn why a dam removal project is important to Euclid Creek.

For more information, call or email Euclid Creek Watershed Coordinator Claire Posius at 216-524-6580 x16 or cposius@cuyahogaswcd.org.

February 2011 update

Welcome to the February update

If you have any input for these updates, please let me know at jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net.

Most images in this update are from our photography contest.
For more images, see http://picasaweb.google.com/FriendsofEuclidCreek/2011PhotoContestEntries#


Save the first Tuesday of every month
Our regular meetings start at 6:30 at the South Euclid Community Center, 1370 Victory Drive (north off Mayfield, next to Giant Eagle). Meetings are free and open to the public.

Our February meeting included updates on watershed activities and featured a member participation review of county planning maps to identify properties in the Euclid Creek Watershed to pursue land conservation and help preserve, protect, and restore the Watershed.

Groups discussed the 3 sub-watersheds: East Branch, West Branch and Main Stem of Euclid Creek. Fran Mentch provided a quick update on the Oakwood golf course.

Oakwood Park can still be a reality
For important information about Oakwood Park, please see:

http://www.heightssno.org/announcements/oakwoodparkcanstillbeareality
- and -
http://www.heightssno.org/announcements/oakwoodsupporterspackedtheplacelastnightattheclevelandheightscitycouncilmeeting
Many citizens in Cleveland Heights are expressing support for the park with large attendance at a recent city council meeting. The South Euclid part of the property already sold to a developer. If zoning does not change, the developer cannot build a shopping center there. So South Euclid needs to express an interest in keeping this parkland.

FOEC Present and Past Presidents Speak at Highland Heights Meeting

Thank you to Frank Skala and Fran Hogg for speaking at a January, 2011 meeting of a Highland Heights gas well committee meeting. They spoke on behalf of and at the request of Claire Posius. Frank and Fran spoke about the impact of drilling in wetland areas and especially on the Euclid watershed. For an article about concern about the gas wells in the Highland Heights park see:

http://hillcrest.patch.com/articles/no-clear-decision-about-gas-wells-at-highland-heights-park

http://hillcrest.patch.com/articles/highland-heights-residents-concerned-about-gas-wells-at-park

Euclid Creek Watershed Planning Guide
For a copy of this report, see the link at http://planning.co.cuyahoga.oh.us/euclidcreek/
and note that the report includes many informative maps plus a vision for the watershed.

The Cuyahoga County Planning Commission prepared the report, intending it be used as a decision-making tool for each community as they seek to be a competitive, attractive place to live work, and visit. The report was prepared in part under award from the US Department of Commerce through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Financial support for the report was also provided by The George Gund Foundation and The Cleveland Foundation via the Friends of Euclid Creek and Cuyahoga County Board of County Commissioners.

Highland Heights Green Task force update
FOEC member Judy Dearden is running meetings of the Highland Heights Green Task Force. Please contact Judy Dearden or Jeanette Evans for details. See http://highlandhtsgreen.com/ for more details.

Coreopsis is a good native choice for sunny locations

The image comes from ohioprarienurseries.com. According to Native Plants of Ohio coreopsis thrives in poor, sandy, or rocky soils. The flowers are good fresh cut for arrangements. Remove spent flowers to encourage continuous blooming and prevent unwanted seedlings.

Coreopsis can naturalize quickly, outgrow weeds, and help hold soil and provides good nectar plant for butterflies. Seeds are a good food source for songbirds in later summer. Flowers appear in May to July. Color is yellow.



The groundhog image comes from http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/




Dusty Goldenrod Preserve extension proposed
See http://blog.cleveland.com/sunmessenger/2010/11/conservation_group_proposes_ea.html
for the related article. Derek Schaffer, conservation project manager for the West Creek Conservation Committee, addressed Highland Heights council to explain the committee’s vision for 86 acres in Highland Heights. The non-profit organization is in the process of negotiating the purchase of 12-acres of undeveloped property off Bishop Road, north of Wilson Mills Road.

The property connects with two city-owned parcels that amount to a combined 37 acres. The northern portion of the possible reserve is what is known as the Dusty Goldenrod Preserve, 37 acres owned by the Mayfield City School District. West Creek will not seek to purchase the city property, but rather a conservation easement. That means the property would stay in its natural state in perpetuity. In exchange, Schaffer told council, the organization is willing to pay the city $300,000-$400,000.

“There are high-quality wetlands and streams on that property,” Schaffer said of the entire 86 acres. “We’re (West Creek) all about water quality, streams and wetlands and open space.” West Creek has undertaken similar conservation projects in Parma, Seven Hills, Independence and Brooklyn during its 13-year existence, Schaffer said. He said that more than 90 percent of the county’s wetlands have been wiped out and that there is a need to preserve what is left. The private property is owned by two families. It is now zoned for residential use. Would-be developers have gone before the city’s planning and zoning commission in an attempt to get clearance to build on the sites but have failed to get the necessary zoning variances necessary to build on or near the wetlands. Schaffer told council he would prefer to see all 37 of the city’s acres as a conservation easement. He said the large size of the total easement, all 86 acres within the Euclid Creek Watershed, is what would make the easement so special.

Feb. 16, 2011 Steering Committee Meeting Minutes

Larry called the meeting to order around 7:05 at the South Euclid Library. Gary, Lou, Carolyn, Rick, Steve Albro, and Jeanette attended.

March speaker
Tom Evans of URS is to be our March meeting speaker.

Membership letters
Fran Hogg is working on membership letters. Community outreach, Greenwood Farms and Lyndhurst Home Days displays, Euclid Beach display at Adopt A Beach, photo contest, bioswale clean-ups, community award, identified watershed and green space concerns - these are some of the activities of the year past to highlight. Corporate rain garden, more rain barrel workshops, potential concerns, support Oxbow Lacustrine project support, photo contest - these are some of our upcoming projects.

Photo contest trifolds
Jane cannot print the 2011 fliers for the photo contest. We agreed to let Larry print 200 copies of the trifold flier.

PO box
We agree to pay $44 for 12 months for our PO box.

February meeting with maps
Barb Holtz will prepare a synopsis. Reviewing the maps was very educational and participants gave good feedback.

Corporate sponsor for rain garden
Claire asked us for ideas. Meiring and Larry have taken on the job. We discussed making it a contest. Larry will ask Judy if she would contact Highland Heights companies who would be partners.

Events coming up
Greenwood Farm and Lyndhurst Home Days are two events coming up. Larry passed out a design for a possible display and will continue looking at this design and its cost.

Euclid Creek pins
Larry showed us a Euclid Creek pin as an example. Claire could use these at clean-up events as a token of appreciation. Slogans for pins are a possibility. Larry will follow up at next meeting for discussion.

General discussion
Larry asked Jeanette to look at Roberts Rules concerning an atmosphere of discussion at meetings and guidelines.

Computer issues
Rick is still trying to get a discount on the software upgrade. If by March 10 we do not receive a reply, we can get the upgrade without a discount. We discussed insurance for the computer and projector and letting groups such as the Highland Heights Task Force use the Friends of Euclid Creek computer for presentations.

Black-eyed susan is a good native choice for semi-shade
For sunny or partially sunny locations, these are naturally found in dry fields, roadsides, open woods, and waste places. They flower June to September (from Native Plants of Ohio).

January 2011 update

Happy New Year!

Welcome! Best wishes for the new 2011 year.

If you have any input for these updates, please let me know at
jeanette.evans@sbcglobal.net. Photos are from our contest.

This issue covers:
* Meeting updates and more on our holiday party
* Oakwood Park can still be a reality
* East Bank dam update
* Highland Heights green task force

The images are from our photo contest.

More about our holiday party

Thank you to the Little Known String Duet with Donna Lader on guitar and Joe Abate on mandolin. We very much enjoyed your musical accompaniment to our holiday party.

Special thanks go to Larry McFadden for being our master of ceremonies, Barb Pophol for putting the party together, Mary K. Evans for the raffle and auction, Barb Holtz for bartending, and all others who contributed.

Oakwood Park can still be a reality

For important information about Oakwood Park, please see:
http://www.heightssno.org/announcements/oakwoodparkcanstillbeareality

http://www.heightssno.org/announcements/oakwoodsupporterspackedtheplacelastnightattheclevelandheightscitycouncilmeeting

Cleveland Heights residents are supporting keeping Oakwood Park as many people attended a recent city council meeting to express support. The South Euclid part of the property already sold to a developer. If zoning does not change, the developer cannot build a shopping center there. South Euclid residents need to show their support. If people from other municipalities support the effort, it will help.

Save the first Tuesday of every month
Our regular meetings 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.

January 4 our meeting included a Watershed Planning Guide update from Claire Posius, Food Inc. film presentation, and an update from Fran Mench on the Oakwood golf course and Judy Dearden on the Highland Heights Green Task Force.

Our plan for the February meeting includes a review and update from Claire Posius and Ginny Aveni on subwatershed plans and greenprint for Euclid Creek and from Barb Holtz an update on land conservation.

For more images, please see:
http://picasaweb.google.com/FriendsofEuclidCreek/2011PhotoContestEntries#

Highland Heights green task force forming
For more information about this new group, please contact Jeanette Evans or Judy Dearden.

FOEC member Judy Dearden is organizing the first meeting of the Highland Heights Green Task Force is scheduled for Thursday, January 13, 2011, 7-9 PM at the Mayfield Library meeting room.

We will use this meeting to introduce ourselves and to go over our interests, the agenda for programs and projects, and discuss goals for the task force.

Please feel free to invite anyone you may know who expresses an interest.


More about Food, Inc.

The film looks at corporate food production in America. This includes agribusiness that produces unhealthy food in a way that is environmentally harmful and abusive to both animals and employees.

Part one looks at the industrial production of meat, calling it inhumane and environmentally unsustainable. Part two looks at grain and vegetable production that is environmentally unsustainable. Part three looks at laws of food companies that supply contaminated food that is cheap, use petroleum-based chemicals such a pesticides and fertilizers, and encourage unhealthy food consumption.


East Bank Dam update
Clair Posius tells us that the East Branch dam was officially removed on December 8, 2010, and Great Lake Construction is installing the boulder cobble run, gabion mattress, and cross vein structures (see the project website for more about these structures and their design intent). The plan includes installing the structures by the end of the year and completing restoration plantings in the spring.

Claire was interviewed by Michael Scott, environmental reporter for the Plain Dealer, as explained at:
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/12/removal_of_small_dam_on_euclid.html.


Holiday party thank you and awards
This is a photo from last year's holiday party. Previous President Fran Hogg is in the center.



It was a wonderful end to a wonderful year. Thank you to Barb Pophal and all others who made the holiday party such a success. Congratulations to the winners of our awards.

19 January 2011 Steering Committee Meeting

19 January 2011 Steering Committee Meeting Minutes

Frank Skala called the meeting to order at around 7:05PM at the South Euclid Library meeting room. In attendance were Ginny, Carolyn, Lou, Ken, Kathy, Fran, Frank, Larry, Steve, Gary, Rick, Jeanette.

General business

The Board of Directors approved a resolution, by unanimous consent, restating that the authorized signers for all banking accounts in the name of the Friends of Euclid Creek shall be the current President, Frank Skala, or the current Treasurer, Ken Messinger-Rapport, for the duration of their terms of office; and, that either officer may sign separately on behalf of the organization.

February meeting maps and discussion

Ginny led the discussion on the maps for the February meeting. West branch is Pepper Pike, Beachwood, S. Euclid, Lyndhurst. Main branch is Cleveland and Euclid. East branch is Willoughby Hills, Highland Heights, Mayfield Village, Richmond Heights. We discussed breaking up groups by branch.

Oakwood Club development

We looked at a possible FOEC position on the Oakwood Golf Club development plans.

Software upgrade for the computer

Rick noted options for the upgrade. We agreed we had the funds for an upgrade and authorized getting it.

Sierra Club support for the Sewer District

Gary discussed a statement of support for the recent Sewer District consent decree from the Sierra Club and whether FOEC wants to make a joint statement. We want to see the Sierra Club endorsement.

Oxbow Lacustrine project

The FOEC appointee will assist with the Lacustrine Refuge Project Advisory Committee. Ginny, Kathy, and Larry expressed interest.

CSWCD Rain Garden

A FOEC rain garden committee could work on this. Claire Posius requested FOEC involvement. We can ask at the next general meeting for volunteers.

Upcoming Programs

Ginny reviewed the list of programs for upcoming meetings. March will include Tom Evans (Lower Euclid Creek Plan). April's speaker is Kristy Meyer (Alliance for the Great Lake). May will be a tour of the Cuyahoga River (Thompson Township, Geauga County, to Munroe Falls, Akron). Frank suggested having Metroparks provide a presentation and having a speaker on brownfields in the Euclid Creek watershed. Mike Polensek could be a speaker.

ReLeaf Tree Program

Frank and Fran noted that FOEC had a letter of support.

FOEC Speakers Bureau

Larry led the discussion on the speakers bureau. We could practice with our steering committee first. Fran said she would not mind going out and noted that we have slides on watersheds in general. This could be another committee for discussion at the next general meeting. We need to look at existing presentations.

General discussion

Fran is to work on a letter for membership.

Larry wants us to think about festivals including Green Dream in April, Greenwood Farms, Lyndhurst Home Days. The rain barrel in Lyndhurst was a good idea last year.