OTWWAY—After a week of frequent downpours, the Friends of Scioto Brush Creek are postponing the annual Scioto Brush Creek Sweep that was planned for Saturday, May 18. Those who registered should have received a cancellation notice stating that the new date for the event will be June 1.

“Due to current unstable water levels and conditions caused by all the rain we are getting, it has been decided to postpone Saturday’s Scioto Brush Creek Sweep,” McCallister said. “Hopefully, the new date will allow some who previously couldn’t participate due to family commitments, graduations etc. on May 18th to register to participate on June 1. Everyone, even those previously registered for May 18 date, need to confirm your participation on June 1st by contacting the Adams Soil & Water Conservation District office at 937.544.1010, Monday-Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to register for the new date. Even if you plan to bring your own boats, we need to know you are coming for logistical reasons. “

Last year’s creek sweep launched 12 canoes filled with individuals to clean a two-mile stretch of Scioto Brush Creek, removing discarded tires, furniture, and trash. As they paddled, they stopped along the way to pry loose tires from mud, excavate them from waist-deep waters, and even loaded a door-less, discarded safe into a boat. Folks were stacking their boats with trash and using careful precision to balance the temperamental canoes on the water of Scioto Brush to foster a healthier environment for the ecosystem.

“Each year, a new section of the stream is selected to remove trash,” McCallister said of this year’s cleanup. “FoSBC members will pre-float that year’s identified section closer to the float date to make sure there are no safety hazards. We are exploring put in and take out locations and securing permission from private landowners to stage the event.

“The stream itself is an amazing, exceptional, warm water habitat in the state of Ohio and this section we had not swept in ten years, so it was a long time coming,” McCallister said. “It is home to a lot of rare, endangered and threatened species in this particular section and we were excited to get the trash out of there that needed removed so the area can be conducive to the animals that live in that watershed.”

When volunteers for the sweep are not cleaning, they are finding baby snapping turtles, mudpuppies, otters, and wild fish and birds.

While 16 years is a long time to navigate the waters of this cleanup, Jody and her husband, Martin McCallister, who helps lead the efforts, are excited to see it only growing in size and impact.

“It is amazing in and of itself that we’ve been doing it for 15 years and are only growing. The first year we did this, we, maybe, had seven or eight paddlers. This year, we had 22 altogether, so, it is growing every year. I think the most important thing is getting people on the stream that aren’t familiar with it. We had folks there from Waverly, a lot of people from Adams County, one gentleman from Cincinnati; not only were local folks there, but people further out, because Scioto Brush Creek has this Ohio reputation of being an exceptional warm water habitat,” McCallister said of last year. “Getting people on the actual stream and seeing the mudpuppies and even an otter is just, I don’t know, it inspires people.”

The sweep is open to a variety of individuals ready to make a difference, regardless of paddling experience. In fact, the groups spend just as much time out of boats cleaning as they do in boats.

“Safety is a key factor on the Sweep. Experienced paddlers present a safety and skills orientation for all participants before entering the water and personal flotation devices are required,” McCallister said. “Being an experienced paddler or swimmer is not a requirement to participate. We will work with all participants to partner less experienced paddlers with someone with more experience. All children must be accompanied by an adult.”

The FoSBC partners with the Adams Soil and Water Conservation District, who supply the canoes, equipment, and safety instructions, as well as Lawrence Scioto Solid Waste Management District who provide support by properly disposing of all the trash that is removed from the watershed by volunteers.

Follow Friends of Scioto Brush Creek on Facebook to stay updated on their efforts and events.

If you would like to help in the group’s efforts to improve the water quality of Scioto Brush Creek, you can register for the 2024 SBC Sweep by calling the Adams SWCD office at 937.544.1010. The event is scheduled for Saturday, May 18. If water levels or weather conditions are not favorable for a safe float, the group will reschedule the event.

Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2024 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved.