Please remember to let people know not to dump leaves into the ravine. While the ravine can handle the natural leaf fall from its own trees, added leaves from outside the ravine clump and create an impenetrable layer that will prevent the growth of native plants next spring.

If heavily treed yards are creating more leaves than you can handle, try mowing over the leaves with a mulching mower first to reduce the leaves to flakes.  Then if there are still too many flaked leaves, vacuum up the flakes with the bag on the mower.  The flaked leaves take up only about 10-15% of the originals, and they decompose much faster when put in a mulch pile.  They’re also very good for a winter top dressing on gardens.  Then next spring just dig them into the gardens they mulched for added organic matter.  Use specific leaves for mulch, such as oak and other acidic leaves around azaleas and other acid loving plants.

An Adena Brook neighbor writes:
The Glenmont school building has new landscapers – they were dumping the leaves in the woods so I called the DUMP number. A Deputy Thompson responded immediately – he came out and told them they have to haul them away properly. They said they would tarp and haul them away rather than dumping them from now on.

[Dumped leaves cause matting and the seed bank is unable to germinate.]

Laura Young Mohr writes:

If anyone sees any illegal dumping into storm drains, open waterways or the ravines, it should be reported immediately – 311 can be used. A shorter route (that is also easy to remember): CALL the 645-STREAM #; press the prompt where it will roll over to the 24-hour Sewer Maintenance line (645-7102) and that will alert a crew and/or our investigators.

 

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.