TrailMail
www.littlemiamistatepark.org
August 2015 
In This Issue
Urgent Volunteer Need
Case of the Missing Culvert
A Little Help for the Friends
Trail Event Alert
Blooming Now
When It Rained, We Shone    

by Aaron Rourke
 

July rainstorms brought out the best in FLMSP volunteers as we saw a concentration of attention on our trail like no other time since Hurricane Ike passed through several years ago.
 

Hotline calls started coming in on July 15 before 8 a.m. from, in order from south to north, the Terrace Park, Loveland, Morrow--a real show-stopper there--and Fort Ancient areas.  One trail user witnessed a tree fall right across the trail in front of her.  It's become routine for us to have reports of falling trees up to about three days after saturating rains, as trees lose their grip and topple.


 

In short order, FLMSP adopters and chainsaw crews swung into action.  Some, like Paul Morgan, were already out on the trail when I called them, having anticipated problems.  They were going hand-to-hand with the opponent when I called, or when they called me.  I routinely found myself talking to volunteers who had both hands busy and the phone pinched between jaw and shoulder. . . .   Read More


 

Urgent Volunteer Need:
Crack & Bump Repair Project

Y our help is needed to make use of a $13,000 grant we have been given to repair cracks and bumps on our trail. We must have enough volunteers to complete work this year or we LOSE the grant money and will have to spend thousands of dollars to hire a contractor.
 
Filling large cracks and grinding off bumps helps prevent falls and slows the deterioration of the trail surface.

Please consider helping one day or several in September/October for one or more of these tasks:
  • Locating and marking cracks to be filled and bumps to be ground
  • Cleaning cracks with a blower or torch (provided)
  • Filling cracks using our hot melt machine (pictured); necessary training provided
  • Grinding bumps with rented scarifier; necessary training provided
  • Loaning use of a pickup truck with open bed and a 2" square towing bar to avoid cost of a rental
If you can help in any way with this project, contact Don Hahn or reply to this newsletter.

Case of the Missing Culvert
by Paul Morgan & Janet Slater

Bruce Cortright and Mike Dresch may not be real detectives, but they play them on the trail.

 

The crime scene: a section of trail north of Loveland's Nisbet Park that is wet or icy much of the year, posing a safety hazard to trail users.

 

The suspect: an old drainage ditch and culvert, clogged long ago and now in hiding.

 

The investigation: Dave Diersing and Mike Egan lead a group of FLMSP volunteers who work several weeks clearing brush from the non-river side of the trail north of Loveland, starting at Cones Road and stretching 1/3rd of a mile north. To unsuspecting trail users, they have beautified the area; their real motive is to allow a backhoe to enter. . . More 

Brian Bailey of Warren County Water & Sewer Dept. and Bruce Cortright of FLMSP prepare culvert for a water blast.


 
A Little Help for the Friends

Our Fence Repair crew got a little unexpected help when these runners stopped to lend a hand. Rich Easterly and his team have been busy repairing fences damaged from tree falls in the recent rainstorms. At left is the repaired fence.


 

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. 
 
Trail Hotline


 513-212-6958

[email protected]

 

Call, text, or email to report downed trees or other non-emergency safety issues. Photos helpful!

 

 
Trail Closings

Jeremiah Morrow Bridge Project

The Ohio Dept. of Transportation (ODOT) reports that I-71 bridge construction over the trail near Ft. Ancient may necessitate periodic, short-term trail closings as early as the week of August 10: "The impact would be the occasional stoppage of bike or pedestrian traffic on the bike trail. Stoppage could be up to one hour increments on weekdays.  We are going to try to limit any stoppage on weekends, and will definitely not have stoppage on a weekend if there is some type of permitted event. . . . Bike trail impact should be complete by January 2016 for this second bridge."

 

Peters Cartridge Factory Soil Remediation

The trail is currently OPEN between mile markers 35.4 and 35.6 (near Grandin Rd.) through August 31, 2015. There may be periodic short-term closures (up to 20 minutes and marked by flag persons) to allow equipment and materials across the trail. For updated reports on closings in this area, call the Peters Trail Hotline at 513-552-7030.

 

 

 
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Event Alert

  Little Miami Half Marathon and 10k

August 16, beginning at 7:00 a.m.
at Phegley Park, Morrow
On our trail between Morrow and Kings Mills (Grandin Rd.)
 

Other trail users should avoid this section of trail the morning of August 16. 

 

 

 
Blooming Now

Wild Blue Phlox

You'll see these lavender flowers lining the berms on much of our trail. Also known as Wild Sweet William or Blue Woodland Phlox, Phlox divaricate is native to Ohio and similar to the domesticated phlox many of us grow in our gardens. The name "phlox" is Greek for "fire" or "flame," chosen because its twisted flower bud resembles a flame.

Phlox is found in forests, forest borders, and in open fields. It provides pollen or nectar for many insects, including several species of bees. The plant is also a favorite food of deer, rabbits, and groundhogs.

Humans used a tea made from the entire plant to treat stomach and intestinal disorders, boils and eczema. Roots were boiled to treat venereal diseases.

Wild Blue Phlox was one of the first wildflowers to be collected by European explorers and exported to Europe, where it was easily cultivated and became a popular flower. In Victorian England, it symbolized a wish for pleasant dreams or a pledge of love.