An Ounce of Prevention
The sound of lawn mowers and power tools signifies that spring has arrived and summer is on the way. Green grass and fresh blooms create a sense of hope and life, adding to the excitement and anticipation of prom, graduation, vacations and social gatherings. The days grow longer and warmer, and we spend a great amount of time outside tasked with accomplishing this season’s outdoor projects. It is also a time of injury and accidents. The Violet Township Fire Department records an increase in incidents during the warm weather months. The increase is typically comprised of heat related emergencies; falls; back injuries; lacerations; and fires related to lawn mowers, grills and open burning.
As the saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” A few simple precautions can help make your spring and summer more enjoyable and safer.
- Stretch
- A few moments spent stretching can go a long way in preventing pain and strains.
- Survey the area where you will be working
- Remove or mark debris and trip hazards.
- Call before you dig to have underground utilities identified. Call 811 or use e-dig at newtin.oups.org/newtinweb/oups_edig.html.
- Take notice of overhead power lines prior to raising or working from ladders.
- Wear the right equipment
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Proper footwear
- Gloves
- Ensure equipment and power tools are in proper working order
- Safe guards and safety features should be intact and functioning properly.
- Use and store hazardous and combustible materials properly
- Fuels
- Lubricants
- Pesticides/herbicides
- Fertilizers
- Check gas and propane grills prior to use
- Look for debris and animal nests in the interior.
- Check unions, fittings and knobs for leaks.
- Keep functioning and hot grills away from any structure
- Call the fire department prior to having open burns or bonfires
- Find out if there are any restrictions.
- Alert us to your intentions so a fun event is not alerted as an actual fire by a passerby.
- Wear sunscreen, eat properly and stay hydrated
- Do not overdo it!
Perfect Lemonade
Prep time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar (can reduce to 3/4 cup)
- 1 cup water (for the simple syrup)
- 4-6 lemons
- 3-4 cups cold water (to dilute)
Instructions:
- Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and room temperature water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.
- While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer to extract the juice from four to six lemons, enough for one cup of juice.
- Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add three to four cups of cold water until lemonade is diluted as desired. Refrigerate for 30 to 40 minutes. If the lemonade is a little sweet for your taste, add a little more lemon juice. Serve with ice, sliced lemons
Hunting for Macroinvertebrates
By Molly Gilleland, Urban Technician for Fairfield SWCD
Clean water is something that we can all agree is a good thing. Not only do we as humans depend on our waterways, but different organisms also rely on the freshwater streams to survive. Many of these streams are impacted by pollution from increases in local urban development. When sediment washes into the streams, so do the pollutants.
Freshwater stream health is something that can easily be monitored by looking for aquatic macroinvertebrates. Macroinvertebrates are organisms that lack a backbone. The aquatic macroinvertebrates that can be found in our streams, such as Sycamore Creek or Coyote Run, are insects that are in an immature state.
These macroinvertebrates are good indicators of a healthy stream and are an easy way to check in on how your local waterways are doing since some of these organisms can live in only the cleanest of water. Here are a few organisms to look for when checking in on your stream:
Mayfly Nymphs:
Mayfly nymphs are a Group I water quality indicator, meaning they are not tolerant of pollution. Mayfly nymphs are around 3-20 millimeters in length and usually have three tails and abdominal gills. Most mayfly nymphs are filter-feeders and tend to hang out on rocks on the stream bed.
Stonefly Nymphs:
Stonefly nymphs are another group I water quality indicator and are also not tolerant of pollution. Stonefly nymphs are generally 5-35 millimeters in length and have two prominent tails and two long antennae. Stoneflies feed on small aquatic plants and animals and like to hide under rocks at the bottom of the streambed.
Dragonfly Larvae:
Dragonfly larvae are a group II indicator and can tolerate moderate levels of pollution. Dragonfly larvae can vary greatly in size but will typically have six legs and short antennae. Dragonfly larvae like to feed on smaller insects and can be found at the bottom of the streambed.
Scuds:
Scuds are a group II indicator and are tolerant of some pollution. Scuds are on average 5-20 millimeters in length and have a white or clear flattened body shape with seven pairs of legs. Scuds feed on detritus, or pieces of dead plant or animal matter. They swim in open water and can be found resting on the bottom of the stream.
When looking for aquatic macroinvertebrates, a few methods can be used to find the organisms. Since most of these organisms are benthic, or bottom-dwelling, the underside of rocks is a good place to check for signs of aquatic macroinvertebrates. Gently kicking up the bottom of the stream is also a good way to release some of these organisms from the streambed and into the water to catch. You always want to put anything you take out of the stream back into the stream when going hunting for macroinvertebrates.
For upcoming events at the Coyote Run State Nature Preserve, please visit www.fairfieldcountyparks.org or check out Fairfield County Park District on Facebook. Happy Creeking!
Pollution Problem Solver
We recently partnered with a student from Pickerington North’s Global Scholars Program on a special project in Violet Township. Let him tell you about his mission!
My name is Henry Sanders. I am 17 years old and currently a junior at Pickerington High School North. A few of my favorite pastimes include hiking, biking and playing soccer. I’ve played soccer for 13 years and am looking forward to playing my final season as senior captain of the Pickerington North soccer program. I also take pride in my academics, currently holding a 4.9 weighted GPA and a 3.985 unweighted GPA. I plan to attend college after graduation and pursue a career in environmental engineering.
Having lived in Pickerington all of my life, it’s always been my goal to give back to the community in some way. In my third year of the Global Scholars Program at Pickerington North, I was given the opportunity to give back by taking action on a global problem that existed within my own community. Inspiration for the project came from the AP Environmental Science course I took during my sophomore year at North. During that class, I became fascinated by the global issue of water pollution and, more specifically, how it impacted Pickerington.
I wanted to do this storm drain decal project in order to raise awareness for people in Pickerington about how much pollutant dumping can impact water quality. Specifically, I wanted to focus on a method of dumping common to suburban areas: storm drain dumping. It’s common in suburban areas to dump oil, fertilized grass clippings or trash down storm drains because the drains appear to provide an easy disposal of such materials. Often, many people who dump are not even aware of the impact that their actions can have on the aquatic environments of our local watershed. While it’s impossible to stop a motivated individual from doing so, the goal of the decals is to, hopefully, make people think twice before they dump.
Some great additional facts about Henry and his project:
- Henry has placed decals on more than 175 drains so far in the City of Pickerington and Violet Township. He plans to do more when the weather warms up – people should watch for Henry doing just that!
- If any interested individual would like to reach out to Henry to assist in the future, you
- can contact the Violet Township Offices at 614-575-5556.
- Influential people that have helped Henry with the project include:
- Tommy Springer and Jonathan Ferbrache from the Fairfield Soil and Water District. Both helped with initial contacts that were vital to the success of his project.
- Ed Drobina, Violet Township deputy administrator
- Marie Hurt, teacher for the Global Scholars Program
- Dwayne Mohler, utility foreman for the City of Pickerington
- Scott Sanders, Henry’s dad!
We congratulate Henry on his initiative, his determination and his passion for this project. We wish Henry the best in his future endeavors and are confident that anything he puts his mind to will become a success!
