We wanted to commemorate our achievements for Save Maumee’s “Organization of the Year 2011” presented to us at Butler University by Hoosier Environmental Council.
So, if you would like to see why we were chosen for the award, check out our video with local musicians Elephants in Mud.
ALL pictures in the video were taken in 2011 ~ Click on the picture!
Fort Wayne is known for its three rivers the St. Joesph River, St. Marys River and the Maumee River but who is protecting them?
The answer is Save Maumee.
Save Maumee was honored in early December by the Hoosier Environmental Council as the Organization of Year for empowering the people of Fort Wayne to protect the extensive waterways by doing projects, events and legislation.
Click here to see a photo gallery of Save Maumee initiatives.
Founder of Save Maumee, Abigail King, started the grassroots organization in 2005 to raise awareness of the conditions of the three rivers and develop restoration projects to make sure the rivers are healthy.
I just started paying attention and reading about the rivers after we moved into a house near the river. The things I dug up in the river horrified me, and many people I talked to didnt know what was wrong with the waterways. Many times with the government, it seems like one hand doesnt know what the other is doing. I wanted to find out what was wrong with the rivers, and by 2005, I knew I couldnt just sit here and complain; someone need to do something, King said.
As of December 2011, Save Maumee has cleaned up 11 tons of trash, planted more than 1,500 trees, spread 800 pounds of seed and fixed 16,000 pounds of erosion. Each item planted and cleaned is done entirely by volunteers.
We are all volunteer based. So we try to do what we can, King said. I hate to always feel like Im preaching to the choir, because those [volunteers] are already the people that are [cleaning the rivers]. Now we want to reach those people who arent aware.
Kim Ferraro, director of agriculture and water policy for the Hoosier Environmental Council, said Save Maumee was awarded Organization of the Year because of the support the group is able to garner from the community.
Its all volunteer, and that in itself is amazing. Theyve done river cleanup projects and other physical work, and we were real impressed that an all-volunteer group could have such a great impact, Ferraro said.
The council selects the winner based on a list they compile of outstanding environmental organizations from around the state. Then, by internal vote, they choose the winner.
Their efforts demonstrated there is growing awareness throughout our state about the significant issues that we face. You wouldnt think of Indiana as being a progressive pro-environmental protection state, but Save Maumee is an example that our state does care.
The group is best known for hosting one of the citys most popular annual Earth Day events: Save Maumee Earth Day.
Click here to watch a video of last year’s Save Maumee Earth Day celebration.
But no one ever said it was an easy job keeping an eye on three major rivers in a city with a population of 325,000-plus people, and Save Maumee is not done.
In fact, it has a lot in store for next year.
In 2012, Save Maumee is taking its group to the United States capital to solicit legislative action.
With hopes of educating public officials about the importance of the Great Lakes, Save Maumee is going to Washington, D.C., in late February to represent Northeast Indiana for Clean Water Week during Great Lakes Days.
Here are a few other initiatives Save Maumee hopes to bring to light in 2012:
For more information on Save Maumee visit their website or Facebook page.
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Awards Ceremony at The 4th Annual Greening the Statehouse Policy Forum will be held on Saturday, December 10th at Butler University’s Reilly Room at Atherton Union in downtown Indy from 8:30am-3pm. So join us for education from Indianapolis policy experts and environmental groups. For reservations call Jesse Karbanda at 317.685.8800 ext. 103
The Hoosier Environmental Council, Indiana’s largest environmental policy organization, has claimed “Save Maumee won Organization of the Year!” Abigail King, Ryan Bailey and Jain Young will be accepting the award for the group. Supporters of the day include Sierra Club, Blue Green Alliance, Carmel Green Initiative, Indiana Green Business Network, Indiana Recycling Coalition, Indiana Wildlife Federation, Save the Dunes, City of Indianapolis-Office of Sustainability.
Save Maumee has been chosen as a result of the positive impact on the community, the group’s great volunteer spirit, passion for the health of the rivers in the Great Lakes region, and ability to organize a number of very successful volunteer driven river clean-up and restoration events.
Northeast Indiana Rivers Represented in Washington D.C.
Save Maumee has been chosen by Healing Our Waters to represent Northeast Indiana for Clean Water Week during Great Lakes Days in Washington, D.C. The event will be held Feb. 28-29.
Every year, more than 125 citizens from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin travel to our nations capital to educate public officials about the importance of the Great Lakes to the regions economy and quality of life.
Needed Action for Congressmen discussion;
* Enforce current laws
* Support legislation that protects natural areas.
* Proper review of permits for corporations and stronger oversight and enforcement of permits. If fines are levied when a company discharges beyond allowed permit effluent, the monies can be utilized to truly improve water quality for human health.
* Indiana HB 1112 was passed and July 1st 2012 manufacturing waste (considered hazardous and illegal to discharge into the air or water), will now be added to soil and consider the soil to be amended, a.k.a. better than it was before.
* Tiles, straight pipes and National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) outlets should be properly counted and available to the public on Indiana & Allen County GIS maps.
* Establish Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for the Maumee in Indiana, and complete the Upper Maumee Watershed Management Plan so the community knows the priorities of our waterways.
* Rules being developed by the Indiana State Chemist will regulate livestock waste as a fertilizer material, but do not take into account the pathogens in manure. It is important in disclosing information on when, where, and how much manure is land applied to Indiana fields, and note it will have allowances to spread manure on frozen fields. All this will allow more runoff into our waterways.
Save Maumee wants to see ALL people come together to improve the quality of Fort Waynes Three Rivers and thirty-four million that depend on the Maumee River, downstream. All these issues have workable solutions.
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Save Maumee Grassroots Organization is dedicated to raising awareness about the conditions of the 3 Rivers in Fort Wayne, Indiana, while facilitating ecosystem restoration projects to improve water quality. Revitalizing the St. Joe/Maumee Watershed will protect and restore the environment, while improving the economic, aesthetic and recreational value. Research into historical importance of our navigable waterways and current pollution conditions began in 2001 and Save Maumee began bank-stabilization projects in 2005. To date Save Maumee has planted over 1,500 trees, 800lbs of native riparian seed and removed 22,000 lbs of trash on volunteer hours and in-kind donations alone.
July 16th 2011 United States National Guard helped Save the Maumee River! Lead by Staff Sergeant Grimm and Sergeant Michele Berkes-Adams along with a medic and 20 recruits removed large items in the Maumee River in Riverhaven, (a three mile stretch between Fort Wayne and New Haven). The U.S. Army works on green drills several times a year and had chosen to help Save Maumee! Items removed include a teddy bear, 10 tires and assorted car parts, steel drums, a sump pump, 2 children pools. Hats off to the men and women who keep us safe through cleaning up the large items that nobody else can remove without being put in harms way! Canoes were provided by Fort Wayne Outfitters/Bike Depot and Earth Adventures; two competitors working together to improve our rivers.
Here are two seperate stories from the Journal Gazette! http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110717/LOCAL/307179893/1002/LOCAL
Fort Wayne Ten tires, two kiddie pools, a sump pump, a microwave and a doll head were among items collected by Staff Sgt. David Grimms Indiana Army National Guard team Saturday afternoon in the Maumee River.
As part of the National Guards nationwide Guard the Environment campaign, Grimms troops collected trash 40 bags worth along the river from near the Wells Street Bridge to the Thomas L. Deetz Nature Preserve in New Haven.
The cleanup crew included about 20 new enlistees in the recruitment sustainment unit, a preparatory stage before basic training and boot camp.
Sgt. Nathan King also participated in the five-hour effort, which started at the river banks near Fort Wayne Outfitters and Bike Depot on Saturday morning. He said the service project shows that were growing as a community to help the families of Fort Wayne appreciate the citys three rivers.
This is definitely one of the things the community wants to see, he said. Its unifying, for one thing.
Grimm said the river sweep also provided a valuable experience for his troops, many of whom are still learning basic skills and courtesies.
Its a way to give back to the community before the community gives back to them, he said.
The National Guard unit first heard about the volunteer opportunity when one of its members, Sgt. Michele Berkes-Adams, became involved with Save the Maumee, a local river advocacy group.
She said the city economy could benefit from cleaner rivers, especially with businesses such as the Depot promoting river recreation.
But Abigail Frost-King, Save the Maumees founder, is hesitant to declare victory. She said she encountered some obstacles as she tried to organize the cleanup.
For example, she said Fort Wayne city government refused to provide a Dumpster for easy disposal of the extracted trash because Kreager Park, the projects approximate end point, is not within city limits. She also noted the state Department of Natural Resources will provide garbage-collecting boats only twice a year.
Regardless, she praised Grimms troops for fulfilling a dirty task most workers avoid at all costs.
No one else is cleaning up the waterways, Frost-King said.
Published: July 16, 2011 3:00 a.m.
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110716/LOCAL/307169930/1002/LOCAL
If you see soldiers in canoes Saturday floating down the Maumee River, dont panic. Its not an invasion, but rather a war on trash.
They are recruits with the Indiana Army National Guard, performing a community service project under the direction of Staff Sgt. David Grimm of Detachment 1, Company A of the Recruiting and Retention Battalion.
The soldiers have not yet gone on to basic combat training, or boot camp, but are still looking to serve their community. And this weekend, thats cleaning up the Maumee River in an effort to help out the non-profit organization, Save the Maumee.
Using canoes from Fort Wayne Outfitters and other organizations, the soldiers will float down the river from Fort Wayne Outfitters, near Wells Street in downtown Fort Wayne, and heading east toward Kreiger Park, Grimm said.
Along the way, theyll pick up trash and clean up what they can, he said.
Every three months or so, Grimm takes his soldiers out to perform a green community service project such as ripping out invasive shrubberies at Allen Countys Fox Island Park.
We just feel that the community does so much for us, and its kind of like our small little token to give back, Grimm said.
In his opinion, Fort Wayne is one of the most military-friendly communities in the country and it is important for the soldiers to contribute to it, he said.
Theyve done so much for us, and were trying to help in every little way we can, he said.
OR see all our pictures from the day on Facebook HERE: By Save Maumee’s Photographer Dana Jinx
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.212413145471728.51379.150537961659247&type=1
~ Save Maumee’s 6th Annual Earth Day 2011
~ SUNDAY April 17 ~ WE are here for the cause….CLEANER WATERWAYS AND AWARNESS
~ 11AM – 4PM ~
All Ages ~ Rain or Shine ~ Action & Education ~ Seed Planting & Large Scale Erosion Control Project ~ Free Fun
Open-Non House…working on improving your rivers with only citizen sponsorship and 100% volunteers since 2005! Looking for your back muscles!
See where to find the Earth Day fun CLICK HERE:
**Sign in and REGISTER FIRST and listen/read any information being presented about your rivers in Indiana – please sign the liability waiver, or you cannot participate. (just keeping the lawyers happy :))Save Maumee Grassroots Organization is dedicated to raising awareness about the conditions of the 3 Rivers in Fort Wayne, Indiana while facilitating ecosystem restoration projects; ultimately repairing and improving the St. Joseph, St. Mary and Maumee Rivers. Revitalizing the St. Joe/Maumee Watershed will protect and restore the environment, while improving the economic, aesthetic and recreational value. We are organizing hypothesis driven restoration projects, which place a high priority on monitoring, developing and restoring rivers with a positive environmental impact. Research into historical importance of our navigable waterways and current pollution conditions began in 2001 and Save Maumee began bank-stabilization projects in 2005 to begin the slow process of reversing years of pollution.
Watch our Earth Day Video from 2010!
What else has been going on?
*Tree removal on Fort Wayne riverbanks due to potential levee disturbance: Save Maumee’s Response
*Saints on the Streets in Fort Wayne supporting cleaner waterways by encouraging homeless to clean up their streambanks…Save Maumee is proud that other groups and excited to know that other groups are working for the cause.
* HR 872 passed in the House: This exempts pesticides users who spray over water from obtaining a Clean Water Act permit. It will allow our waters to be polluted with high levels of pesticides which will damage public health and the environment. This legislation is a disaster.
Grand Lake St. Mary’s died in Ohio, so how is land application of industrial waste products being passed in Indiana HB 1112? This will allow a variance from previously illegal land application of industrial waste products that were adopted by the water pollution control board for safety of citizens! Another article may explain why this bill has been introduced.
* Save Maumee & other environmental groups made it to Washington D.C. for 2011 Clean Water Week! – See what we said
* Save Maumee has created a Public Service Announcement, and eagerly await play circulation!
* Our Save Maumee Presented at the Dash-In: Sounds of Saturn & Les Nester and brought in enough money to buy an entire bag of Midwestern Prairie Grass @ $530 per acre – we will be placing this under the erosion control mats! Thank you everyone for making a GREAT evening with FREEBEE giveaways from: Green Dog, Neuhouser Nursery, Hall’s, Fort Wayne Outfitters/Bike Depot & Save Maumee goodies!
* Find out when the sewers discharge in Fort Wayne Rivers: To receive an alert email from City of Fort Wayne click here
* IF you think that The Maumee River is disgusting, this may give us a fresh perspective!
Other Happenings Around Town
April 29 through May 8th – BUY A PAIR OF SHOES – Come on in to Fort Wayne Outfitters / Bike Depot and buy a pair of Patagonia Shoes! (rumored to be the most environmentally friendly shoes on Earth). These two businesses are donating proceeds from sales of Patagonia Shoes to Save Maumee!
April 16 – Annual Eagle Marsh Clean-Up from 10:00am to 12:00pm
Meet at the Eagle Marsh barn for this annual clean-up to help remove litter from our restored habitats. Plants, wildlife and hikers will benefit. Please wear boots and bring gloves.
April 22 – Earth Day Tree Planting from 3:30pm to 4:30pm –
Meet at the Eagle Marsh barn. A tree planting at the largest habitat restoration project in the area is a wonderful way to spend some time on Earth Day. Join us to plant native trees and shrubs at Eagle Marsh. Please call 260-478-2515.
April 27th – Community-based Green Infrastructure FREE public webinar, you can use Save Maumee as your watershed group!
Register here
April 29 – Arbor Day Tree Planting at Eagle Marsh from 4:00pm to 5:00pm
Senator Richard Lugar is sponsoring a tree planting at the largest habitat restoration project in the area to celebrate national Arbor Day. Plant native trees and shrubs in areas at Eagle Marsh. Please call 260-478-2515 or email b.yankowiak@lrwp.org if you will be bringing a group or if you are interested in being a team leader.
April 30th & May 1st – Sol-Fest at Fox Island Celebrating the outdoors with food, music & sun. If you want to participate in the fun or run a booth. Check it out http://allencountyparks.org/parks/fox-island/sol-fest-2008/
3rd Tuesday of every month – Green Drinks is looking for someone to organize Fort Wayne Green Drinks! Please email Julia Gorrel at greendrinksfortwayne@gmail.com or 260.418.0071
June 25, 2011 – Riverfest on the banks of the St. Joe at IPFW! Fun includes sea plane & water ski show, pontoon/kayak/canoe trips, fireworks, live entertainment on the rivers. Come & Celebrate the positive things about our rivers! – Steel Dynamics Inc. is title sponsor for RiverFest, sitting at the table with Save Maumee we look forward to the transparancy of business practices improve the health and wealth of our rivers! Call Dan Wire (260) 580-7415 to get involved or check out://ipfwriverfest.org/
September 17, 2011- Save Maumee’s 5th Annual Canoe Clean Up, Can YOU Clean Up?
11am- 4pm Free canoes from Fort Wayne Outfitters Bike Depot with ID. Spend a fun day with family and friends on the river cleaning up and educating yourself! Canoe Clean-Up Details HERE
October 4 OR 24, 2011- Save Maumee’s 4th Annual Seed Harvest at Fox Island Nature Preserve 1pm – 4pm, exact date to be announced depending harvesting availability. Seed Harvest Details HERE
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Why Save Maumee chooses Earth Day?
“So long as the human species inhabits the Earth, proper management of its resources will be the most fundamental issue we face. Our very survival will depend upon whether or not we are able to preserve, protect and defend our environment. We are not free to decide about whether or not our environment “matters.” It does matter, apart from any political exigencies. We disregard the needs of our ecosystem at our mortal peril.” ~
~~U.S. Senator & Congressman Gaylord Nelson ~ Earth Day Founder [EPA JOURNAL, April 1980]
Our group is citizen driven only and 100% volunteer.
Thank you for your interest and caring about our local waterways! We ALL live downstream!
www.savemaumee.org
blog.savemaumee.org
Facebook – OUR NEW PAGE!
Twitter
A Greener Indiana
Levee Tree Removal in Fort Wayne
It has recently come to the attention of Save Maumee that trees along the Maumee River and St. Mary’s River are indiscriminately being cut down by order of the Board of Public Works by orders of the US Army Corps of Engineers. Apparently, this area of the riverbank lies on a levee and during one of the last big floods in Fort Wayne, the riverbank and the trees fell into the water. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in charge of regulating levees by setting the safety guidelines and according to city planners, the US ACE directed the city to remove the trees and make repairs or lose the acceptable rating of flood protection. This has resulted in the removal of hundreds of trees along the riverbanks of the Maumee River – in addition to trees removed from the St. Marys and St. Joe Rivers as well.
Straight from the Board Of Public Works
“Officials in Fort Wayne say there should be no trees cut down along the city’s flood levees because there aren’t any. The levees here were built by the corps in the 1990s, and the only trees near a levee are on the river side of the structure, where they slow the current and help stabilize the levee. ‘Every year, (Army Corps inspectors) walk every inch of those levees,’ said Bob Kennedy, city public works director. Kennedy said the tree prohibition was issued by the corps in 2007, so any trees that needed to be cut down would have already been spotted and removed.”
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, 6/14/09.
Well Mr. Kennedy, you ARE cutting down trees, hundreds of them in the past 3 weeks. Save Maumee recognizes the importance of levee safety and does not dispute that the city needs to be able to assess and observe the levees and keep our homes safe from floods. We also recognize that the rivers are filthy; contaminated with E. coli, Mercury, PCBs, nutrients, phosphorous, sewage, garbage and general pollution – and we do not see the city working to correct or repair any of these issues; aside from a federal mandate to separate the sewer and storm drains, which should have been started 20 years ago. In the world of water, vegetation coexists along rivers. The vegetation holds soil in place when water rises and falls. Native plants with long taproots prevent soil from being washed downstream, filter water, attract diverse species of birds and insects, slow down and absorb water as it moves quickly through the banks during times of flooding and high water, while providing shade that increases Dissolved Oxygen in the water for wildlife. Removal of that vegetation increases soil erosion. Removal of vegetation is another reason streambanks to fall into the river.
Tree removal and stump grinding has been a hot discussion topic around town. Between Ash Trees being removed due to the Emerald Ash Borer invasion (equaling 24% of the tree canopy in Fort Wayne) and the Oak Trees being eaten by the Gypsy Moths; no tree is sacred from removal or damage. Now trees are being removed due to “potential levee disturbance.” According to a former employee of the Corps Engineer and Research Development, There has never been a documented problem with a tree. (MSNBC- Associated Press 6/9/2009) The literature on the presence of vegetation indicates that it may actually strengthen a levee,” said Andrew Levesque, senior engineer for King County Washington. Yet, the mowing down of trees in Fort Wayne, never seems to end. The city has no plans to replace the trees elsewhere, except in mowed city/county parks, and does not see a problem with tree removal. (Board of Public Works, April 2011)
Hurricanes breaking levees and the affects in Fort Wayne, IN?
Tree removal on levees has been an ongoing problem around the country since Hurricane Katrina blasted through New Orleans, destroying the levees built to protect the city. Recognizing that part of the issue in New Orleans, was the failing levee system, the US ACE has taken a fresh look at all of the levee systems in the U.S. They have compiled a list of blanket regulations that every city or county lying in a floodplain must follow. The US ACE tightened its regulations with specific criteria regarding structure safety and vegetation. But, they tightened their regulations claiming there is an understanding that levee systems commonly share the same space as water conveyance and critical ecosystems and habitats, and that working with these interests is vital in effectively managing flood risks. (Recommendations for a National Levee Safety Program; A Report to Congress from the National Committee on Levee Safety, 2009)
Yet Fort Wayne indiscriminately cuts trees out on entire riverbanks without planning to replace them anywhere – while our rivers get dirtier and turn into culverts.
What do citizens say?
Concerned citizens have contacted Save Maumee regarding the removal of these trees, filling in of flood plains (approving permits and failing to enforce fines), business vehicles leaking directly into storm drains, waste gates being open with water flushing out during times without rain, concern about removal of vegetation without plans to replant elsewhere along the river and the lack of city planning that coincides with increasing the water and ecological quality along the banks, along with other issues. In fact, we can be bold enough to say that our organization is working to correct more than a century of neglect, degradation, and abuse on the Maumee River in Fort Wayne and have yet to see others take an active approach to STOP pollution. We see the city cutting down trees, changing the structure of the rivers, and having a continued disregard for the communitys greatest natural assets – which also directly affects those downstream from us. And we (Save Maumee 100% volunteers) continue to pull tires, plastic, stoves, refrigerators, etc. out of the riverbanks while also planting the trees and vegetation that actually do some good. ALL of which has been DNR approved. The questions remain: 1) Who decides where these trees are removed? 2) Who is advising the board and the “experts” that have been consulted? 3) Who is footing the bill for this large scale project?
BEFORE AFTER
Army Corps issues tree chopping orders; Policy aimed at protecting levees draws fire from locals
The above article states that “Army Corps of Engineers are on a mission to chop down every tree in the county Columbia LA…but later settled on a few dozen.”
The corps eventually dropped the idea because of state wildlife officials complained that the policy would destroy habitat, and residents in Sacramento and elsewhere objected that it would turned the rivers into more than barren culverts. The corps eventually dropped the idea.
So why cut down every tree indiscriminately along the levees in Fort Wayne, IN?
Lawyers have sent a letter of inquiry into the massive tree removal along local riverbanks and we eagerly await the report. See it here: Request for Information
All this came about in the Army Corps of Engineers in 2006 due to Hurricane Katrina smashing the New Orleans levees in Aug. 2005 and now letters from ACE are making their way into local requirements. The Corps wants a way to protect levees, yet our riverbanks have nothing to do with a hurricane and the City of New Orleans being built below sea level and the levees bursting from the pressure of a violent ocean during a hurricane event. TREES had NOTHING to do with it!
One reason that city continues to have flooding issues may have to do with the land use. More than 85% of Indianas wetlands have been eliminated since the 1800s, and many forested wetlands have been lumbered for their high-value hardwood. More than five million acres of wetlands used to exist in the state, but just over 800,000 acres remain today. Our wetlands are nature’s kidneys and filtrate pollution as well. Water is more destructive than fire, if you keep it at bay in one part of a rip/rap levee area…it will find a way to meander somewhere else; that area may never have flooded before. Removing trees “may contribute to the erosion of the banks.” It definitely contributes to the fast rising and falling of water levels called flashiness. City planning remains to be poor, even though building previously on a floodplain was not this administrations mistake. The city/county continually ignores the importance of the ecological systems along the rivers, which also provides safety to the quality of the waterways, fish, birds, etc. Highlights of Plan-it Allen – Allen County’s Comprehensive Plan
An old wise man, spoke of an idiom. “Watch out for people who talk out of both sides of their mouth.” This means ~ To say different things to different people on the same subject, in order to appease the one with whom you speak. Save Maumee uses the old cliche’ to point out water issues…
Actions always speak louder than words.
Save Maumee Seed Harvest 2010 Update:
Harvesters the river thanks 30 of you, for all the seeds gathered for our 2nd Annual Seed Harvest at Fox Island. Save Maumee is noteworthy of recognition for true improvements on your riverbanks (riparian areas) and continue to be the key word in todays environmentalism SUSTAINABLE! WE could not do it without YOU. We plucked the following and will plant our harvested seed at Earth Day 2011! ~ A grand plan in the works. We will be sending a hard working group to a remote site at NOON on Sunday April 17th, 2011. Save Maumee 6th Annual Earth Day begins at the usual spot at 11AM. Working on website updates right now.
What did we pluck from the generous nature preserve, Fox Island, and what will we be planting for Earth Day? Estimates of seed weight and prices.
The following in blue is a price list from Heartland Restoration/Earth Source Inc. (2010 quotes)
Big Bluestem: $12/LB Save Maumee collected approx . 5.5 lbs = $66
Canada Wild Rye: $14/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 4.5 lbs = $63
Indian Grass: $8/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 3lbs = $ 24
3 types of grasses totaling 13lbs = approx $153.00
Tall Iron Weed: $225/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 3lbs = $675
Wild Bergamot: $352/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 2 lbs = $704
Gray Headed Coneflower: $105/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 1.5 lbs = $157.50
Common Milkweed: $7/oz, $108/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 1 lb = $108
Switchgrass: $2/oz Save Maumee collected approx. 2 oz = $ 4
Prairie Dropseed: $18/oz Save Maumee collected approx. 2 oz = $36
Mountain Mint: $43/oz Save Maumee collected approx. 2 oz = $86
New England Aster: $21/oz Save Maumee collected approx. 1.5oz =$31.50
Prairie Dock: $18/oz Save Maumee collected approx. 2oz = $ 36
Yarrow: $2/oz Save Maumee collected approx. 1oz = $2
Lemon Queen:$23-50/oz Save Maumee collected approx. 5 oz = $125
Grey Goldenrod: $450/lb Save Maumee collected approx. 1 lbs = $450
Dogwood Berries: $36-50/lb Save Maumee collected approx. 2.5 lbs = $100
Black Eyed Susan:$6/oz Save Maumee collected approx. 2oz = $ 12
Cup Plant: $10/oz Save Maumee collected approx. 1oz = $ 10
Evening Primrose:$5/oz Save Maumee collected approx. 1oz = $ 5
Joe Pye Weed: $36/oz Save Maumee collected approx. 7 grams = $3
Fox Glove: $10/oz Save Maumee collected approx. 1oz = $ 10
Nodding Onion: $22.50/oz Save Maumee collected approx. 7grams = $ 10.
Natives totaling approx. 14lbs = $ 2,565
So how much is all of this worth in dollars saved by plucking it ourselves?
GRAND TOTAL: $ 2,718 WORTH OF SEED!!! THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!
Hope you can make it to our river efforts on at our 6th Annual Earth Day! 2011
Check out the video clips from Save Maumees Earth Day 2010:
(6 parts total 10 mins each)
Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDLiDxJshO0 – planting
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUaG7Qu0Muc the people!
Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgXM7wKl1ic bird demo
Part 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WTR_-jXh3o
Part 5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sGE9tXF5VM enviroscape demo
Part 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTe0bPgPM7g my personal favorite that shows the RESULTS of our efforts!
Last Save Maumee Fundraiser for 2010 PARTY for Merriment!
Wednesday December 22, 2010 4:30PM 9PM at Nuhouser Garden & Gifts
4605 W. Jefferson (just southwest Jefferson Pointe) Maybe last ditch efforts to buy Christmas gifts?
Neuhouser Nursery will be throwing a party for Save Maumee.
~Food from Paulas on Main and Dash-In
~Various wines from Halls Triangle Park & Gas House
~Sample Amish made foods and to learn about your local waterways!
~Show support, meet friends, and enjoy holiday cheer!
~All natural dog treats, catnip toys, Christmas decorations, party gifts,
gardening tools and more!
~Bring a non-perishable food item for the Food Bank or gently used winter
attire for the Rescue Mission (men’s, women’s, and children’s) and get 20%
off of any one item!
~15% of all proceeds goes to riverbank stabilization projects!
Official Events Schedule for Save Maumee 2011! **All events are rain or shine**
ü February 2011-(TBA) Benefit show with bands
ü Sunday April 17, 2011- 6th Annual Earth Day Maumee River Clean Up 11a.m. to 4 p.m.- Niagara Drive, North side of the Maumee
ü Saturday September 17- Canoe Clean Up Can YOU Clean Up? 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free Canoe with ID from Fort Wayne Outfitters Bike Depot!
ü October 4 OR October 24, 2011- Date TBA due to harvesting availability
Fox Island Seed Harvest 1p.m. to 4 p.m.
Information at your fingertips:
blog.savemaumee.org/ – many relevant articles
Just a little example:
1 out of 8 fish in Indiana had levels of Mercury considered damaging to humans & animals http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/46275/
Merry Christmas and a very warm Season to all! Keep working toward a better Earth throughout every Season!
Sincerely,
Abigail King
Save Maumee Grassroots Organization Founder
In November Abigail King was also nominated to the Board of Directors for Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor, http://www.maumeevalleyheritagecorridor.org/
Save Maumee Grassroots Organization was formed to create awareness about the conditions of the Three Rivers in Fort Wayne, IN, while facilitating ecosystem restoration and volunteer based projects. Revitalizing the Upper-Maumee Watershed will protect and restore the environment, while improving the economic, aesthetic and recreational value. We are organizing projects that place a high priority on monitoring, developing, protecting and restoring rivers with a positive environmental impact. Ultimately, we work to repair and improve the St. Joe, St. Mary (upstream), and the Maumee Rivers (and downstream) to help reverse years of pollution. This will be accomplished through an Upper-Maumee Watershed Management Plan for the State of Indiana and Ohio which will be necessary to secure federal funding for the entire watershed that crosses the political boundaries of; 2 states, 4 counties and many municipalities.
100% donations from you go only to best management practices for naturalization of riparian areas – this is what grassroots organizing is all about ~ ALL VOLUNTEERS ~ The money in 2010 came from Grateful Groove Fundraiser, The Berlin Pub Music Party & B-Rad, Rock Out-Camp Out by Grateful Music Productions, Earth Day 2010, Canoe Clean-Up 2010, Sports & Spirits Bar & Grill, Greg Konger and the last one of the Season, Neuhouser Nursery Fundraiser. Namnaste to many small monetary donors! Save Maumee did not raise as much money as last year but we are very proud to supply you with these effective erosion control techniques for OUR riverbanks!
http://fortwaynehomepage.net/fulltext/?nxd_id=21324
Abigail – Clean Water Activist Speaks on City Action for Rivers…
3rd Annual Update to Save Maumees Canoe Clean Up, Can YOU Clean-Up?
~Underbelly of the St. Marys River Uncovered~
What an interesting day THANK YOU to all Save Maumees 60 energetic river workers! Police, a meth amphetamine lab, batteries, full fire extinguisher & spray paint, Kids Dart, Think Smart yard sign, a sink, metal car parts, a carpeted wooden box with incubator like dials attached, 2 wallets complete with drivers licenses, full size dead cat, Pepsi can from the 1970s, a Cookie Monster hat, thousands of cans/bottles/Styrofoam and cigarette butts, and of course plenty of tampons and fresh water jellyfish to finish the day. We also installed 40 square feet of erosion control mats to keep soil where it belongs.
Many questions arose as to where all the fresh water jellyfish came from a.k.a. condoms. Local citizens flush them down the toilet, the combined sewer systems then flush them to the river with as little as 1/10th inch of rainfall. They are not from extracurricular activities on the rivers! Remember, what you flush down your toilets and sinks DO NOT go away, they end up in our rivers. To clarify questions asked about Combined Sewer Overflows please read the Save Maumees Blog post here: https://blog.savemaumee.org/2010/07/05/great-lakes-states%E2%80%99-500-square-miles-of-parking-lots-threaten-water-quality-walkability/
The meth lab, found on the banks of the St. Marys by Carrie Morris, the wife of State Senate candidate Jack Morris, and Marlin Rossiter, prompted Bloomingdale Association President to summon the police. What did it look like? It was a yellow tube, about 1/4th inch in diameter and three feet long, attached to a plastic bottle on one end and a plastic bag to the other end. All of this neatly wrapped up with a dozen pseudo-ephedrine cartons in a gallon size zip lock baggie. As Carrie Morris said of the find, It is important that we, as citizens, take on personal responsibility to look after our city. Save Maumee was impactful today, and I recommend anyone who is concerned about the quality of life in Fort Wayne to join them in their efforts.
Interestingly, the police were extremely concerned about the soil and ground on which the meth was being manufactured. They recommended that HAZMAT employees from the drug task force cleanse the area. However, after realizing the bag with the manufacturing material was wet, it was then considered remediated, the baggie and contents were returned to the pile of wet trash from the river.
Be very aware that PEOPLE live on your riverbanks in Fort Wayne. Here should be the following understanding regarding trash and these CITIZENS. Save Maumee past and present policy. When you find an area where someone is living on the land, please remove anything that looks like it is decimated to the point of discarding. If a blanket, for example, looks lumped on a shore after being washed in the Maumee River, please remove it. If it appears that your dog would love to cuddle into a warm, dry blanket please leave it exactly how you found it, this may be considered property Please move along to find other true trash and pollution. It is not difficult to find true rubbish on Fort Waynes riverbanks.
This topic came up because a volunteer approached Founder of Save Maumee, Abigail King at 5pm and said, I feel bad because I think I took someones home. I removed a blanket and it was not very dirty. I want to put it back where I found it. I feel like I made a mistake, what should I do. Abigail responded, Here is the 30 yard trash container. You can either go through it, find the blanket and return it to the place you found it, or you can pull your warm comforter off your own bed and give it to the riverbanks. There are many homeless people and they will find another blanket to use or a place to sleep if you decide otherwise. None returned to the previous site.
Save Maumee is sending blankets and sheets next week to the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission as a good will gesture to honor the person who lost their possession and suggests all Fort Wayne citizens to do the same. If there is a used blanket in your closet taking up space, consider making a trip to the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission at 301 W. Superior St. to donate your warm bedding. The Mission said they would graciously accept gently used items. If you are in need because you are missing a blanket, please request one from Fort Wayne Rescue Mission. Fall weather approaches.
Sometimes others feel like enough is not being done for our waterways, other times people feel like the issues are so large that individuals cannot make a difference. Smash the status quo, feel empowered! The homeless is definitely a discussion topic and would like your feedback as to leading by example.
Now for a few funny asides:
Les Lesser entertained us and what an entertainer! I had people comment, I love his passion, he is playing his heart out to only a few people you can tell he would play the same to a thousand people, or a row of dogs! Now that is what a musician truly should be! YOU ROCK.
Aaron Goulet from Local Level Promotions was the first casualty of the river that day. The first family to disembark on their canoe journey of the day, fell in the Maumee when Aaron all his children in their life-vests, eagerly anticipating their first clean-up departed and flipped as Dad stepped into the boat! Sorry wet river lovers. They dried off and tried another successful attempt!
Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society from Purdue University brought 10 people to remove trash! Large effort by another unified group that cares about your rivers!
What was the most interesting pull out of the river? Foster found the following at one site…A Bible, 2 candles, a pair of underwear, 2 condoms, and a roll of film. hhhmmm…
Thank you for 2 competitors working together for cleaner local rivers, Earth Adventures and Fort Wayne Outfitters / Bike Depot donated FREE canoes for the day. Thank you to ACRES Land Trust for the reusable water bottles and the Health Food Shoppe and Old Crown Coffee supplying snacks & coffee!
Save Maumees Benefit at Berlin Music Pub brought in $160! Bands included: Twisted Aversion, Rise To Fall, DV8, 11M 12D, Autovator, Blood From A Stone, with the help of B-Rad Music Productions, Twisted Music Entertainment THANKS to everyone to make this a fun evening for all.
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Saturday October 2nd, 2010 was Save Maumee’s 2nd Annual Fox Island Seed Harvest for the Maumee
Thank you bush wackers! You know we cannot do this without you! All of you did such a great job the past 2 years! The kids love it and the adults find the identification of plants valuable and educational!
2009 Stats for the Seed Harvest – 2010 Stats will be available soon – still drying, sorting and weighing.
There were 28 volunteers present in 2009 that collected approximately 29 pounds of quality seed in the 4 hour allotment!
Volunteers will be sent out to find primarily Big Blue Stem, Indian Grass, Canada Wild Rye and a little Switchgrass and Prairie Dropseed. The grasses that are taller than your head were the ones we were seeking out and the ones that Save Maumee spends all of your hard earned money upon! Some of the seeds will be grown in our greenhouse (growing them into plant plugs) and the rest we will be planting on Save Maumee Earth Day, Sunday April 17, 2011.
Harvested on 9/26/09 and what will be planted on In order of AMOUNT collected
The following in blue is a price list from Heartland Restoration/Earth Source Inc. (2009) and how much plucking it ourselves saves money!
Big Bluestem: $12/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 10lbs = $120
Canada Wild Rye: $14/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 5lbs = $70
Indian Grass: $8/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 2lbs = $16
Tall Iron Weed: $225/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 5lbs = $1,125
Wild Bergamot: $352/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 2lbs = $704
Gray Headed Coneflower $105/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 2lbs = $210
Common Milkweed: $7/oz, $108/LB Save Maumee collected approx. 15 ounces = $105
Switchgrass: $2/oz Save Maumee collected approx. 6 ounces = $12
Prairie Dropseed: $18/oz Save Maumee collected approx 6 ounces = $108
So how much is all of this worth in dollars saved by plucking it ourselves?
Approximately: $2,470 WORTH OF SEED!!! THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!
NEXT Spring ~April 17, 2011 Sunday ~ 6th Annual Save Maumee Earth Day
Upcoming Meetings:
Hello River Lovers,
Many interesting things are always happening locally. Here are the upcoming events you should consider attending to improve our area and support your waterways!
Next Month of Events ~
*Friday Night – September 17th 6PM – 2AM – Save Maumee’s PUNK PARTY Fundraiser at Berlin Music Pub 1201 W. Main Street – $5 at the door will open you to a punk party you won’t forget. ALL AGES! but beware, this is a metal show and may have explicit lyrics. Bands include: Twisted Aversion, Rise to Fall, 11M12D, Autovalor and Blood From A Stone – educational material provided and rounding-up the river volunteers for the next day’s event! – The Canoe Clean-Up! PUNK PARTY information here: http://www.facebook.com/search/?post_form_id=06859ba8b863709dad579c2caef614c6&q=friends+of+the+river+fort+wayne&init=quick&sid=0.8046695199651317#!/event.php?eid=144377062268798&ref=ts
AFTER YOU ROCK OUT for the Maumee in the evening .come and CLEAN UP Fort Waynes Rivers in the morning!
*Saturday September 18th 11AM 4PM Save Maumee’s 3rd Annual Canoe Clean-Up, Can YOU Clean-Up ~ all ages ~ rain or shine ~ FREE – FORT WAYNE OUTFITTERS & BIKE DEPOT LOCATION – Cass Street behind The Bean – (off Wells St.) Free canoe rental for participants for the day with a photo I.D.! It will be too late in the season for plantings but never too late in the season for garbage removal and free paddling! Free Canoes with I.D. from Earth Adventure on Main Street & Ft. Wayne Outfitters first come, first serve, reusable water bottles, coffee, snacks and T-Shirts! (the website says Sept 4th but needs an update it IS SEPT 18th! web guy is in Mexico) Let the work for cleaner waterways begin! I will be sending the able-bodied ones to Spy Run Creek it is pretty trashy right there!
*Saturday October 2nd 1 PM 4PM Save Maumee Seed Harvest at Fox Island (date may change due to harvesting availability and best pickin date) We will let you know! We collected 29lbs last year and it was very educational for those wishing to identify local native species and some unwanted ones!
Successful Efforts:
The Upper Maumee Watershed Partnership’s first clean-up made the news in August. Trash in the rivers need to be removed and this was a good start to improvement and restoration efforts! An event that is worked on both sides of the political boundaries of Indiana & Ohio for one goal! Keep it pristine! We received runner-up prize a box of duckie chocolates to the 2nd most SCAN ducks found! We removed almost 200 plastic ducks from the Maumee. Great collaboration of work that day! Thank You UMWP! Keep working toward that watershed management plan! http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20100725/LOCAL/307259918
Success story for our waterways! Phosphorous is prohibited in dishwashing detergent as of July 1, 2010 in http://www.in.gov/portal/news_events/16301.htm
Friends of the Rivers had an extremely fun time at RiverFest on the St. Joseph River and William Wells Day (an interesting historical figure) on the St. Marys. Events included lots of free activities! Pontoon rides, educational material, battle of the bands, canoe races, chainsaw artist, food, beer, wine, crafts, face painting, “Windows of Wells” auction, and so much more! Thank you fellow river advocates! Brining recreation back to the rivers make them even more valuable to our hearts!
Save Maumee Rocks the Field & Camping Fundraiser was Aug. 24th, 2010 = MUCH RAIN! It was an exciting line-up of volunteer bands play! Thank You Entertainers ~ Dan Dickerson and the Harp Condition, Wil Brown, Eddie Gilbert, Mason Dillon, Awkward Silence, Americas’ Finest. We split the proceeds to pay for the port-a-johns and advertizing and Save Maumee made $90 to go toward restoration materials. Thank you Greatful Productions for the sponsorship of the event!
3 Rivers Festival Kids Fest in July was held at IPFW and wow what a response! Lots of interested little ones that learned about your watershed, education included making bracelets that had different colors to represent parts of the water cycle for example; blue represented saltwater in the ocean, green- the rivers, red- CSOs (combined sewer overflows), brown erosion/sedimentation, white fog, light blue freshwater ect They realized that the water we drink today, may be the water that was excreted from dinosaurs a very long time ago!
Save Maumees Earth Day 2010 was an enormous success! Many hard workers out there but 267 people pulled out so much trash you needed to see it for yourself! Planted 100 lbs of native seed, 10 flats of pre-grown plant plugs, over 1,000 willows and other hard-wood trees, planted 300 raspberry bushes and 7 blackberry bushes and removed A TON of rubbish from YOUR waterways! REMOVED FULL SIZED: water heater X2, old steel manual plow, 2 refrigerators, 10 tires, 85 oz can of oil, 25ft. of piping, 15 ft. pipe ect We also had live entertainment by Anthony Garr and The Wilderness, along with a rainbarrel demonstration by Lyle McDermot and Soaring Hawk Bird Rescue education.
Other Important Upcoming Water Education and Events ~
September 11th Hoosier Environmental Council is interested in meeting with Fort Wayne environmentalists and like-minded organizations to further local issues through regional support. Save Maumee will be sitting on a discussion panel for water related issues, but here is the line-up for events at Fort Wayne Outfitters Bike Depot on Cass St. (off Wells St.)
2PM-2:10 Introduction and Welcome,
2:10-2:40 Water Quality, Panel discussion followed by Q&A
2:40-3:20 Clean Energy
3:20- 4 Land Use and Transportation
4:-5:Non-alcoholic Reception sponsored by the Hoosier Environmental Council
5:-7: Biking and Kayaking organized by Fort Wayne Outfitters
*September 11th- Maumee Bay Tour – take a bus to Toledo, Ohio’s Maumee Bay and find out about the sediment load being deposited and removed from your waterways – call Jason Roehrig for interest or reservations (419) 782-8751 – Save Maumee attended the Sept. 1st tour that was very informative and relaxing. It was free and included an example of a neighborhood bio-swale (raingarden type)and showed a new build home with geo-thermal being installed, tour of the S.S. Willis B. Boyer Museum Ship a retired Great Lakes cargo ship, The Sandpiper cruise of the Maumee Bay into Lake Erie with a port authority officer as a guide, and a tour of the Bowing Green Wind Farm Project that provides energy to 1,500 homes with the use of 2 wind turbines! nice day!
*September 25th – Scenic River Canoe Tour and Water Monitoring in Antwerp, OH – Call Jason Roehrig for details or reservations (419) 782-8751
Not So Good News ~
This is footage of the Maumee River where the Maplecrest extension bridge to US 24 is going up and appears to be causing accelerated erosion. Construction permits must include erosion control techniques ESPECIALLY when building on a floodplain! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHIGTQMeHyE
This is the footage that spurred me to write this letter to the editor.
Allen County Commission should be responsible for the actions of the contractors hired to build the Maplecrest extension bridge. Upon inspection of the river areas, there are no erosion control techniques in place (which is part of their building permits). The land is suffocating the stream and all of the wildlife in this area. These facts were brought to the attention of County Commissioner, Nelson Peters, but alas there are more pending issues than a little soil in the water. Part of the problem with our rivers is the fact that even our agents responsible for our natural resources continue to side with big business rather than the interests of the population they represent. Permit parameters are put-in-place for the safety of people. If Allen County continues to turn its back to the rivers and continue to not enforce permits, other areas will follow suit. Stop the erosion NOW County Commission. I have video of the construction of the Maplecrest extension bridge area and the decimation of the Maumee. Erosion and sediment continue to be the #1 problem with our waterways, be part of the solution. Check it out for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHIGTQMeHyE
This is another video the fisherman had uploaded about the litter in the area as well http://www.youtube.com/user/balex222 – beware – he used the F word at the end of the video, although Save Maumee does not endorse this language, his frustration boiled over.
Blue-green algae releases a toxin called microcystin. The levels of this toxin in Lake Erie are 60 times what the World Health Organization recommends, said Jeff Reutter, director of the Ohio Sea Grant College Program and Stone Laboratory at The Ohio State University.
Great Lakes Beaches rank in the bottom 2/3rds of 30 states ranked: Too Bad eh? The Great Lakes contain the largest accessible fresh water source on Earth and coveted by the world! http://greatlakesecho.org/2010/08/26/report-ranks-the-water-quality-of-great-lakes-beaches-poorly/
Recently in July, the Upper White River Watershed Alliance, IUPUI Center for Earth and Environmental Science, and Tippecanoe Watershed Foundation launched a project called Clear Choices, Clean Water to demonstrate how proper lawn care is related to clean water. Demonstrate your commitment to clean water in Indiana by signing the pledge to be phosphorus-free and joining the IWF team at http://www.indianawildlife.org/phosphorus.htm
So how do WE fix this?
Use phosphorus-free lawn fertilizer for mature lawns. Improving our lawn care techniques will enhance water quality around the state. People often unknowingly add excess nutrients to their lawns that runoff into lakes, rivers, and streams; thereby encouraging algal blooms. As the blooms grow, the algae deprive other aquatic organisms of oxygen and produce dangerous toxins that can harm pets and humans. Please make sure that middle number on your fertilizer bag is zero. If you use a commercial service, ask them NOT to apply the phosphorus application. In our household I mix our campfire ashes into our compost. Phosphorous is naturally occurring in burnt wood. Dont like flies and bugs on your compost pile? Put the ashes from your campfire on the compost pile. A fly will dig through a foot of soil to get to their destination (like poop or a rotting banana) to lay eggs but a fly will not dig through 1 inch of ash!
Drop by Drop – Conservation of water and explanations as to why septic systems need to be eliminated and many other topics: http://www.wfyi.org/dropbydrop.asp
EPA Coal-Ash Sites in the USA – a Google Map from the Coal Ash storage sites. There is no such thing as Clean Coal, just like there is no such thing as a healthy cigarette! Scrubbers are simply a filter at the top of the smoke-stack, those scrubbers that help air quality decimate our land and water (through ash disposal and high water usage and pollution). Renewable energy should be a top priority of current and future legislation.
Let us not forget the coal ash spill in Tennessee. Kingston Fossil Plant had the largest industrial spill in history, until BP poked a hole into the ocean floor. ENFORCEMENT of current law should be on the lips of every consumer.
Newsweek coverage here: http://www.newsweek.com/2009/07/17/toxic-tsunami.html
New York Times here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/us/27sludge.html
2010 report from the Center of Biological Diversity http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/publications/earth/newsletter-summer-2010.pdf
New Guidelines May Soften IDEM Enforcement The laws are in place, but what good are laws without enforcement? http://www.post-trib.com/news/2625480,new-joestguidance0822.article
Dog boiled alive after jumping into mint farm discharge we need to hold companies and government entities responsible this farm did have previous citations, so how does this happen?: http://www.post-trib.com/news/2597068,mintaccident-814.article
Tell President Obama to include rivers and streams in conservation here: https://secure2.convio.net/amr/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=1203&autologin=true&sub_src=body1&JServSessionIdr004=29lq0oqin3.app244a
Sincerely dedicated to your health and the health of your rivers,
Mrs. Abigail King (previously Frost)
Save Maumee Grassroots Organization Founder
Master Naturalist
Watershed Expert
Website: http://www.savemaumee.org/
Blog: https://blog.savemaumee.org/
Email: abby@savemaumee.org
MySpace Save Maumee http://www.myspace.com/savemaumee
Twitter user name: https://twitter.com/savemaumee
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/savemaumee
A Greener Indiana: http://www.agreenerindiana.com/profile/AbigailFrost
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/savemaumeeabigailfrost
