Trail Mail
     Friends of the Little Miami State Park    
       www.littlemiamistatepark.org       
In This Issue
Fighting the Flooding
Kings Mills Bridge: Your Comments Wanted
Trail Reunion
E-Bike Update
FLMSP Board News
Blooming Now
Video Tour of the Little Miami Trail
Events
New Pavement Celebration!
A smoother, wider trail in downtown Loveland. (Debbie LaVoie)

"If you haven't been on the newly paved section of the trail, you need to treat yourself," says one of our volunteers. "It's like waterskiing when the lake is glass; so smooth!"

An 8-mile section of trail from Camp Denison to Loveland was recently repaved, thanks to a $750,000 grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.  The work included drainage improvement and widening of the trail through downtown Loveland.

The public is invited to attend a celebration of the newly-surfaced trail section, where local officials and representatives of organizations involved in the work will speak:
 
Saturday, May 20, 10:00 a.m.
587 Branch Hill-Loveland Rd.
Loveland, Ohio
 
This celebration comes 33 years after another gathering in Loveland when the brand-new scenic trail was dedicated. The trail in 1984 ran for 13.5 miles from Loveland to Morrow. You can read more about the trail's founding here.
 
The Friends thank Martin McAllister, former Southwest District Manager of Ohio State Parks and Preserves, who applied for this grant. Retired now, he visited the newly paved section last week. "I am very happy this project came to fruition," he said. "My wife and I came down to see the bike path work and I stopped and bought a new road bike to celebrate the completion of the project."
 
With trail repaving estimated at $80,000 per mile, it will take efforts like McAllister's and funding from grants and government to repave the remaining 42 miles of trail. In the meantime, enjoy the smo-o-o-th! in our southern section.

Fighting the Flooding

Recent heavy rains, about 5 inches on April 28-29 alone, have left their mark on the trail. They've clogged up the culvert inlets that direct water away from the trail, and FLMSP volunteers have been working hard to correct the problems. Don Hahn, trail segment adopter in the Mid-South section, says, "It's widespread, the most I have seen in my years on the trail."

Don led a group of six volunteers who worked a total of 20 hours scraping mud and digging out culverts on May 2. The next day, Paul Morgan led a crew that did the same thing. Other volunteers up and down the trail joined the fight in their segments.

Left: debris washed over the trail at the Miami Bluffs subdivision access.

Kings Mills Bridge: Your Comments Wanted
The Warren County Engineers Office invites the public to comment on alternatives for  replacement of the King Ave. bridge  across the Little Miami near Peters Cartridge factory. A fact sheet and diagrams of the three alternatives, along with a comment form, can be accessed here.

The Board of the Friends of the Little Miami State Park has voted to support Alternative 3, a new bridge, because it eliminates the dangerous trail intersection at Grandin Rd. by passing the relocated bridge over the trail. Partial funding would be provided by a federal grant.

Please look over the options and send your comments; the choices made will affect our trail and its safety. The deadline for public comment is May 26.  

Trail Reunion
 
Betsy and Bill Schwinn, Don Mills and Judy Mills (taking the photo), active trail adopters before their retirement from trail work, recently met up for a trail reunion and dinner. 

"The four of us toured the wonderfully maintained Trail between Terrace Park and Miamiville and relived our volunteerism memories with FLMSP," wrote Don. "We all agreed that it was a wonderful experience where we made new friends and now look forward to a younger generation continuing the mission."

Make memories of your own! Find out about volunteering to support your trail here. On this web page you will also see the Schwinns in their volunteering days in the "Adopt-a-Trail" photo, and Don Mills on the far right in the "Special Projects" photo.
 

Friends of the Little Miami State Park is a nonprofit organization devoted to the preservation and enhancement of the Little Miami State Park. We assist the Ohio Department of Natural Resources with development planning, capital improvements, and safety concerns, as well as providing most of the maintenance of the park. 
 
Monthly Meeting
Wednesday, June 14
 7:00 p.m.

Wayne Twp. Administration Building
Public Invited!
 
Trail Closings & Alerts
Under I-71 Bridge
 
The trail will be closed Sunday, May 14 from 6 to 11 a.m. between SR 350 and Wilmington Rd. for another attempt at removing the last stubborn remains of the old Jeremiah Morrow bridge.

Quick Links

 
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E-Bike Update


The legislation to update Ohio's law on e-Bikes, endorsed by the FLMSP board last fall, is making its way through the state legislature. 

If you'd like to add your support to the bill (click here for a synopsis), please call, write, or email your state representative encouraging him or her to co-sponsor the bill. Get contact information by filling in your ZIP+4 code at:
ohiohouse.gov


FLMSP Board News

At our Annual Meeting on April 30, three board members whose terms were expiring were re-elected: Steve Murphy, Don Hahn, and Janet Slater. Other board members are Ron Gorley, President; Paul Morgan, Vice President; Mike Dresch, Treasurer; Bruce Cortright and George Stockham. The secretary position remains open.

At the May 10 monthly meeting, the board approved purchase of a Kubota tractor with loader and cutter attachments. The tractor will greatly facilitate the efforts of our volunteers in heavy-duty work on the trail. 

Contact Numbers
Trail Hotline:
513-212-6958
Report trees or large limbs down on the trail. A photo with location is most helpful.

Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources
24-Hour Call Center:
#ODNR
Report graffiti, vandalism, or park management issues


Blooming Now: Trillium
Ohio designated white trillium ( Trillium grandiflorum ) as its official wildflower in 1986. Found in early Spring along the Little Miami State Park trail, white trillium is also called wake robin, snow trillium, great white trillium, or large white trillium.
 
The plants are extremely long-lived. Trilliums are relatively easy to grow from their rhizomatous root but slow to develop and spread. To make up for it, the plants can live for up to 25 years.

Video Tour of the Little Miami Trail
Mary Jo Monte is the Path Pedaler, and she is exploring America by trail. The Path Pedaler video team travels the Little Miami Scenic Trail in two episodes. Part One covers the trail from Newtown to Xenia, featuring Camp Denison, Loveland, Peters Cartridge, Morrow, Ft. Ancient, Corwin, Xenia, and an interview with our own Dirk Morgan at Riverside Campground. View the video by clicking the photo above.

Events
Ohio to Erie Trail Adventure Ride:  Sept. 9-15. Ride the 320-mile Ohio Bike Route 1 from Cincinnati to Cleveland with full support and overnight hotel stays. Limited to 40 cyclists. See  ohiotoerietrail.org
for details and registration.