Trail Mail  
     Friends of the Little Miami State Park  
In This Issue
Trail Project Updates
New trail bridge at Ft. Ancient

Fort Ancient area:  The trail remains  closed and impassable  between Senior Road in Morrow and Route 350 in Oregonia, but work is progressing well. "The new Ft. Ancient Bridge is on schedule and nearing completion, and with good weather the trail should reopen by the end of November," reported Ken Elliot, ODNR manager of Little Miami State Park.


Milford: A walk-around detour is in place around the trail closure at S hawnee Run, and culvert repairs at the sinkhole are well underway. "Without any delays the trail should reopen by the middle of November," said Elliot.

Hamilton & Clermont Counties: A major project to repair culverts and repave a section of the trail from Loveland south has been awarded to a contractor. Work began Nov. 7 with widening of the trail by 2 feet in downtown Loveland (below).

For updates on trail closures please see our website, littlemiamistatepark.org.


Electrifying News
Phil Obermiller enjoying an early November ride on the trail

by Phil Obermiller

Most bicycle laws in Ohio date from the 1990s, well before the era of low-speed electric bikes. Making this technology legally acceptable is increasingly important as more and more cyclists, especially those who due to age or limited physical capacity, use the eBike alternative to continue to enjoy riding. PeopleforBikes, a national bicycling advocacy group, is leading the movement to update Ohio's regulations, and the board of FLMSP unanimously endorsed this effort at its October meeting.

Ron Gorley, FLMSP president, observed: "This field has changed so much recently. It wasn't long ago that the thought of eBikes conjured up visions of high speed mopeds that didn't blend very well with other cyclists or pedestrians. Low speed electric bikes are different. FLMSP looks toward a future where these low speed eBikes have the same privileges and responsibilities as traditional bicycles."

The federal Consumer Product Safety Act defines a low-speed electric bicycle as "a two or three-wheeled vehicle with fully operable pedals, a top speed when powered solely by the motor under 20 mph . . Read More

Fence Removal in Camp Dennison
Last fence section standing before removal

150 posts, 300 boards, and 300 pounds of hardware. It's all gone now from beside Ernst Concrete at Camp Dennison. Because of a new wall between the factory and the trail, the fence was no longer needed. 

In mid-October, 8 Humana employees joined 3 FLMSP volunteers to remove boards. "What a wonderful day on the trail," reported FLMSP team leader Bruce Cortright. "Lots of progress and we think we can see the light at the end of the tunnel."

The next step was to rent a backhoe to pull out the fence posts. On the first day of November, the FLMSP crew removed all the posts in 6 hours, faster than expected. Then they cleared the edge of the trail and filled in all of the holes.

Trees will now be planted along the factory's cement wall. The lumber removed will be reused for other trail projects, and the hardware has been delivered to a state park facility for reuse or recycling.

The Power of One: Family Edition

Jeff Heckart & son:
"I have spent a substantial amount of time cycling on the Little Miami trail over the past three years.  I was shocked to hear that a vast majority of the care was performed by volunteers.  I am very grateful for the time spent by volunteers to keep up the trail, and was very happy to have the opportunity to volunteer myself. Volunteering with the Friends of the Little Miami was a great experience with my son to keep our trail system in such excellent shape."

Chris Pancyzk & family: "A great way to enjoy a wonderful Saturday morning and help the beautify our Trail.  Paul Morgan's crews sets the standard!" 



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. 
 
Next FLMSP Meeting

Wednesday, Nov. 9
7:00 p.m.


Public Invited!
Trail Hotline
513-212-6958

Call or text to report trees or large limbs down on the trail, or other non-emergency safety issues. A photo with location is most helpful.

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Loveland Business Owner Plants Trees
Dale Eads, owner of Loveland Hardware and Eads Fence and a frequent trail user, planted hundreds of Bottlebrush and Red Buckeye seeds near the trail at Adams Rd.

"These are beautiful flowering native trees that are beneficial for pollinators and hummingbirds," said Dale. "We need to keep up the noble and good effort the Friends did last fall by planting all those seedlings along the trail."

Thank you, Dale!

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What's This?
Last month's trail artifact was a real puzzler. Several of you suggested it had something to do with surveying. 

Luther Hargis responded, "As a Kentucky land surveyor, I would want to know if it's a possible right-of-way marker. A lot of the [railroad] right-of-way is a chain, an old land surveying unit that is 66 feet." He asks if the post is about 33 feet from the trail, and says the arrows may be marking N, S, E, and W.

A member of Larry Brigham's Penn Railroad social media group asked, "Is this item near something like a bridge, retaining wall or other structure? It may have been used as an offset marker to establish construction baselines for activities like pile driving and setting abutments or piers." 

Here are some more details: the artifact was found lying in a ditch about 3/4 mile north of the S. Main Street crossing in South Lebanon. It was within 20 yards of a railroad bridge.

These details seem to support the suggestions of those responding. But if you want to dig deeper, you can view the artifact, still at that same location.

Two Safety Projects Complete
Double yellow lines extending 100 feet on each side of road intersections signal "no passing" as well as warn trail users to use caution as they approach the intersection. Lines were painted Nov. 3 at 33 intersections in Greene and Warren Counties, the first repainting in more than 10 years, and at the Lebanon spur trail for the first time.

Intersection lines south of Loveland were not repainted at this time since work for replacing culverts and repaving is underway there.

While the intersection lines are recommended by our state park, center lines the length of the trail are not recommended except on sharp curves or hills which are not present on our trail.

Crack filling and sealing on the Warren County trail section was completed in September. Crack sealing, funded in part by Cincinnati-based Interact for Health, was contracted by FLMSP to smooth the surface and extend the life of the asphalt. 

Cracks were not filled in the Greene County portion of the trail since repaving is planned there in the near future, and hot asphalt on uncured crack-filling tar can result in surface bumps. The trail in Warren County will be repaved as soon as funds become available. Cracks south of Loveland were filled in 2013.
Attack the Invaders!

Exotic bush honeysuckles can rapidly invade, overtake and crowd out native plant species. These invasives alter habitats by decreasing light availability, by depleting soil moisture and nutrients, and even by releasing toxic chemicals that prevent other plant species from growing in the vicinity.

Exotic bush honeysuckles compete with native bush honeysuckles for pollinators, resulting in reduced seed set for native species. In addition, the fruits of exotic bush honeysuckles do not offer migrating birds the high-fat, nutrient-rich food sources needed for long flights that are supplied by native plant species.

Mechanical and chemical methods are the primary means of control of exotic bush honeysuckles. No biological control agents are currently available for these plants.

According to Wendi Van Buren, Regional Urban Forester for ODNR, now is the best time to kill invasive honeysuckle. Native trees and shrubs are going dormant, but honeysuckle is still green. "Starting today, and for the next week or two, make time to treat, cut, or mow these invasives," said Van Buren. "Any little bit helps!"