I met with the contractor this afternoon on Yaronia Drive.  We will most likely be delayed until early spring due to Columbia Gas running behind schedule on their relocations for Yaronia Dr and Glenmont Ave.  The benefit to this may be an opportunity to make some adjustments to our storm sewer location and save some trees – but no promises yet. 

Mark Timbrook, P.E.

City of Columbus

Sewer Systems Engineering Section

Division of Sewerage and Drainage

NEIGHBORS: The following message from Jeff Fronz reminds us to be aware and photograph whatever seems suspicious activity in the woodland.

Jeff writes:

Around midnight this morning (Thursday 10/23/2008), someone dumped many (dozens) of 5 gallon buckets of paint and wallboard compound along Walhalla Creek (Walhalla Road from Clinton Heights almost to High Street).  Most remained intact, but a few opened on impact in the creek.  The Ohio EPA Office of Special Investigations and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Environmental Crimes Unit are investigating (and cleaning up).

Anyone who may have seen or heard anything, no matter how insignificant you might think it to be, should (please) call Deputy Thompson at 614-462-3558.

For future reference, if you ever see a chemical spill (or even what you suspect could be a chemical spill) in the Clintonville ravines (or any other waterway), please call the Ohio EPA’s Emergency Response organization at 800-282-9378.  They can advise on what to do about a situation.

October Second Saturday Clean Up:

Watterson science teacher Will Wreiss and his students join Adena Brook Community volunteers each month to maintain the Adena Brook rain garden and remove invasive plants and litter from Overbrook Ravine Park.  Greg Schneider from ODNR Natural Areas and Preserves supervises and inspires our work. As always, thank you to Mark and Carina Carter for mowing and edging the Cooke Road/Overbrook corner and keeping it free of litter.

Number of volunteers:18

Number of bags of litter removed:10*

Honeysuckle, Euonymous vines, Tree of Heaven piles: 3

Hours worked: 2

*Bags were sorted into recyclables and landfill trash. We placed the bags in our home bins.

Volunteers:
Will Wreiss and 10 students
Greg Schneider
Mark and Carina Carter
Steve and Georgia Blum-Herminghausen
Bill Platt (photographer)
Susan MIchael Barrett

During our clean up today (Saturday, October 9, 2008), I saw a red fox in the ravine off Overbrook Drive (Indianola side). He was in the grassy area directly across from the Overbrook Place intersection. What beauty!

Susan Michael Barrett

Many thanks to recent Adena Brook Community donors:

John Kennedy, Ingham

John Russell, Ingham

All donations cover expenses to conserve the woodland in Overbrook Ravine Park and Adena Brook. Here is a little information to let you know what your donation supports: approximately 1,300 neighbor volunteers have worked about 3,000 hours in the last six years. We’ve planted about 2,000 native trees, installed and maintain 62 wildlife nesting boxes, and installed the first city/community rain garden in Clintonville to improve water quality and beautify the landscape. We’ve worked monthly from February through November to pick up over 2000 bags of trash and remove plants invasive to the Adena Brook habitat. To date, we’ve removed approximately 380 tons of invasive plants such as bush honeysuckle and garlic mustard. Removal of invasive plants from the woodland and our yards assures return of the historic seed bank in the woodland. Perhaps you’ve already noticed a recent flourish of spring and fall wildflowers. Professional mentors guide our work. Learn more by clicking the “ABOUT US” tab at the top of this page.

Adena Brook is recognized as a 2002 Friend of FLOW, paid tribute by the Ohio House of Representatives and the Clintonville Area Commission in 2005, listed as a leader in the Keep Columbus Beautiful Adopt-an-Area program since 2002, honored by Clintonville Chamber of Commerce in 2007 as the Booster Volunteers of the Year, and recipient of a prestigious 2008 SWACO Emerald Award for our litter removal efforts and the first collaboratively installed city and community rain garden at High and Overbrook.

These gifts are so much more than donations. They are gifts of environmental care and preservation for us and future generations.

Thanks for forwarding, Susan:

If you find a BLACK CAT (1 year old), please call 267-2963.

He is our daughter’s beloved indoor cat.  He had a new black striped (?) collar with pink heart name tag and bell on it. It’s a break away collar so it might have fallen off.  Last seen yesterday afternoon in the woods between Glenmont & Yaronia and Indianola & Wynding.  He does not come when called, but is very friendly.

THANK YOU!

Jeannette Nini was honored at a Clintonville Chamber luncheon last week after 7 years of work at the Chamber. Neighbors of Adena Brook Community want to join those standing in ovation of her contributions. In addition to her professional work, her volunteerism is extraordinary! Just last week we informed her (and Officer Riley) about the extensive graffiti on Overbrook Drive. That night she and her graffiti-removal partner Patty began painting and washing out the tags. Within a few days all tags were gone. Thank you so much Jeannette for your ongoing service to better our neighborhood.

Hi from National Wildlife Federation Habitat Ambassadors (Marc and Toni Stahl)!

Backyard Habitat: ‘Greening’ Your Fall Yard Cleanup, NATIONAL WILDLIFE MAGAZINE, Oct/Nov 2008.

For fellow bird watchers, our yard provided food and a rest stop for a migrating male Black & White Warbler, Swainsons Thrush, and Ovenbird all within a 24-hr time period. They stayed about 3 days to refuel. Then we had 2 Nashville Warblers. It was a fun learning experience to watch these migrants’ secretive behavior, especially the Black & White creeping up and down our Hackberry tree. We spotted these special visitors on our dripper bird bath and waterfall feature. A fellow volunteer with a small backyard habitat hosted a Cape May Warbler. Does your yard make a difference?

Who goes outside in nature more, children in urban, suburban, or rural areas? Studies show ‘None Of The Above,’ due primarily to over-scheduling (soccer, music lessons, homework, computer games, etc). Did you realize that many more children are now getting obese and developing Type II Diabetes? Physicians recommend 1 hour of unstructured outdoor play per day, see www.greenhour.org.

Special event: Sat, 10/18, Nuturing Nature, Connect Children (and ourselves) To Nature: Sharon Woods Metro Park. Keynote speaker is Dr Ruth Wilson, who has been working in childhood environmental education since the early 90′s, $8; Register by October 10th: Request Registration Information via email, or contact Betsy Loeb at 614-224-0222 ext. 126.

* Additional information on the benefits of connecting kids with nature:
- Free booklet from National Wildlife Federation (takes a bit to download): Connecting kids with nature
- Children and nature network: www.childrenandnature.org/

* NWF team’s upcoming events open to the public
- Thurs, 10/16, 3:30-8:30pm, Exhibit inside the Dublin Community Rec Center
www.dublin.oh.us/events/spooktacular/
- Sun, 11/9, 1-5pm, Read to Your Baby Festival, Old Worthington Library
- Columbus Wild Ones Free Events: www.for-wild.org/chapters/columbus/

Cat Welfare’s Cat Caper is taking place this Saturday morning, October 4th.  The race begins at 10:00am, but there will be events before and after.  Expect several hundred runners and walkers in the Glenmont, Canyon, Overbrook, and Lenappe areas between 9:30 and 11:00.  Here’s the route.  Police will be on hand to direct traffic.