At the end of this week, on April 22, 2018, the world will celebrate Earth Day!  This year focuses on ending plastic pollution.  From poisoning and injuring marine life to disrupting human hormones, from littering our beaches and landscapes to clogging our waste streams and landfills, the exponential growth of plastics is now threatening the survival of our planet.

In response, Earth Day 2018 is dedicated to providing the information and inspiration needed to fundamentally change human attitude and behavior about plastics.

​Close to 48 years ago, on 22 April 1970, millions of people took to the streets to protest the negative impacts of 150 years of industrial development. In the US and around the world, smog was becoming deadly, and evidence was growing that pollution led to developmental delays in children. Biodiversity was in decline as a result of the heavy use of pesticides and other pollutants.

Earth Day is now a global event each year, and we believe that more than 1 billion people in 192 countries now take part in what is the largest civic-focused day of action in the world. It is a day of political action and civic participation. People march, sign petitions, meet with their elected officials, plant trees, clean up their towns and roads. Corporations and governments use it to make pledges and announce sustainability measures. Faith leaders, including Pope Francis, connect Earth Day with protecting God’s greatest creations, humans, biodiversity and the planet that we all live on.

Earth Day Network, the organization that leads Earth Day worldwide, today announced that Earth Day 2018 will focus on mobilizing the world to End Plastic Pollution, including creating support for a global effort to eliminate single-use plastics along with global regulation for the disposal of plastics.  EDN will educate millions of people about the health and other risks associated with the use and disposal of plastics, including pollution of our oceans, water, and wildlife, and about the growing body of evidence that decomposing plastics are creating serious global problems.

Our goals include ending single-use plastics, promoting alternatives to fossil fuel-based materials, promoting 100 percent recycling of plastics, corporate and government accountability and changing human behavior concerning plastics.
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EDN’s End Plastic Pollution campaign includes four major components:

• Leading a grassroots movement to support the adoption of a global framework to regulate plastic pollution;
• Educating, mobilizing and activating citizens across the globe to demand that governments and corporations control and clean up plastic pollution;
• Educating people worldwide to take personal responsibility for plastic pollution by choosing to reject, reduce, reuse and recycle plastics, and
• Promoting local government regulatory and other efforts to tackle plastic pollution.

To  learn more, visit: https://www.earthday.org/about/

The National Ag Day program believes that every American should:

• understand how food, fiber and renewable resource products are produced.
• value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy.
• appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products.
• acknowledge and consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food, fiber and renewable resource industries.​

While our first President of the United States is well known for many contributions to shaping our country, one not-so-well-known achievement was that of being an agricultural pioneer. He grew a plethora of crops and tailored his growing based on results obtained from different soil types on the land.  He also was a staunch believer in the utilization of compost to enhance and enrich the soil.  Washington experimented with crop rotation plans, and sought to educate others on the importance of soil health.  

Washington’s accomplishments in the field of agriculture were so highly respected that he was elected to honorary membership in the Philadelphia Society for the Promotion of Agriculture, the first American organization devoted to agricultural improvement.  Today it is appropriate to celebrate George Washington as one of the first conservationists of our country!

Glaciers to Great Lake:  Ohio would not be what it is today without the impact of glaciers during the Ice Age. Glaciers left behind more than just till deposits in Ohio, glaciers also helped make Lake Erie.  Check out this video and learn more about Ohio's Ice Age:
http://www.pbs.org/video/wptd-our-ohio-glaciers-great-lake/​
(Running time: Approx. 2 minutes) - WCET Cincinnati, Our Ohio series

Educators and Volunteers - "Natural Parks are America's Largest Classrooms!"
https://www.nps.gov/teachers/index.htm
Science in your National Parks:  https://www.nps.gov/nature/index.htm

The Global Soil Partnership is dedicating World Soil Day 2017 to the theme "Caring for the Planet starts from the Ground". Soil is a finite natural resource. On a human time-scale it is non-renewable. However, despite the essential role that soil plays in human livelihoods, there is a worldwide increase in degradation of soil resources due to inappropriate management practices, population pressure driving unsustainable intensification and inadequate governance over this essential resource. 

The World Soil Day (WSD) campaign aims to connect people with soils and raise awareness on their critical importance in our lives.
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The International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), in 2002, adopted a resolution proposing the 5th of December as World Soil Day to celebrate the importance of soil as a critical component of the natural system and as a vital contributor to human well being.
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In December 2013, the 68th UN General Assembly declared 5th of December as the World Soil Day.

"On World Soil Day, I call for greater attention to the pressing issues affecting soils, including climate change, antimicrobial resistance, soil-borne diseases, contamination, nutrition and human health." — UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon

For more information on World Soil Day, visit ​http://www.fao.org/world-soil-day/en/

That beautiful sentiment about autumn was expressed by William Cullen Bryant, an American nature poet and journalist. Born on November 3, 1794 in Massachusetts, he grew to have a love of science and geology which he reflects upon through his written work. His  poetry focusing on nature has been described as a metaphor for truth, and established a central pattern in the American literary tradition.​

Working in the education field, there is a continuous movement to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics) and the sister educational approach STEAM which also incorporates the Arts.  Taking a holistic approach to education and allowing these different spheres to influence and support the others provides multiple avenues for different style learners to thrive.  
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The philosophy of STEAM revolves around the concept:
STEAM = Science & Technology interpreted through
Engineering & the Arts, all based in Mathematical elements.

Just as all of the natural processes on earth are interconnected, so too are the ways in which we perceive and learn about the world.  And what better way to celebrate this concept than to use poetry to reflect upon the beauty of nature!

​"They're our streams. Let's Keep them clean!" ​

Install a Rain Barrel:  Store rainwater from rooftops that can be used on lawns and gardens.  Stormwater includes rainwater that runs off hard surfaces and carries pollution to our streams.

The Little Miami River watershed is located in southwestern Ohio. It drains a total of 1,758 square miles and flows through all or part of 11 counties. Major municipalities partially or fully in the watershed include Xenia, Beavercreek, Wilmington, and Cincinnati and some of its suburbs.  See further Ohio EPA studies on the Little Miami River:
​http://epa.ohio.gov/dsw/tmdl/ LittleMiamiRiver.aspx
http://epa.ohio.gov/portals/35/tmdl/Lower_LMR_Factsheet.pdf

Exploring Watershed Geography
USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) provides science about the natural hazards that threaten lives and livelihoods; the water, energy, minerals, and other natural resources we rely on; the health of our ecosystems and environment; and the impacts of climate and land-use change. Their scientists develop new methods and tools to supply timely, relevant, and useful information about the Earth and its processes.  www.usgs.gov/

Native Ohio Tree Species Suitable for Planting within 1,000 Feet
​of State Wild, Scenic and Recreational Rivers
​https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/19e2af_934d025960a743c6bb2987ae13cbccbe.pdf

​The most effective way to counter this increase in impervious surface is to protect and restore the riparian corridor or riparian buffer.  Trees and wetlands play an important role in slowing the flow of water and filtering out the impurities prior to the run off entering the river. www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection/what-you-can-do-protect-source-water

 Buzz buzz buzz!  Hearing the sound of a honey bee buzzing can elicit a range of responses, from caution of their stinging self-defense to excitement at seeing their strikingly contrasted yellow and black bodies flitting from flower to flower.  Honey bees are hard working pollinators, animals that move pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower allowing for the production of seeds and fruits.  Many favorites, from apples to almonds, are almost exclusively pollinated by honey bees!

Here are some fun facts about honey bees from the American Beekeeping Federation:

Honey Bee Facts

• Approximately one third of all the food Americans eat is directly or indirectly derived from honey bee pollination.  Some crops pollinated are cucumbers, almonds, carrot seed, melons, apricots, cherries, pears, apples, prunes, plums, pluots, seed alfalfa, cantaloupe, seed onions, avocados, kiwi, blueberries, cranberries, etc.

• There are three members of a honey bee colony:
  • Queen - mother to all the bees in the colony; she is a fertile female.
  • Worker - an infertile female that performs the labor tasks of the colony, including feed preparation, guarding the hive, feeding the queens, drones and brood, and heating and cooling the hive.
  • Drone - the male that starts out as an unfertilized egg.  Its only purpose in the colony is to mate with a virgin queen.  They live to mate with the queen, but not more than one in a thousand get the opportunity to mate.

• On average, a worker bee in the summer lasts six to eight weeks.  Their most common cause of death is wearing their wings out.  During that six to eight-week period, their average honey production is 1/12 of a teaspoon.  In that short lifetime, they fly the equivalent of 1 1/2 times the circumference of the earth.

• The peak population of a colony of honeybees is usually at mid-summer (after spring buildup) and results in 60,000 to 80,000 bees per colony.  A good, prolific queen can lay up to 3,000 eggs per day.

• Drones fly on United Airlines.  This is a corny joke amongst beekeepers because of the way queens and drones mate.  When a queen is five to six days old, she is ready to mate. She puts out a pheromone scent to attract the males and takes off in the air.  The males from miles around smell the scent and instantly volunteer in the mating chase, which is performed in the air.

Basic Beekeeping

• Basic beekeeping simplified is having:
  • New, viable queens
  • Feed (natural or artificial)
  • Good, sound equipment
  • Disease-free hives (good medication program or integrated pest management)
• When processing honey from a beehive, a good rule of thumb is for every 60 pounds of honey produced one (1) pound of beeswax will be made (1 to 60 ratio).

• In order to manipulate population dynamics, the timing of hive management is critical, such as the splitting of hives just prior to swarming season.  Also, feeding syrup and pollen supplement at least 21 days prior to a pollination inspection or honey flow induces the queen to lay eggs.

information provided courtesy of ABF member Lance Sundberg

A honey bee performs a carefully choreographed "waggle" dance that instructs the rest of the hive where to find a food source.

​For Warren and surrounding counties, there is a local chapter of beekeepers with the SouthWestern Ohio Beekeepers Association. They can provide information and support for local beekeepers and for services like proper swarm removal.

For more information about the amazing honey bee and conservation efforts, check out Pollen Nation!

Summertime often finds kids playing and connecting to the outdoors, soaking up the sun and fresh air.  As we head into the last months of summer, WCSWCD encourages fostering those outdoor connections all year long!  Our Education Specialists are excitedly gearing up for the oncoming school year. Bringing environmental science programs about natural resources to local schools gives us the opportunity to connect with students of all ages on these fun topics.  From learning about stream health by following Fred the Fish in early elementary grades, to examining current environmental issues and best management practices in high school classes, we LOVE the chance to enhance learning through hands-on inquiry and games.  

We look forward to working with schools all across Warren County.  To learn more about program and resource offerings for teachers, please visit our Education page! 

Whether you are interested in saving water or saving money (or both!) installing a rain barrel to capture rain water runoff is a great idea! Several community members joined Warren County SWCD and Butler County SWCD for a hands on rain barrel workshop to learn how to install rain barrels on their property.  Participants learned the value of rain barrels, and received technical assistance in drilling their barrels and utilizing their installation kits.  

​Check out some of the fun!

A special thanks to Mason Community Grange and Hope in Action's Giving Garden for hosting the event!

To learn more about rain barrels, check out our Backyard Conservation Tips!

And stay tuned for future workshops to learn more about home conservation practices!