TrailMail
www.littlemiamistatepark.org
July 2015 
In This Issue
Superman on the Trail
Help Wanted
Sierra Club Serves
New Board Responsibilities
Directing the Flow
Milkweed for Monarchs
1854 Trail Guide: Milford, Miamiville     

by Janet Slater
Imagine you're cycling north on the trail from Cincinnati. Gradually you realize you are no longer pedaling, and you begin to hear a chugging engine instead of birds. A few other passengers in strange dress appear around you. You're traveling on the Little Miami Railroad, and the year is 1854.

"Milford, on the right, is 14 miles from Cincinnati, and on the other side of the Little Miami. The village contains probably 600 inhabitants." A man in the seat next to you is reading from a printed guide. . . . 
Superman on the Trail

by Janet Slater

Saturday, June 27, noon: "Dirk, I just received a trail hotline call about a downed tree spanning the trail, having crushed fences on both sides. The tree is just south of the trail going up to the Ft. Ancient earthworks. - Aaron."

1:15 p.m.: "Fortunately and unfortunately I can respond to this because for the second weekend in a row my business is shut down due to high water! If ANYONE can meet me there to work on this problem I will be headed up the trail in the next half hour. - Dirk."


Silence online. More silence online. Chainsaw sounds from the trail.


3:22 p.m.: "Just back from tree at Ft. Ancient. Huge walnut doing damage to both fences which were a hindrance to cleanup. More work to be done when there is someone else that can spot me as the overhead limbs are large and supported partially by the fence. It is fine for the time being, and can be finished up on a low traffic weekday. - Dirk."

Dirk has titled his last message with photos, "Tree down, one man, one tractor, two saws." He has even managed to get a selfie for the "after" photo.


Epilogue: Dirk Morgan has returned to his secret identity as the mild-mannered owner of a canoe livery. This week the Friends board voted to buy Dirk a larger chainsaw, with his smaller saw being passed down to a mere earthling. 

  


We are looking for new volunteers! 

We need one or more people to:

  • Help with trail maintenance on their favorite stretch of trail.
  • Tow the FLMSP Blower to clear various trail sections of leaves & debris. 
  • Monitor our message service and refer issues to the appropriate resources                                             
  • Write grant applications                                           
  • Meet & Greet trail users to expand our TrailMail distribution & membership                                          
  •  Provide accounting help to our non-profit group                                                    
  • Provide civil engineering assistance - especially with stormwater drainage issues                                                       
  • Operate chainsaws and help clean up trees & limbs following storms                                                    
  • Help manage the trail counters and their data files.      
  • Help repair board fences                                          
  • Help plant new trees


 

To volunteer or to learn more, contact Don Mills or reply to this newsletter. 

 

 
Sierra Club Serves

Jay Freeman and his fellow Sierra Club members continue their hard work to improve the Trail between Milford and Terrace Park. On June 16, these volunteers cleared overgrowth along a drainage ditch and on both sides of a fence. Each week they use the Meet Up website to recruit new volunteers for their trail work. 

Thank you, Sierra Club, for making this section of our park look great!

 

 

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!

 

 
Like us on Facebook

 
New Board Responsibilites

At our Annual Meeting & Picnic on June 14, two new Board members were elected and a new distribution of responsibilities announced. We also expressed appreciation to our founder, Simeon Copple (pictured), who is retiring from his position as an active board member. 
What Simeon started 7 years ago has grown into an active organization that has benefited all trail users. Here is the current list of board members and their responsibilities:
Simeon Copple, Founder
Emeritus
Bruce Cortright, Drainage
Mike Dresch, Treasurer
Rich Easterly, Mid-North
section, Fences
Maxine Fischer, Secretary,
Membership
Don Hahn, Trail Surface
Don Mills, South Section, Signs
Paul Morgan, Mid-South Section,
Outreach, Counting Program
Steve Murphy, President,
Funding
Aaron Rourke, ODNR Liason,
Emergency Response
Janet Slater, Communications
Roger West, North Section,Trail
Blower

The position of Vice President is currently open. If you are interested, please contact Maxine Fischer.

Quick Links
 
 
  
  
  
Directing the Flow
by Paul Morgan

 

Mike Egan and Dave Diersing solved a decades-old drainage issue with some creativity and a lot of elbow grease. About one-half mile south of Fosters there's a spot where 5 small spring-fed creeks intersect the trail. Three converge and go through a culvert. The other two have washed across the trail for years and are a major cause of the slumping trail in that spot.  The 4th was diverted to the culvert  by Don Hahn a few years ago and the 5th remained sort of a mystery - covered by lots of vegetation as it snaked up the steep hill.

Mike & Dave cleared a lot of growth to trace the stream path up the steep hill, and the effort paid off. They found a spot where they could divert the 5th creek into the channel of the 4th creek with the least amount of digging- which they accomplished with hand tools.    

As a result of their efforts, now all 5 creeks converge and pass under the trail through a culvert. If they had not done this, the creek they rerouted would have continued to damage the trail bed and asphalt in this spot.

Thank you, Mike & Dave!

 
Event Alert

Greene Trails Cycling Classic

This annual family-oriented biking event raises funds to support our region's extensive system of paved, multi-use trails. The event features a different trail each of four days, and will be on our portion of the trail on Friday, July 17. Be aware of heavier cycling traffic that day from 6:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 

 
Milkweed for Monarchs

 

The beautiful monarch butterfly, once a common sight in the U.S., has declined by over 90% in population in the last 25 years. This alarming loss is due to illegal logging in Mexican fir forests where the monarch breeds, and to the disappearance of milkweed plants in the U.S.

Survival of the monarch butterfly depends on milkweeds. . . 

Read More