Let's Talk Clermont

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Episode 14 of Let's Talk Clermont. We talk with John McManus, Director of the Clermont Soil and Water Conservation District, about the work he and his team do protecting the soil and water we all rely on. We get into some of the science behind soil, threats to water quality, and what we can all do to help preserve these vital resources. 

[00:00:11] Unknown:

We've been living in sin so long.   All   Welcome to episode 14 of Let's Talk Claremont.   I am your host, Patrick,   and I appreciate you listening, and I appreciate, everybody, who's been listening to the podcast and and showing us love online and things like that. We've been growing. We've been doing really well. So thank you to everybody.   It's it's it's been really great.   We're gonna start like we, like we always start today, with some news around the county, before we get into our interview.   So we're gonna start with New Richmond. They have unveiled updated designs for the Liberty Landing, redevelopment project. Now this is a project that's been in the making   for, about twenty years, I believe. And what it's gonna do is it'll expand the riverfront area downtown,   it'll give you some more dining options, it's gonna improve river access from downtown, and it's gonna feature a 300 foot, marina boat dock,   which which is pretty cool. And I think they're doing something similar in in Ripley.  

Even better, it's part of a $13,400,000   Ohio Appalachian grant. So,   if I was reading all of the reports right,   this is, this is not gonna cost the the city of New Richmond,   a dime. It's all grant money. So that's really great. And if there is somebody out there that is, involved with that project,   please let me know because I would love to have them on to talk about it.   I'm moving over to Batavia Township.   There is a workshop scheduled for Thursday, July 10 at 05:30PM   at the batavia   township community center.   And they're just gonna be discussing proposed updates to the Batavia Township zoning resolution.  

Now there was a previous workshop,   and there will be draft,   amendments   based on the input from that previous workshop.   And anyone can go. This is just a a discussion about the zoning resolution and and what you would like to see or what you don't wanna see.   And even if you don't have an opinion, you can just go to hear what they're talking about. And I would encourage   people to do that because zoning is, you   know, very important. It's it's how we use our land.   And I'm gonna try my hardest to go there as well.   Let's see. Batavia Goshen area.  

So there are appraisers from the Clermont County Auditor. They're gonna be doing field visits to, collect property data, and this is all part of a scheduled assessment process,   and it's to help determine property value for taxation purposes.   And these appraisers are going to visit properties that   have changed,   whether from new construction or a sale or damage or demolition or whatever the case may be.   So if, you know, you see somebody out out on your property or knocking at your door saying they're they're here from the county to assess your property,   and you live in Batavia and Goshen, that's probably what this is about.  

Moving to Union Township,   David's Bar and Kitchen opened.   It's gonna replace Laszlo's Iron Skillet,   and it was described as an elevated cuisine spot with live music and specialty drinks.   So, if if you're in the well, if you're anywhere in the county, really, try it out. And if you like it or if you don't, you know, let us know let us know if it's good.   Moving to Bethel.   Artist Ben Harrison, finished the America two fifty mirror mural in the village of Batavia, and that's across from the Bethel Historical Society.   I've seen pictures of it online. It looks really, really nice.  

So if you're in the Bethel area, check that out.   That's all the news we have. So we'll just,   talk about how we are a value for value podcast.   And what that means is is if you find value in what we're doing, all we ask is some value in return,   and that can be in the form of time, talent, or treasure.   We also have a Facebook page where you can connect with us. That's at list Let's Talk Clermont podcast   or on Instagram at Let's Talk Clermont.   You can also follow us on, Apple   Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts.   You can email us, info@let'stalkclermont.com.  

And, like I said in the past, you know,   send us send us stuff that's going on in your community. What are you worried about? What are you what are you excited about? You know, what's going on in the county? What's going on in your neighborhood?   And, you know, if it's interesting, I'll read it off on air.   We've also started a newsletter. Now I don't really know what we're gonna be doing with the newsletter up outside of, you know, letting letting you know when a new episode comes out. You know, it might be, you know,   deeper analysis on, you know, Ohio state senate bills or Ohio house bills,   deeper analysis on some of the things going on around the county. It could just be fun musings. I'm not entirely sure what we're gonna be doing with it, but it is there. And if you'd, like to hear from us in your email, go sign up for that on the website,   let's talk claremont.com.  

And I promise I'm not gonna, you know, spam you or send you ridiculous amounts of email or do anything crazy like that. It'll probably just be once a week.   Alright. So let's, let's get into the interview. Today, we're talking to John McManus, and he is the district director   for the Claremont Soil And Water Conservation District.   And we talk about all things soil and water conservation. We talk about some of the projects they do.   We talk about, you know, how farmers and homeowners and developers can help protect the soil and protect the water. Talk about water gardens, which I didn't even know were a thing, which is which is kinda cool.   So we talk about   all kinds of stuff related to soil and water.  

And it was a like I've said about all the interviews, it was a really great interview.   And I love talking about soil and water.   Sounds kind of odd, but I do.   But I think more importantly, there there's a lot of people in in the county doing really great work   to try to keep our county beautiful and preserve our natural assets.   But, you know, you don't really hear about it. You know, I didn't even know there was a soil and water conservation district, and it's apparently been around for eighty two years. So,   and we're gonna have more people, you know, doing this kind of work in in the county that you might not realize are out there doing this work. So I'm I'm really happy   that John came on. And like I said, about all our guests, we'll probably have him on again.  

So with that, I hope you enjoy the interview.   Okay.   So I always just start with why don't you tell everybody who you are and and what you do? Okay.  

[00:06:52] Unknown:

I'm John McManus. I'm the director of the Clermont Soil and Water Conservation District.   I have been   with Claremont County for about twenty five years now in in in different fields, starting with the Office of Environmental Quality,   then the stormwater department, and now head of Soil and Water Conservation District.  

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Okay. So what do you guys mainly do here at Soil and Water?  

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We work with,   all types of landowners,   whether they're,   agricultural,   farmers,   single family homeowners, commercial properties, developers,   industries, anybody,   who owns land in Clermont County, we work with them,   through education outreach, technical assistance. We're not enforcement, but we work with them   to put conservation practices on the ground.   So you're not going out with, like, you know You have to do this. Yeah. You have to do this. Do this. Yes. We do. Yes. We we we are a resource for all landowners. But yes. So what kind of,  

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education and programs do you have to help landowners?  

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It it it varies.   So,   I guess starting on the agricultural side of things, that's where soil and water conservation districts got their start, out of the dust bowl back in the thirties and the forties,   to work with farmers   on,   protecting their soil,   preventing erosion, improving soil quality.   So, yes, since I I we've been around, we're going on our eighty second year right now. Okay. And we're So this this department has been around for '82? It has. Yes. Yes.   So, yeah, working with farmers,   there's a variety of different conservation practices they can adopt or install.   And, yeah, again, we we provide education,   outreach,   technical assistance,   design assistance for,   things that need to be constructed.  

And,   where and when possible, we try to hook them up with financial assistance. What do you mean by financial assistance?   For the farming community,   most of the assistance for conservation   or for conservation practices,   is available through farm bill programs,   such as, EQIP,   Environmental Qualities Incentive Program, or CRP, Conservation Reserve Program.   We're a small staff. We're a very small staff. We only have seven people,   right now, and and, like I said, we we we deal with the whole county. We deal with ag. We deal with urban. We deal with everybody.   So most of what we get done is through,   our partnerships and cooperation   with other agencies.  

So on the ag side of things, we work very closely,   with USDA's,   Natural Resource Conservation Service,  

[00:09:49] Unknown:

with OSU extension, which is down the hall from us. I saw that. It seems like you got USDA and   This is the agricultural service center. This is the hub. You're right. So, if I because I'd like to talk about some of the water and soil issues from, like, farmers, just maybe somebody who lives in the suburbs Mhmm.   And, you know, developers, like, what do you so can we start with farmers? Like, what are the things that they are they're concerned about? Sure. Well, I mean Or you're concerned about? The farmers are concerned about their soil quality. Because if if they don't People don't realize that soil is a living thing. It it absolutely is. It's not just dirt. It's very complicated. Yeah. It is. It is very complicated. It's a, it's a science in and of itself.  

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And,   I mean, the soil, that's that's bread and butter for the farmers. You know, if they don't have good soil quality, they don't have good crops, they're not making money. So,   it's very important to remember that   farmers want to improve their soil quality. They don't want erosion. They they don't want the soil leaving the land. They don't want their fertilizer leaving the land. They wanna keep it on there.   And,   there are practices   one practice we promote a lot is winter cover crops Okay. To get something So like clover or something? Yeah. Clover. Yeah. That that that's a good example. Winter wheat, even something they can harvest.   But,   yeah, if if you can get something growing on the ground, keep a cover on that. That helps prevent erosion. Has it has a lot of other benefits as well.  

But at the same time too. Yeah. Yeah. There are certain, certain crops that that can fix nitrogen from the air such as clover.   So there are a lot of benefits, but,   and from the farmer's perspective, there's also a lot of challenges for getting it done. It's essentially another crop to plant.   They have to have the right conditions.   There's the cost of the seed.   If if, and and and you gotta get the cover crop seed down by a certain time or else it's not gonna germinate. Sure. And if you have a late harvest, that could one, it really limits what you can plant as a cover crop. And two, you may not be able to get it down in time. Yeah. You can try to fly it on.   Like a plane? From a plane. Yeah. But you may not good get good   seed to ground contact Yeah. On that. And then you don't set germination. Laying on the ground and get rain or something. Just all. So, I mean, cover crops sound good. They have a lot of benefits. They're they're they're   fantastic, but   actually doing it is a challenge. Yeah. And so that that's one example where we   work with the farmers to help them overcome those challenges.  



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Okay. Yeah. So if I'm a just a homeowner. Yes. And let's say I'm trying to put together a garden or something like that. What can I do to improve my soil?   You The same thing, I imagine. Yeah. Same thing. Smaller scale. Yeah. I I can get an airplane. Yeah. You're  

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on a a small garden, you're not worried too much about erosion, I don't think, depending on on where you put your garden.   But,   yeah, to improve,   your garden quality. One,   if you're thinking of fertilizing,   the one thing we say is test your soil before you fertilize. Find out what your soil actually needs before you put anything on there. What are some common things that in this area that the soil would be lacking?   Well, it's,   you're you're generally   you're generally looking at nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Yeah.   Our soils are pretty phosphorus rich.  

So, I mean, there's a chance you may need more of one thing and not another. Yeah. And, yeah, it's it's it's just   whether you're,   fertilizing for a garden or a landscape area or just for your lawn,   before you do that, test your soil. And you can do that through OSU extension. Okay. Yep. Does it cost anything to do that? It's it's minimal. I think it's I think it's $15 a sample. Oh, that's not bad. Yeah. And I imagine you don't need a whole lot of sample. No. You don't. No. Baggy full. Yeah. Yeah. And so  

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is there a better place to sample, or do you just scoop up a bunch of dirt?  

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Depending   if it's small backyard garden, you probably just need one sample. If it's a large area, you wanna take them randomly throughout. Okay. Yeah. And you know, I probably should've asked you this in the beginning, but how did you even get into  

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this line of work?  

[00:14:13] Unknown:

That's well,   I went to school,   got a,   actually graduate degree   in environmental sciences with,   a focus on water resources. So I've I've just always been drawn to water, something I've always enjoyed. Did you grow up near the river?   Anderson Township. So I mean, close enough to Yeah. The Ohio River. But I Everybody's got kind of a connection to the Ohio River around here. Yeah. But yeah. It's just something I always enjoyed. And,   my first real job out of college   was working for an agency called ORSANCO,   who does water quality work on the Ohio River from Pittsburgh all the way down to the Mississippi. Okay. So I worked for them for seven years doing   biological   studies and water quality studies on on the river, and I just loved it.  

And,   travel got to be a little rough after a while. So I had a chance to come here and essentially do the same thing on a smaller scale   and   have the opportunity to actually do restoration projects. What,   so what kind of restoration project? That's what we've we've done a number of them, in Clermont County, Swallow Water with our our partners,   Office of Environmental Quality.   We've had a lot of, help from US EPA's Office of Research and Development.   Park District, we've partnered with. Like I said, a lot of,   the work we do is in partnership and cooperations   Cooperation with others,   but we've done,   dam removal projects,   stream restoration projects,  

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wetland projects. What kind of so let's take a wetland restoration. What what goes into that?  

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Well, I mean, you have to have the,   I guess, the right conditions, the right   soils, everything.   But I I guess the,   and there are different types of wetlands too. So I'll give you two examples.   We recently   completed   a wetland project in the village of Williamsburg.   Okay. So this was this was actually phase two of a project.   Phase one was the   the removal of a low head dam,   above the village of Williamsburg.   They had constructed that dam, I think, back in the thirties or forties to provide a   a pool, a source of drinking water for the village.   Wasn't used anymore. The dam was obsolete,   and the village had a reservoir,   that they pumped water to just   off off the banks of of the East Fork there.  

And so the dam came down,   and,   we began wondering, well, there there's I I think there's more we can do with this site.   And,   we went to the village with the idea of converting the reservoir   and the surrounding flood plain into what we call an off channel wetland. Okay. And the idea the purpose of that wetland was   when these fork rises,   spreads out, enters the wetland, it provides storage,   and,   wetlands are very, very effective at removing nutrients,   removing nitrogen and phosphorus.  

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Well, now when you say nutrients, I'm I imagine you're not thinking, like, things that are good for fish, but if you have too much nitrogen Too much. Yeah. Too much nitrogen, too much phosphorus, the problem the big problem we have here,  

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are the harmful algal blooms that have been occurring,   different scales, but pretty much every year on East Fork Lake. I didn't know we had algal blooms out there. Yeah. So and there are different types of,   algae blooms.   There's a regular green algae blooms, and and they can cause problems too. But these,   they're typically called harmful algal blooms. They're actually a blue green algae or a cyanobacteria   bloom.   And,   these blooms, these species   produce toxins that can be very, very harmful   to human health. Yes.   What kind of toxins is it? The the they're they can be they can affect your nervous system. They can affect your liver, different things. So,   yep. So,   so that algae was so dangerous. I mean, I know algal blooms are not Yeah. And and there's and it's it's not truly an algae. Like I said, it's it's a blue green algae, a cyanobacteria,   sort of a funky species. The first.  

That the it's been around since very first right out of the Archean period. Yeah. It's They've been around forever. Yes. So it's just when you have these big blooms that it can cause problems. So   and,   excess nutrients   help drive those blooms. It's it's not the only driver of the bloom.   But, yeah, it's it's it's a big part of that. So we are trying   to   that's big focus of, Clermont Soil and Water is to,   reduce the nitrogen and phosphorus loads into East Fork Lake.  

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And that's what this wetland project helped to do, on a small scale. Sure. Yeah. Well, I mean, I imagine even a small scale Right. Makes a little bit of a difference. Yes. Now is are those nutrients, I imagine it's coming a lot from ag runoff.  

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Yeah. It it it does come from farm fields, pasture. It can also come from,   failing septic systems.   It can,   come from sewage treatment plants. So there's different sources   above East Fork Lake.   I mean, not all of it, but, the majority of it does come from ag runoff.  

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So I guess we can just good segue into water. The other part of what you do here.   I don't really know how to ask this question without kind of sounding dumb, but   what kind of water do we have around here? Like, what what's kind of the characteristic of it? That's, it  

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overall, it's very good. Yeah.   The East Fork Little Miami River,   Ohio EPA gives   designations to the water bodies in the state,   and   from an aquatic life point of view and also from recreation too. But,   so,   so for aquatic life,   the general designation given to most   streams, rivers is warm water habitat.   They have designated   these forklifts Miami River as exceptional warm water habitat.   And,   they establish criteria   to protect that designation.   And,   the East Fork, pretty much all of the East Fork below the dam meets that criteria. So the East Fork is in  

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is in really pretty good shape. Okay. Yeah. Well, I mean, what is some of that criteria that they're looking at? Oh,  

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and there's,   they set criteria for   different   chemical pollutants,   physical parameters,   like dissolved oxygen concentrations.   They'll set criteria for metals,  

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solids. Yeah. Oh, yeah. All all sorts they they set criteria for all sorts of different pollutants. But overall, the water is pretty good around here. It is. It really is. This is more of a, I guess, a selfish question. I'm bad. I imagine it'd be important for some people, but so we live, by a creek that goes into I can't I can't remember. I think it's probably  

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a little Miami or something. Right on 222. Okay. That would probably be going to the East Fork. Okay. Yeah.  

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But I always get a little worried because my daughter loves playing in the creek. She loves playing in the river. But I always get a little worried around the summertime when I see them spraying,   and I think, oh, maybe I shouldn't let her play in the water   when they're putting, like, their fertilizers and pesticides. So because we live right behind Ag fields. Yeah. I   I just don't know. Honestly, I just don't know how much I need to worry about that. You know? Yeah. And and and it is hard to say.  

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I think  

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And this isn't to demonize farmers. I mean, they have a job to do. You know? Right. And and it's not just farmers. There there's waste running off.  

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There there's animal waste that's just natural. There's construction site runoff. There's runoff from our roads. There's because that water can come from   probably hundreds of miles. Right. Right. Yeah. Especially if you're along the East Fork.   So, yeah, there there's,   yeah, there there's all sorts of contributors.   I I think a good rule of thumb   is,   at least for myself,   if if it if we just had a heavy rain and it's running fast   and it it yeah. Shortly after all that runoff has entered in the river, maybe stay away from it. Yeah. If it's been dry three, four days,   it You're probably already pretty good. Yeah. Okay.  

In general.  

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So if I'm a developer, what are the kind of things that I I'm sorry. I feel like I'm jumping around. No. That's okay. But so what are the kind of things they need to worry about when they're building their, you know, subdivisions? Yeah. So the the county has a set of,  

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stormwater regulations.   They're called water management sediment control regulations,   and that does prescribe   certain things   that,   new developments have to do to manage stormwater runoff. So any any new development that comes in, they have to submit a set of drawings.   We review new subdivisions,   building department reviews,   stormwater plans for any development.   Engineer's office also reviews plans. So,   we're reviewing those plans to make sure they adhere to the stormwater regulations.   And,   among other things,   so during construction, they are required to put in practices   that reduce erosion and sediment runoff.  

And for post construction,   they're required to put in some kind of practice,   generally a a stormwater management basin   that   is designed   to   hold water after heavy rains, after moderate rains,   and then release it downstream at a slower rate. Okay. Yeah.  

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I guess bouncing back to homeowners, I did notice on your website you've got things like rain barrel initiatives and stuff like that. Can you talk about other things that homeowners can do to help water conservation? Yeah. So I I think if if you're a homeowner and and you're just small lot like like myself,  

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anything you can do   to   slow down the water   and soak it in is good. Okay. So and a lot of new subdivisions,   you'll see they'll have the roof downspouts, they go underground, they're piped to the storms who are in the street, and they go straight to the creek.   So there is absolutely no chance for that water to run overground   and to soak in. Yeah. So if if you've got stuff in the water, it's just going right to the creek. Right into the creek. So and and it honestly, it's it's not so much   the concern there isn't so much as what's in the water.   It's   how much water there is and how fast it's running off. Okay.  

So when you go   new development, you take what's probably an open field, maybe a farm field or or,   yeah, just open ground,   and you're building something on it.   You're putting in rooftops, you're putting in roads, you're putting in sidewalks, everything you need, parking lots.   But all that hard surface where the water used to have a chance to soak in,   now a 100% of that is running off, and it's running off faster.   So that can cause problems for   the creek that receives that water. That creek has sort of taken its shape over time based on   what's coming into it. Yeah. And now all of a sudden, you're sending it more and you're sending it faster.  

You're gonna start to get bank erosion, bed erosion. The creek's gonna adjust. The habitat's   gonna degrade.   Downstream property owners may start seeing bank erosion and losing land. So,   it's,   yeah, it it   it's important to be concerned   and to manage just how much water is coming off and and the rate as well as what's in the water. Okay. So that's that's where if if   anything you can do to slow the water down and soak it in helps. So rain barrels, collecting it off your downspout,   building a rain garden.  

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What's a rain garden? A rain garden,  

[00:26:53] Unknown:

it's, it's it's essentially a landscaped area,   but,   rather than just   being built on level ground or maybe a raised bed, it's built in a little recessed bowl Okay. That collects water. Not a lot of water. So, You're not drowning in your plants. Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, good places to put a rain garden is is below a downspout or if you have some sheet flow runoff   off your driveway. Not a big   you don't want a big twelve, twenty four inch pipe coming into a rain garden. That's too much water. Yeah.   But yeah. So the idea is the rain garden,   holds this water   and soaks it in over a period of twenty four forty eight hours at tops. You don't want it holding water And then you get mosquitoes. Then you get mosquitoes.  

Yeah. You don't want it to be a pond. You don't want it to be wet. Swamp. Right. Yeah. Just,   and and so yeah. And and and I say these depressed areas, and we're talking only maybe six, eight inches   Okay. Deep if that. So it's not really like it's just kind of Not a big deep hole. Very yeah. Gentle sides, only six, eight inches depressed, but it's enough  

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to catch that water and soak it in. Are there particular plants that that are better for these types of there are. Yeah.  

[00:28:07] Unknown:

And I I guess,   it depends on where you put them in the rain garden. But if you put them in the very bottom, you're gonna want,   a plant that likes to be wet. Yeah.   And yeah. And and and there's all sorts of species you can use too. You you can do shade gardens. You can do perennials. You can do shrubs. You can do grasses.  

[00:28:28] Unknown:

You can even put a tree in these. I think magnolias really like water, if I remember correctly.   I could be wrong. I'm not a gardener. Yeah. Don't don't feel bad if I got that wrong. You got a couple of things. Magnolias,  

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I I guess if you're talking southern magnolias, we're on the very edge of what they can handle Yeah. Right here. That's not one we  

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normally recommend. But What are some that you do recommend?  

[00:28:51] Unknown:

Oh,   flowers,   black eyed Susans,   Joe Pye weed,   irises love water,   some bushes,   button bush is a good good one,   small trees, willows,   like water. There's on on our website, we we've got a number of species you could use. Yeah.  

[00:29:17] Unknown:

So in terms of   just soil in general, can you talk about because I know there's tons of different classifications Yes. For soils. Yeah. Can you talk about   some of the different classifications of soils we have here Okay. And kinda what they're better and worse for. So,  

[00:29:33] Unknown:

If that question makes sense. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It does.   So  

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because I know, like, where I live, it's very sandy because it's right next to a river. That's that that's I'd probably say there's three big types. Okay. So one,  

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in Clermont County,   we have very little sandy soils,   very little in the way of   soils that infiltrate water very well. Right. And   that's if you have it, it's gonna be along the East Fork. It's gonna be along the little Miami or the Ohio. So along those,   river valleys,   you can get that,   sandy well drained soil.   The flip side of things,   if,   you get, especially in the northern part of the county, Goshen Township, Wayne Township,   you've got very flat ground.   You've got   soils with a lot of silt content, clay content, very small particles.   They just don't drain well at all. Yeah.  



[00:30:34] Unknown:

In permeable and in what's the other one? I'd I'd studied geology in college. So it's like when we're talking about rocks, it needs to be permeable and porous. Yeah. Okay. Because the the it needs to have holes in it, but the holes also need to line up   so that it can actually Right. Yes. Yeah.  

[00:30:53] Unknown:

And then,   I mean, you get down   along the river out of the glaciated areas, and you'll get more hilly,   hilly areas and the soils   are a little bit different there. So,   in general, I mean, we our soils are pretty erodible, so that's a challenge.   The flat areas, especially for the farmers, that's a big challenge to farm. Like, this year, especially, we've had so much rain Yeah. And it's been consistent.   Here we are June,   and they're still out planting. Yeah. That's gotta be  

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I think, you know, people go to the grocery store and they buy food, and   it just kinda magically appears there. You know? And you don't unless you're an actual farmer or close to that.   It's really hard to understand how hard that job really is. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean   Like you said, it's been raining all year. Mhmm. And when do you have a chance to go out and plant? When do you have a chance to harvest? Right. I mean and that's your livelihood. Yeah. It's your livelihood, and your livelihood is being driven by the weather. Yeah. Planting, harvest, everything in between. Yeah. And trying to manage that soil. Yep. Because, I mean,   it   those monocrops are hard on the soil from what I understand. But, I mean, it's what what other way you're gonna do that if you need to feed 300,000,000 people? You know? Yeah. Well, even,  

[00:32:15] Unknown:

our row crop farmers,   they do a very good job   rotating between corn and beans. And and then especially if you can mix in a cover crop or some wheat over the winter, that helps. Yeah. Yeah.  

[00:32:27] Unknown:

So, again, I I hope this doesn't sound like a silly question, but   can you just talk about how soil is made? Like, how like, what is actually in it? I didn't Oh, okay.   Oh, that's yeah. Did I just ask an impossible question? That's, well, it's I mean, it it  

[00:32:44] Unknown:

soil   soil is made over   thousands, thousands,   hundreds of thousands of years.  

[00:32:53] Unknown:

It it Feel free to get as nerdy as you want about this. No. I'd love to know.  

[00:32:59] Unknown:

Yeah.   It just   and it it it I mean, a lot of the soil we have here is what we have here is is based on what happened during the ice ages and the glaciers coming down.   And and our area in particular, Clermont, is is really unique. We have a lot of those soils with the silts and the clays.   And even if you get up,   a little bit north of Clermont County, Northern Warren County, you're you're gonna see much different soils. That's a lot of glacial. Yeah. Right. Yeah.  

[00:33:32] Unknown:

They have good aquifers up there because of it, don't they? They have better. Yeah. Yeah. They have better.  

[00:33:38] Unknown:

But yeah. So, I mean, what what we have in terms of soils is really based on what happened during the ice ages.   And,   I know we we have,   a a farmer up in Wayne County.   He's,   we've had field days out at his, farm before.   And he sees big into cover crops, very,   yeah.   The cover crops for him are are very important part of his operation. He's a smaller farmer, but,   I mean, one of the things he likes to say is god's not making any more soil. Right. Yeah. We just it's it's, yeah, it's   not something you can   improve fast well, I you can't improve it. It's it's not something you can really change over twenty, thirty, fifty years. So we we have the hand we're dealt with, I guess. But there are there are different things you can do to improve it. Oh, like what? Well, I mean, cover crops, we do one. What about lime or lime? I know I I feel like that Yeah. It's I gardened a little bit. I found out that I hated it,   but people Yeah. People would always say you gotta put lime on it. Well, it it depends on the pH of the soil. But, yes, if if the pH needs adjusting,   yeah, you can put lime on the soil.  

If if your soil phosphorus,   soil nitrogen is is low,   the yeah. There's fertilizer.   My mind just went to a place, and I've,   what was I gonna say?   I lost it. I I lost my train of thought. Oh, no. I'm sorry.  

[00:35:13] Unknown:

No. No. No. No. That's alright.   You know, I interviewed  

[00:35:17] Unknown:

her name's Sarah Eisen. She runs a Sure. Yeah. Know Sarah? Not very well. But, yes, I I know she's very active with the Farm Bureau, and we we do some work with the Farm Bureau. Well, I know she'd because there's this whole regenerative farming trend.  

[00:35:30] Unknown:

Do you know anything about that or how well, I'd like what what would the difference be between?   It's I don't wanna call it a trend. I think it's a a movement that's gaining. It's  

[00:35:40] Unknown:

so, I mean, I've heard the term regenerative.   I've heard the term sustainable farming. Mhmm. And to me, that basically means, yeah, we're we're not taking   more from the soil   than it can   handle, and we're able to raise crops, good crops year in, year out, year in, year out, and still protect soil quality at the same time. It's it's sustainable.   So   and, yeah, I I think historically, we've we've had,   in our office, we we've mostly dealt with row crop farmers,   and we have a little bit of livestock,   down mostly along the Ohio River in in the hilly areas.   But,   one thing we're seeing more and more of   is,   specialty farmers, specialty producers coming into Clermont County.  

And we've begun to work with, some of them through,   through the Farm Bureau. So,   we have, actually, a member of our our board of supervisors,   runs RootHouse Aquaponics   out. And Mike McGraw runs RootHouse Aquaponics   out in, in Williamsburg.   So we've got aquaponics. We've got fish farms. We've got, bison farms.   There's a bison farm. There's bison farm. There is,   a farm that raises paddlefish   for caviar. Yeah. Yeah. So we're we're getting a lot a lot of specialty producers in this area, and and that's something we're just beginning to work with those producers.  

[00:37:17] Unknown:

So when you you think about   the scale of farming from somebody, you know, that just grows vegetables in the background or backyard to somebody that's got, you know, a thousand acres they have to till. Right.  

[00:37:29] Unknown:

There is there is a good in between there too. So we we have I was gonna ask you about that. So,   we do see,   I mean,   we do tend to get in Claremont County people from Hamilton, people from Cincinnati area.   They wanna move out to the country. They want 10 or 15 acres. They're interested in starting a little farm. So,   yeah, we we got the guys that are farming a 2,000,   3,000 acres.   Then we've got other smaller farmers that just have maybe fifteen, twenty acres, and and then you have your gardeners too. Yeah. Yeah. Have you seen that fifteen, twenty acre farm trend? It sounds like it's increasing. I I well, yeah. I think it is. I think it is. So  

[00:38:14] Unknown:

and I guess so for somebody who's got ten, fifteen acres,   I'm assuming they can you can you will help them with what they need. Oh, yeah. Yes. Yeah. But what would be a good strategy   for managing their soil and water in a way that   is gonna be sustainable, but also practical for producing Yeah. And making money if they want to. Well, I mean, like I said before, really, the first step the first step is,  

[00:38:39] Unknown:

testing your soil quality, seeing what you have in terms of nutrients and organic carbon,   in in the other components of the soil.   And then based on that,   figure out what practices you need to do to raise the organic carbon or increase the nitrogen or or something like that. So and if we could just take each of those, like, what would you do to raise the organic carbon?  

[00:39:03] Unknown:

Again, if you're, like, ten, fifteen acres and you've got the time and resources to kind of Yeah.   Cover crops is great for raising organic carbon. Okay. Yeah. So what would you do? You would just plant the crop and then just let it? Yeah. So yeah. The winter cover crop,  

[00:39:18] Unknown:

and I'm excluding   wheat here.   So it it's not a cash crop. Yeah. It's, something like you you mentioned clover. You can do radishes.   You can do   annual rye, cereal rye grass.   Yeah. A whole bunch of different species. So the idea with that is   to,   plant it after your cash crop comes off, whether it's beans or corn,   and that   you have a little bit of a growing period   through the winter before it gets really cold.   Some of them overwinter,   some of them are winter killed, but still you've got   you've got something growing. You've got some cover,   and then you've got that organic   content that's gonna break down. You've also got And when you say organic carbon, it's basically dead plant. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Right. Right. Right.  

And I mean, you've got the roots that are growing,   improving the infiltration through the soils, breaking up some of that compaction.   So   you're you're yeah. Cover crops.  

[00:40:26] Unknown:

And today you think about soil compaction. Oh, yes. Yeah. That can be because that'll kill your roots. I mean, you won't  

[00:40:32] Unknown:

Yeah. Well, it it will it prevents the roots really from getting down to where they need to be.   So, yeah, breaking up the soil compaction, that's a big thing.   And,   yeah. So,   yeah, cover crops do a lot of good things.   Oh, yeah. What I was,   starting to say,   if you plant a legume, you   and and nitrogen is a need. That   that fixed nitrogen from the air, puts it in the soil. So And you could type I imagine you could harvest whatever, and legumes are just beans. Right? Yeah. Mo most cover crops are not harvested. Usually, they're,   Is there a reason for that, or is it just It's just not worth it? Yeah. Probably not worth well, some cover crops are are winter killed, so they don't make it through the winter.  

Others,   it's, yeah, it's essentially not worth it to the farmer. Now wheat wheat,   is planted,   late summer or in the fall,   stays through winter and then is harvested   getting closer well, July. Mhmm.  

[00:41:39] Unknown:

So, yeah, winter wheat, and that is a cash crop. They will harvest wheat and Sure. Yeah, take it. I I think I started seeing more wheat around here. Because because you drive through the countryside and it's, you know, corn, soy, corn, soy, corn, soy. Yeah.   I just I feel like I've saw more wheat, like,   in in recent years. I I think it's increasing a little bit. Yeah. It's gotta be hard to time it too because, you you know, you gotta get your your soy and corn in what, like, May or something. Time timing is is  

[00:42:08] Unknown:

I've gotta believe it's one is I'm not a farmer myself. Yeah. I mean, not a farmer. Yeah.   But timing is   got to be one   of the biggest challenges   that a farmer has to face.   It's because, yeah, it's it's just it's   entirely weather dependent,  

[00:42:28] Unknown:

climate dependent. Yeah. I mean, it's a tough job. Yeah. I I couldn't imagine doing it. So what are some other things   if I'm a homeowner,   that I can do to just even if I don't have a garden? Yeah.   Just help out the soil and water. Little I mean, obviously, you don't wanna be dumping oil into your Right. Yeah. Well well, that that's just plain illegal. Things. Yeah. Yeah.   That's just plain illegal. Yeah. You'll just go to jail for that. Well, not jail. But,   Go to environmental. Yeah. We'll get a a stern tongue lashing from you.  

[00:43:01] Unknown:

This is not all landowners, of course, but if you have   a   creek stream,   even if it's small stream running through your backyard,   I think one of the best things you can do   is leave   the area bordering either stream bank,   maybe 10 feet, maybe depending on the size of stream. 10 feet, 25 feet, more is better.   But just leave that natural.   Because there there's   from a water quality point of view, there's a lot of good things happening in that   little flood zone, even if it's a creek. Mhmm.   So,   one of the big things is it it takes energy out of the stream. So   if if you're not building, if you're not putting things right up against the stream   and you allow it to come up to flood during heavy rains, when it floods,   it spreads out. When it spreads out, it slows down. That takes energy out of it, takes erosive energy out of it.  

Plus when it slows down, different pollutants are starting to settle out, sediments starting to settle out.   You get the shading from the vegetation.   The big thing, probably maybe one of the biggest things is just if if you can leave natural native vegetation,   deep rooted species along the bank, so not turf grass Yeah.   But trees and shrubs,   those root systems do wonders for holding that bank in place. Yeah. And   one of the services we offer,   probably our most requested service. So if if any landowner in the county   has an issue   related to   surface water, to drainage, to erosion,   pond quality, we do.  

We'll come out. We'll meet with them. We'll look at the problem   and   try to come up with a game plan for them to to   address that.   So we do get a lot of calls on bank erosion.   People are losing their land and Mhmm. Their well,   our shed's gonna be undercut or something like that.   And,   a lot of times, not all, but a lot of times,   we'll go out and   we'll notice that, well, they have mowed right up to the edge of the stream bank,   and it's it's it's just turf grass. And I I really understand   the desire   to be able to see a creek. Yeah. It's part of your because yeah. It's it's Beautiful. It's beautiful. Yeah.   But, yeah, turf grass, I think most people know little bitty roots that really do nothing to hold the soil in place. Certainly not like a big tree. Right. Yeah. And and that's where we tend to have bank erosion problems. So,   yeah, one of the   yeah. And and this this goes for all landowners, whether it's single family homeowner, commercial property, or whoever.  

If you can leave   a buffer along the creek bank   of native trees and shrubs, that does wonders.  

[00:46:05] Unknown:

Yeah. I mean, it's but like you said, it's not just water quality. It's erosion. Like, if you don't do this,   that stream is gonna come into your bag and it's gonna start cutting your land away. Yeah. It it could. It could. Yeah. You know, it's funny too you say and I don't think a lot of people and I hope I'm right about this. But it's like the more you build up on a bank, right, the more energy that water gets, the higher and higher it gets. So it's almost better just to let it flood over. It yeah. That yes. You're exactly right. So if it,  

[00:46:32] Unknown:

we do get questions.   Well, if if I just straighten the stream and I make it deeper, that's gonna carry   the water better. Mhmm. And   so what that does is that   if if you dig it deeper,   well, before digging,   the stream's able to rise up,   spread out to the floodplain. Yeah. If you Lose all that energy. If you dig it too deep, you disconnect it from the floodplain. You get the same rains, but all that water is confined in this what's now essentially a ditch. Yeah. And it's, yeah,   incredible amount of energy and that just increases  

[00:47:11] Unknown:

the erosiveness of it and and causes additional problems. It's like a feedback loop. Yeah. You know, the digger the more you dig, the more energy it has, the more it erodes, and then you just you're in a bigger problem. Yep. You know? Yep. Oh, no. I had a question then I'd oh, I know what I wanted to ask you. So I think it's obvious to everybody. Claremont County is developing. Like, there's Mhmm. Developments going on Yes. All over the place.   So in your mind, what is the best way to to to balance   this   need and and trend of development  

[00:47:43] Unknown:

with making sure that our soil and water That we focus on that a lot because I I truly believe we can have the development and still protect our natural resources. Yeah.   So,   The more a development can work with   the natural lay of the land   and protect the sensitive areas, the the hill slopes,   the stream banks,   that stream corridor,   the better off we're gonna be.   And, like I say, I mentioned before, we review subdivision plans.   And   I   I've seen a lot of changes over   past twenty, even ten years that the plans   we're getting in now are doing a much better job at staying away from those sensitive areas. Every once in a while, you get one that   It was a little aggressive. Yeah. It's a little aggressive. That's a good way to put it.  

But, yeah, for the most part, they're they're doing a pretty good job.   Plus,   I I think the county's   water management and sediment control regulations   have improved   significantly   over time.   So so we're doing a better job at at,   yeah, at protecting stream quality.   Ohio EPA was down well, jeez. It's been over ten years ago now, but,   the last time they were down to do a watershed wide survey,   very intensive sampling of the East Fork and all the tributaries coming into it,   Pretty much everything   below East Fork Lake Dam   met the criteria   except for two tributaries.  

Okay. And I I I think that's a testament for everything we're doing in the county. Well, I'd say so. Yeah. Yeah.  

[00:49:35] Unknown:

So how does   this department   play into the larger picture of soil and water conservation? Because you mentioned Ohio EPA. I'm sure there's federal agencies that Yes. All play a role. Yeah. So can you I guess, can you just paint a picture for the overall   infrastructure   that's out there? Oh. Or is it extremely complicated?  

[00:49:54] Unknown:

Yeah. So   so you mentioned   infrastructure. I mean, infrastructure like storm sewers. So we we don't I mean Yeah.  

[00:50:06] Unknown:

I mean, like,   the, I guess, I would say organization. Organization. Okay. Because because we've got you guys at the county level. Are there city level soil and waters? Or No. All all soil and water is at the county level,  

[00:50:18] Unknown:

but we do,   we work very closely with,   the townships   and the villages.   In in fact,   we we, the county,   have a joint stormwater permit from Ohio EPA with a number of different townships and villages. Okay.   And that permit requires,   us to do certain things to minimize   pollution and stormwater runoff.   And when those regulations first came out, we could have all applied for   a separate permit, developed our own plan, done our own things. But from the very beginning,   the county joined with the other townships and the villages, and and we have a comprehensive   plan to address it and   coordinate all our activities.  

From a watershed management perspective,   we have been very fortunate with partners we've worked with.   We have,   what we call our, East Fork Watershed Cooperative.   I mentioned, US EPA Office of Research and Development has been a big partner of ours, at the federal level. Also, the Corps of Engineers, they maintain the lake.   State agencies,   EPA, Department of Natural Resources,   Ohio Department of Ag,   are active members of,   the cooperative.   And then at the local level,   county office of environmental quality, the county water resources department,   the other soil and water districts   in   the counties that make up these four watershed, Brown, Highland, and Clay. I was about to ask you that because it  

[00:52:03] Unknown:

you can't I imagine you cannot think of the water and soil in Clermont County as the lines we've drawn on the back. Yeah. We can. So recently,  

[00:52:12] Unknown:

we were fortunate to get a grant to do   a stream and wetland restoration   project on a piece of property known as East Fork Riparian Reserve,   but it's in Clinton County. Mhmm. It borders the East Fork Little Miami River. The East Fork runs right through it.   But, yeah, it's not in Clermont County. So we did that in partnership with Clinton County commissioners, Clinton County Swelling Water, Clinton County Park District, which owns   property.   And we were involved because, yeah, what comes down Yeah. To us from   Clinton, Highland, Brown affects us. So we have a very strong partnership,  

[00:52:52] Unknown:

with with all those players. How big is the East Fork Watershed?  

[00:52:56] Unknown:

Just about 500 square miles at the point where it enters the Little Miami at Milford Okay. Or downstream at Milford. Okay. And that's all part of, I imagine, the larger   Ohio River watershed. Right. Oh, yes. Yes. Because it kinda it's it's like a Russian doll. Yeah. Exact that's a good way to describe it. So you got, yeah, you got   East Fork, then you got Little Miami, then you got Ohio River, and then Mississippi and so on. Right? Yeah. Yeah.  

[00:53:20] Unknown:

Yeah. Yeah. Let me I don't wanna keep it here. Okay. We've got about fifteen or so minutes.   So when it comes to policy,   like, people setting policy about what you can and cannot do with the water and soil, how does that work? I mean, how do we have county level policies? And  

[00:53:39] Unknown:

yes.   Regulations and policies,   Claremont Soil and Water ourselves, we don't have any regulations. We're not,   we're not, an enforcement authority.   The county,   has the water management sentiment control regulations I mentioned.   There are floodplain regulations.   But those are all at the county level. At the county level. At the township level, you have zoning regulations, which can   Yeah.   Impact address well, certainly addresses development and and Yeah. I guess water quality follows that.   Ohio EPA,   has its own set of regulations. The stormwater regulations, the permit we have to follow.   So,  

[00:54:25] Unknown:

So   there are there are   policy setting entities at the county level? There are. Yeah.   I guess I know you don't do policy, but if you can talk about it,   if I am a homeowner and I want to do something in my yard,   are there any policies that I need to be aware of before I start digging around?  

[00:54:48] Unknown:

Yeah. So,  

[00:54:49] Unknown:

Just so you know, yeah, I don't Actually,  

[00:54:51] Unknown:

even the the lowest level of government,   would be checking to see if you have a homeowners association Oh, yeah. And making sure whatever you're thinking of doing is fits in with the covenants and restrictions. On the bad side of an HOA.   So,   but   in general,   if if if you're trying to improve let's say you're trying to improve drainage on your property.   If you are just simply   regrading   your land or creating a swell or just working with the lay of the land, then you don't need a permit or anything.   If you are looking to   put in infrastructure like a storm sewer or a catch basin or something like that,   then you would need to apply for a permit through the building department.  

Is that a a tough process here? No. I don't think so. I mean, the building department does wanna see a set of plans to make sure it's appropriately sized and located.   They'll inspect,   make sure it's appropriately   installed.   But, yeah, I I don't think it's it's it's a hard process.   If you are talking about   doing work in a creek or a river in a regulated stream, and what's regulated   is is  

[00:56:10] Unknown:

changing over times. Okay. But what I didn't realize if there are regulated. Oh, yeah. Yeah. So  

[00:56:18] Unknown:

if if if you're working   in a stream below what they call the ordinary high water mark Okay. And you're putting fill in the stream or you're dredging the stream,   you would likely need a permit through US Army Corps of Engineers. Okay.   You could possibly need   it's not a permit. It's called a water quality certification through Ohio EPA. So if you're talking about doing work in a stream,   then it gets complicated. Then you're dealing with   with the feds at Army Corps of Engineer  

[00:56:50] Unknown:

and and the state USC or Ohio EPA. I think they're they're putting a golf course in across from my house. Uh-huh. They're on 222. Yes. I went to that zoning meeting. Uh-huh. And I think he wants to put a bridge somewhere. Okay. And I think he had to work with   the the core to Yes. I I'm I'm sure I'm sure. Yes. So what's what defines,   would you say, regulated? Yeah. Is that just whatever? That's that's an old that's that's a good question. And there's a lot of Is that a hard question to answer? Well,  

[00:57:18] Unknown:

so there   there are different types of streams. Okay. So you've got a perennial stream,   which carries water pretty much throughout the year. If you go if you have an exceptional drought, it may go dry. But for the most part, it's carrying water,   throughout the year.   Another category   of streams are intermittent streams.   They carry water intermittently,   parts of the year, usually the spring.   And then you have ephemerals.   Yeah. Ephemeral   streams, which carry water only   essentially after a rainfall. Right.   In the past, all of those streams could be regulated   by the Corps of Engineers.  

Okay. There was recently   a Supreme Court ruling   that basically   said   ephemeral streams aren't   regulated or jurisdiction   or straight into any of United States Supreme Court. Yes. Yes. Really? Yes. That's wild. That's something like that. So there is, yeah, there there's,   a lot of strong opinions   from   different sides on what should or should not be a jurisdictional   or a or regulated stream. Do you have any opinions  

[00:58:38] Unknown:

that that you wanna share publicly?  

[00:58:42] Unknown:

It's   I I don't mind sharing my opinions. They they they're just they get very   there there's different specifics. So that's I I think we need more time to get into my opinion. So That's fair enough. Yeah.  

[00:58:56] Unknown:

Well, I think we are running up against   the clock.   So I do wanna give you an opportunity to just, again, tell people who you are, what you do, and if there's any way that they can get involved or help out what you're doing. Sure. Sure. So yeah. We're Clermont Soil and Water.  

[00:59:13] Unknown:

Like I said at the outset, we work with all landowners in Clermont County to try to put conservation practices on the ground.   We are not regulatory.   We do not force landowners to do anything, but   we, we're there to educate.   We're there to help you   come up with plans.   If we're lucky enough, sometimes we can land grants to do larger restoration projects. So,   yeah, if   if anybody listening lives in Clermont County   and they are interested   in,   putting in a rain garden, protecting a a stream buffer,   improving drainage, improving your pond quality,   really anything soil and water related,   reach out to us. We'll we'll come out. And,   I would say the same goes,   if if you live in Hamilton, Warren, Butler, Brown,   they've got soil and water conservation districts too,   and they're always happy to help.  

As far as getting you involved,   through the year, we we, the big one we have coming up   in,   just a couple of weeks. It's,   I'm gonna check my calendar real quick while I'm talking because I forget the actual date, but the Ohio River sweep is coming up. We've got,   it's a volunteer litter cleanup along the banks of the Ohio.   We've got four sites,   I think New Richmond,   Moscow,   Neville, Shiloh,   on,   June 28, Saturday, June 28. Okay. And you can check our website for information on that.   Through   we,   do a spring litter cleanup, along the East Fork and other open space parks   in the spring.  

We have a conservation   plant sale,   in the spring in April where,   yeah,   we we sell   plants that, can help people reforest small wood lots or protect the stream bank or or just build their,  

[01:01:17] Unknown:

their native garden. Like   a bunch of plants out here and people can come and buy them? Yep. And and they're they're not  

[01:01:23] Unknown:

they're not what you would see in a nursery. So they're they're for for the trees we sell, they're seedlings. They're just little sticks, little whips. Mhmm.  

[01:01:31] Unknown:

Perennials, they're just plugs. So they're small guys. But So don't come here expecting, you know, like a a nursery.  

[01:01:38] Unknown:

Right. Right. Yeah. But but,   with their small, they're cheaper, so you get more.   Yeah. We we've got different events through the years. There's opportunities   to volunteer through us.   If you're interested   in rain gardens,   there is a Greater Cincinnati   Master Rain Gardener   course that's host that's held two times a year, spring and fall. Okay. And we, Claremont Soil and Water, are hosting,   the fall twenty five, course. So if you're interested in rain gardens   and want to learn to become a master rain gardener, check our website. You can registration is open now. It's it it it's fun class. Yeah. Yeah. What do you have I don't wanna keep you too long, but what what do you learn? I guess, just how to, like, rain garden. Yeah. Everything   from   siting a rain garden, finding out where it should go, sizing the rain garden,   what plants to use,   how to measure the infiltration rate. Yeah. You you truly become a master rain gardener after this class. That's  

[01:02:44] Unknown:

I might come to that class   even though I hate gardening.   Alright. Well, I know you have to go. So I will call this a successful podcast, and just thank you very much for doing this. Okay. Thanks. Thanks for having me. Thank you. Alright.   I hope you enjoyed the interview, and thanks to John, for sitting down and and talking with us.   Like I said in the intro, it was a a great conversation, and we're we're definitely gonna have to have him back on. I know they do a lot of different projects, and,   they have a lot of different kind of educational things. So,   we'll have him on to to check-in and see how how he's doing over there at the soil and water district, sometime in the future.  

So like like we always do, we'll we'll talk about some, events going on around the county. And as a quick note, there's tons of fourth of July events, and happy fourth of July,   to everybody out there.   But if if I were to go through all of the fourth of July events, this   section would probably last an hour.   So,   needless to say, if you're looking for fourth of July event, it probably isn't hard to find one.   So we're gonna start with, knee high naturalists,   nests.   This is on July 5   from ten to 11AM at Clingman Park,   and it's a preschool nature hour. There's gonna be stories and crafts, a little mini adventure,   focused on how birds build nests. So I've said in the past season, I'd I've been meaning to take maybe this will be the one.  

I've been meaning to take, my daughter, Olive, to one of these, and,   she really likes birds. So   maybe this will be the one. I hope it is.   There'll be open cockpit day, July 5, from, 11AM to 12:30PM   at the Tri State Warbird Museum in Batavia.   So you you get to climb into World War two, aircraft cockpits,   and get a pilot's eye view of history, which is really cool.   There is a price to it, but it it's included with the museum admission. So if you go to the museum, you pay your admission price,   and then you'll be able to climb into these these World War two aircraft.   The cardboard boat, Regatta,   shout out to Tom Lemon,   is gonna be on July 5 at 1PM   at the Augusta Street Boat Ramp in new, New Richmond Riverfront.  

And you actually listen to the podcast about that, and you can hear all about what the cardboard boat regatta is. But in short,   a bunch of people make,   boats out of cardboard, tape, and glue, I believe,   and then they race 150 yards down the Ohio River,   in which it seems like a really great event. And I'm I am gonna have to try to go to that because I'd I'd I'd love to see, see actually, to be honest, I'd love to see the people that sink because that would be, very, very funny.   Alright. So we have intro to butterflies   on July 10 at 7PM at Clingman Park.  

It's gonna be a park naturalist and they're gonna cover eight common Ohio species of butterfly,   host plants,   and how to log sightings   for the next week's countywide count. And there'll be more on that in just a minute,   and they'll have field guides provided. So,   you get to go and you get to learn about butterflies and how to identify them, which is, pretty cool.   Forged jewelweed   salve on July 11 from 6PM to 8PM at Clingman Park.   So after a short off trail hike,   to collect some   jewelweed stems and full disclosure, I have no idea what jewelweed is.   But after you collect some, you're gonna simmer it, strain it, and pour an old fashioned salve and apparently, it can soothe   poison ivy rash and bug bites. And you're gonna get a little take home tin   too, which sounds really cool.  

They do tell you to wear some long pants and some old shoes because obviously, you're gonna be off trail and hiking through the, through the woods.   Yoga in the park, July 12 at 9AM   at Sycamore Park. It's a gentle one hour session,   right next to Little Miami River led by certified instructor.   They do tell you to bring a mat or a towel as is pretty common with yoga.   And all skill levels are are welcome. So if you're inexperienced or you just wanna get into yoga,   you know, you can go to this event and, kinda learn the ropes, I suppose. And even if you're advanced, I'm sure they'll be able to,   tailor the yoga so that you're you're not bored.  

There's a Loveland concert in the park with Blacktop   Rodeo, July 12, 6PM to 8PM   at the Nisbett Park Amphitheater.   And Blacktop Rodeo is a Cincinnati country rock quintet,   that brings pedal steel twang and three part harmonies.   So you can grab some dinner from downtown.   They're it's part of the Dora District, so you can have some, you know, alcoholic beverages   in the lawn, and you can bring your dog as long as it is leashed.   Miami township concert, Sycamore Community Band. This is gonna be July 12 from 6PM to 8PM,   at the Community Park on Buckwheat Road.  

And this is a 60 piece concert band, and it's gonna mix patriotic marches with Christmas in July melodies.   And halfway through the set, I guess Santa's gonna show up for photos. So that's nice that they can they can get him from the North Pole.   Might be a little warm for him, so hopefully Santa's wearing some shorts.   They tell you pack a picnic,   and there's gonna be Kona ice truck, and the event is free.   Bat and moth night hike on July 16 from 9PM to 10:30PM   at the Kathleen Stagmoor Park in Goshen. I hope I pronounced that right.   So you're gonna walk some lantern lit trails with a naturalist, and they've got handheld detectors that can hear   ultrasonic   bat calls,   and you can look at some moth species.  

They're gonna have these UV sheets, so the moths will,   be drawn to them and you can look at these different species.   It is family friendly. They tell you to bring a flashlight and it is completely free.   There's another sweetheart stroll on July 18 at 08:30PM at Clingman Park.   Like all the other sweetheart strolls, you get a pick up a lantern at the trail a lantern and a map at the trailer. You won't wanna get lost. That would be bad. That would be a bad date to get lost in the middle of Clement Park.   But you get a a lantern and a map at the trailhead, and then you just take a leisurely walk, through the park,   under firefly lit oaks. So that sounds great.  

And, obviously, it's good for couples or quiet family   walks, and it is free.   We have hoots and hops   on July 18 from 6PM to 10PM at the Cincinnati Nature Center.   Obviously,   hops is referencing beer. So this is an adult only event.   But there's gonna be four beer sample stations,   and a ticket includes one pour from each of these stations.   There'll be some food trucks. There'll be some acute acoustic   acute acoustic   acoustic   music,   on the stone terrace   and a, night orchard glow trails,   to, and a meet the owl encounter. So you get to meet some owls and drink some beer. And all the proceeds for this is gonna support a wildlife rehab program.   Tickets are $50 and,   it's only advanced sale. So you can't just show up and get a ticket. You gotta get it beforehand.  

Alright. So the annual butterfly count, this is what I told you we talk about in a little bit. It's July 19 from 9AM to noon, and it starts at Shore Park, but you go through a couple different parks, I believe.   And you're gonna receive an ID sheet and you're gonna split into teams covering Shore, Sycamore, and Clingman Parks. And you're gonna log species for the North American Butterfly Association,   which is,   I think, pretty cool.   And there's gonna be a data wrap up and popsicles. So, I mean, who doesn't like a popsicle?   They do tell you bring water and a sun hat because it's, you know, it's in July, so it's gonna be very hot.  

But it is a free event.   Miami Township concert, Andy Rush on July 19 from 6PM to 8PM at Miami Riverview Park.   It's a Andy Rush is a local loop artist, so he layers jazz guitar, pop vocals, and beatbox   beatbox rhythms   into a full band sound.   There will be some food trucks there. They tell you to bring some lawn chairs unless for some reason you like standing,   and it is a free event.   And last but certainly not least, Clermont County Fair is here.   The opening day is on July 20. I had a little bit of trouble finding what's actually gonna happen on July 20 because if you go to the website,   it was just it was difficult to find.  

But it does start on the twentieth.   I'm not sure what time it starts.   We'll obviously be at the fairgrounds.   So that's a I I love the county fair. So I will certainly be going to that.   Alright. That's all we have from events. And like we said in the intro, well, we wanna hear from you. We wanna hear what's going on in your community. We wanna hear,   you know, what you're what you're excited about, what you're worried about, you know,   just whatever's going on. Let us know. And, like I've said, if it's an interesting note, we'll read it on air.   And, like I also said in the intro, we are a value for value podcast, which means if you find value in what we're doing,   all we ask is for a little value in yet you show us a little value in return in the form of time, talent, or treasure.  

You can find us on Facebook at Let's Talk Claremont podcast. We're on Instagram at Let's Talk Claremont,   and you can email us,   at info@Let'sTalkClermont.com.   And like I mentioned,   we started a newsletter. So if you wanna   see see exactly what we're gonna do with that newsletter, go sign up for that on the website at let'stalkclaremont.com.   Alright. So we're gonna end, with another Olivism. Olivism is my five year old daughter who from well, not from time to time, actually quite frequently   says,   what I think are pretty crazy things. So   for this all of ism, it was, my wife was out at dinner with a friend and I was putting her to bed. And when we go to bed, we typically are in the bedroom and we are watching a show.  

And, I put Dominic down, and I come back in, and she's sitting in the bed. And she looks at me and she says, dad, I'm gonna put on a girl show, and I don't wanna hear any sass.   And,   I, you know, I didn't give her any sass about that. So,   well, that's all we've got for today. I appreciate you listening,   and we will see you for the next one.