October 2024

Happy October! Grab your pumpkin spice lattes and enjoy the sweater weather. Check out the fall colors, and watch the leaves fall. Find local fall hikes, programs, and events at our local Metro Parks. Check out the ODNR Fall Color Guide for statewide color reports, foliage updates, featured locations and activities.

Fall Leaf Management

Leaves are great for your lawn and garden beds. Leave the leaves on your lawn and gardens! As they break down, they put nutrients back into the soil, replenishing the nutrients available to your plants, improving plant and soil health. Leaves are also a great cold-weather habitat and food source for insects and wildlife. Leaving the leaves on your lawn and garden WON'T kill the grass. The grass is typically going dormant this time of year anyway - which is expected to be even earlier this year due to this summer's drought.

Don't Clutter the Gutter

Too Long, Didn't Read: Leave the leaves on your lawn and garden, NOT the storm drain and hard surfaces.

Why? Storm drains lead untreated rainwater directly to our waterways, not the sewer plant. Our waterways DO NOT need more nutrients. Excess nutrients are problematic and sometimes even deadly for our aquatic critters. Especially right before or during a rainstorm, keep the leaves out of the storm drain.

How do leaves clog storm drains? Don't they have filters? Leaves that build up in a storm drain can clog the storm drain. Most storm drains do NOT have filters. The leaves and other debris can build up in the storm drain and storm sewer pipes over time and clog, leading to poor drainage during a rain event, when we really need them to work!

Always check for vehicle traffic and hazards before removing the clutter from the gutter!

Before a rain event or while you're doing your yard work, take a few moments to rake the leaves out of the storm drain. Always pay attention to your surroundings, and be cautious of vehicle traffic and potential hazards. Picking up leaves and trash from the storm drain and hard surfaces before the rain will help prevent debris from washing into the storm drain!

However, NEVER attempt to reach or climb in a storm drain. Leave that to the professionals.

If you storm drain needs serviced, contact your local municipality. If you aren't sure who owns it, you can always reach out to us at Franklin Soil and Water, and we can figure it out together!

Never reach or climb into a storm drain unless you want to find Pennywise... JK! But really, never climb or reach into one.

Photo from the movie It (1990)

Annual Meeting Recap

Celebrating Conservation Along the Scioto River

Thanks to the 125 attendees who came to our Annual Meeting on September 19 at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center.

Congrats to our 2 Board of Supervisors' election winners and 4 awardees.

Board of Supervisors Election Winners

Lydia Cumming

Jessica D'Ambrosio

Award Winners

Aryeh Alex

Conservation Stewardship Award (Individual)

Keep Columbus Beautiful & Franklin County Metro Parks

Carrie Morrow

Conservation Stewardship Award (Individual)

Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Worthington Green Team

Conservation Stewardship Award (Organization)

Worthington Partnership

Sandy Reed

Educator of the Year

Upcoming Events

Check out these events from the District and our partners. You might us at them!

• Green Columbus Free Tree Giveaways
• South Side - Sunday October 13, 10am-1pm
• Franklin County Engineer's Touch-a-Truck - Thursday October 17, 4-8pm @ Fortress Obetz
• Franklin County Pollinator Pathway Meeting - Thursday October 24, 6-7:30pm @ Whetstone Library
• Westerville 4th Friday - Friday October 25, 6-9pm @ Uptown Westerville
• New Albany Community Backyards & Invasive Trade-In Workshop - Monday November 5, 6-7:30pm @ New Albany Library
• Grandview Fall Fest - Thursday November 7, 4-7pm @ Wyman Woods Park

Yardening Tips from Lonnie the Garden Gnome

Consider these October "yardening" tips.

• Fall is a great time to plant native perennials, shrubs and trees due to the cooler weather. Remember to water newly planted plants, especially trees, until dormancy later this fall.
• Fall is usually for fertilizing, but NOT this year! OSU Extension is recommending to NOT fertilize, aerate, or reseed your lawn this fall due to the historic drought conditions putting lawns into dormancy earlier than usual. Your brown grass is not dead - just dormant. Find out more here.

Get the Scoop from Nature Scoop

Want to learn more about backyard conservation, pollinators, and more? Read the latest edition of the monthly newsletter Nature Scoop by Toni Stahl, National Wildlife Federation Habitat Ambassador.

Nature Scoop October 2024 - How to Help Warblers. Climate. Halloween & More!

Learn more at www.nwf.org/certify and on Twitter/X @NatureScoopOhio

Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District | (614) 486-9613 | www.franklinswcd.org