Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) officials recently held a meeting for stakeholders including elected officials, economic development representatives, trail groups, and state and local officials in Cambridge, Ohio. The MWCD is seeking funding from Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) Grant Program funds to build a world-class trail system at its Wills Creek property located in Coshocton County, Ohio. If funding is awarded through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ (ODNR) Division of Mineral Resources Management (DMRM), MWCD plans to convert abandoned mine lands into an area that the public can safely recreate. This trail system will also bring economic development to the surrounding communities.

“Outdoor recreation is a growing industry throughout the country, and our region is no exception,” said Craig Butler, MWCD executive director.  “We are working to diversify outdoor recreation opportunities and believe this proposed trail system, along with the Bailey’s trail in Chauncey, Ohio and the trails on/near our lands in Ashland and Richland Counties will become a world-class ‘Triangle of Trails’, attracting families from across the region and country to enjoy.”

This initial kick-off meeting provided an opportunity for attendees to better understand MWCD’s projected plans in the Wills Creek watershed. MWCD owns over 6,500 acres of contiguous land after acquiring a total of 2,761 acres in 2020 and 2021 from American Electric Power. The proposed project is estimated to have a footprint of 500-600 acres, with future phases extending across our lands.

“The exact size and layout of the trail system is to be determined and would be part of the planning phase that this grant would fund,” said Dylan Sayre, MWCD trails coordinator. “The suggested plan would be the first phase of a trail system that would extend to over 100 miles of trails in the future.”

MWCD shared with attendees that the current plan would use funds to design and build 10-15 miles of world-class hiking and biking trails. Funding would also be used to construct a trailhead, parking, primitive campgrounds, restrooms, and install infrastructure for the facilities.

Additional MWCD work includes continued conversations with ODNR-DMRM to reclaim structures, such as high walls and open mine shafts. This work would be made possible by utilizing the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Program funds in conjunction with AMLER funds to develop the trail facilities. Reclaiming the area will mitigate the environmental and safety hazards left behind by the coal mining operations that were once prevalent in the area. Reclamation will provide the grounds needed to build a quality trail system while making the area safer for others that use the area for other activities such as hunting and fishing.

The grant application for funding is due in September. Should money be awarded, project design and planning could begin as early as 2023.

The Board of Directors of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) recently approved the tenth grant of the year which brings MWCD grant funding in 2016 to over $500,000. The grant program, called Partners in Watershed Management (PWM), provides for the use of maintenance assessment funds to assist local communities, groups, and organizations in implementing water quality projects, flood reduction and mitigation programs, and watershed education efforts throughout the 18 county Conservancy District. This highly successful program was instituted in 2009 and has provided over $5.6 million in grant funding for 79 projects throughout the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District. For every $1 granted by MWCD in 2016 another $2.75 of funding is leveraged from other funding sources for the specified water quality projects. The ten projects approved for PWM grant funding in 2016 include the following:

Applications and eligibility requirements for the PWM grant program can be found on the District’s website at www.mwcd.org.

Nine grants worth nearly $16,000 have been approved by the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy Foundation (MWCF) for environmental education, law enforcement and safety equipment, and park amenities.

Grant assistance has been approved by the MWCF Board of Trustees for the following projects:

• $1,000 to the Muskingum County Soil and Water Conservation District to support the Kids Conservation Camp, a biweekly summer environmental education program.
• $2,250 to the Tappan Lake Volunteer Fire Department to purchase a rapid deployment craft for its Regional Dive Team to provide enhanced rescue capabilities.
• $2,861 to Charles Mill Lake Park to purchase an automated external defibrillator and picnic table for the Messerly Recreation Center.
• $1,848 to Charles Mill Lake Park to purchase window treatments for the Messerly Recreation Center.
• $600 to the Buckeye Hills Resource Conservation and Development Council for updating and printing the Ohio Mineland Partnership informational brochure.
• $1,080 to Charles Mill Lake Park to purchase patrol and surveillance binoculars for Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) rangers at Charles Mill Lake Park and Pleasant Hill Lake Park.
• $498 to Charles Mill Lake Park to purchase safety steps for the activity stage.
• $4,500 to Charles Mill Lake Park to purchase vinyl roll-up doors for the Messerly Recreation Center.
• $1,000 to Charles Mill Lake Park to install a monument to memorialize former MWCD Ranger James R. Pitney.

In another matter, the MWCF Board of Trustees announced its 16^th Annual Golf Outing will be held Aug. 14 at Oak Shadows Golf Club in New Philadelphia. The event currently has 11 Gold Sponsors: DLZ Corp., Hull and Associates, W.E. Quicksall and Associates, Beaver Excavating, Chesapeake Energy, Pissocra-Mathias Realty, Hammontree and Associates, MS Consultants, URS, Stantec Consulting Services and KeyBank.

Team registration is no longer available, as the maximum number of teams has registered for this outing.

For more details about the golf outing or to learn more about exciting sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.muskingumfoundation.org, or contact Nick Lautzenheiser toll-free at (877) 363-8500 Ext. 2506.

The MWCF is a publicly supported charitable organization organized in 1996 that is dedicated to supporting the mission of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD). While the MWCF is completely independent from the MWCD, with its own Board of Trustees, it has developed charitable funds that support improvements and programs on and around MWCD facilities. Since 2004, the MWCF Board of Trustees has awarded more than $286,000 for 57 projects in and around the Muskingum Watershed.

The MWCD, a political subdivision of the state, was organized in 1933 to develop and implement a plan to reduce flooding and conserve water for beneficial public uses in the Muskingum River Watershed, the largest wholly contained watershed in Ohio. Since their construction, the 16 reservoirs and dams in the MWCD region have been credited for saving an estimated $11.1 billion worth of potential property damage from flooding, according to the federal government, as well as providing popular recreational opportunities that bolster the region’s economy. A significant portion of the reservoirs are managed by the MWCD and the dams are managed for flood-risk management by the federal U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

For more information about the MWCD, visit www.mwcd.org and follow the MWCD on Facebook and Twitter.

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Four grants worth nearly $6,200 have been approved by the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy Foundation (MWCF) for programs to be conducted at the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) lakes.

Grant assistance has been approved by the MWCF Board of Trustees for the following projects:

* $1,080 to purchase 60 signs for locations at the lakes to promote the MWCD’s “Dock Watch” theft prevention program.

* $1,850 for the purchase of eight rechargeable flashlights for rangers and a cage for a law enforcement vehicle at the MWCD’s Charles Mill and Pleasant Hill lake parks.

* $1,300 for law enforcement training for rangers at Charles Mill and Pleasant Hill lake parks.

* $1,959 to assist with the purchases of a safety boat and 15 pairs of binoculars for FFA Camp Muskingum located on Leesville Lake.

The Board of Trustees also announced that the 15^th Annual MWCF Golf Outing will be held on Aug. 15 at Oak Shadows Golf Club at New Philadelphia.

In another matter, the MWCF Board of Trustees re-elected James Schoch of New Philadelphia in Tuscarawas County as chairman, Harry Horstman of Scio in Harrison County as vice chairman and Faye Heston of Canton in Stark County as secretary-treasurer.

Trustees also appointed John Davis of the Scio area in Carroll County as a new member of the Board of Trustees.  Davis, a former educator and Carroll County commissioner, also spent 20 years as the director of FFA Camp Muskingum at Leesville Lake.

The MWCF is a publicly supported charitable organization initially organized in 1996 that is dedicated to supporting the mission of the MWCD. While the MWCF is completely independent from the MWCD, with its own Board of Trustees, it has developed charitable funds that support improvements and programs on and around MWCD facilities.

Some of the other projects it has funded or assisted in funding include development of a dog park at Atwood Lake Park, a new ranger cruiser at Charles Mill Lake Park, play equipment at various locations, safety and response equipment for a ranger cruiser at Pleasant Hill Lake Park, courtesy boat docks at Tappan Lake, an oil tank for FFA Camp Muskingum located at Leesville Lake, automated external defibrillator (AED) devices at many MWCD facilities, a multi-purpose trail plan for the Atwood Lake region, a weather warning system for the Seneca Lake Park region and ice rescue equipment for the Village of Carrollton. Since 2008, more than $100,000 has been awarded by the MWCF for projects.

In addition to Davis, members of the MWCF Board of Trustees are the following:

James Schoch, chairman – a resident of Tuscarawas County and a retired banker, Schoch is a member of Atwood Yacht Club and also serves as the treasurer and executive board member of the Eastern Ohio Development Alliance.

Harry Horstman, vice chairman – a resident of Harrison County, Horstman also is a member of the MWCD Board of Directors, served as a member and former chairman of the Development Advisory Committee of the MWCD, and managed Camp Aldersgate located at Leesville Lake for 30 years.

Faye Heston, secretary/treasurer – a resident of Stark County who has served on the boards of various community service organizations, Heston also is a former member of the Development Advisory Committee of the MWCD.

Jim Bates – a resident of Guernsey County and former camper at Seneca Lake Park, Bates also served as a member and former chairman of the Development Advisory Committee of the MWCD.

Bob Blanke – a resident of Harrison County and a retired metropolitan parks official, Blanke also has served as a member and former chairman of the Development Advisory Committee of the MWCD.

John M. Hoopingarner – a resident of Tuscarawas County, Hoopingarner is the executive director of the MWCD.

Leslie Hudson-Carper – a resident of Summit County, Hudson-Carper is a financial advisor and has been an active sailor at Atwood Lake for many years.

David Parham – a resident of the Atwood Lake area, Parham also is a member of the MWCD Board of Directors.

For more details about the foundation, including donation options, visit www.muskingumfoundation.org or contact Nick Lautzenheiser toll-free at (877) 363-8500 Ext. 2256.

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Nine community projects located throughout the 18-county Muskingum River Watershed region will receive a total of $750,000 in funding this year from the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District’s (MWCD) “Partners in Watershed Management” grant program.

The MWCD Board of Directors recently approved the grants that assist local groups, organizations and communities in implementing water quality projects, flood reduction and mitigation programs, and watershed education efforts throughout the region.

Since the inception of the Partners in Watershed Management program in 2009, the MWCD has awarded a total of 37 grants worth more than $3 million to approved programs and projects. The goal of the Partners in Watershed Management program is to provide a portion of the overall funding needed for approved projects, permitting eligible recipients to access other grants and partnering efforts.

“Over the four years of our projects, we are very pleased on the return on the MWCD investment, which is greater than a four-to-one margin,” said Boris E. Slogar, MWCD chief engineer. “This is exactly as the program was envisioned and developed, so that MWCD funding leverages local dollars to get important projects completed.”

Individual projects approved for 2013 in the Partners in Watershed Management program, the amount funded by the MWCD and the overall project cost are as follows:

City of Massillon, Stark County – modification of levee, $350,000 as part of a $2.048 million project.

Stark Parks, Stark County – water quality educational program, $35,000 as part of a $75,000 project.

Harrison County Commissioners – regional sewer system feasibility study for the Piedmont Lake region, $8,000 as part of a $10,000 project.

 Huff Run Watershed, Tuscarawas County – environmental education program, $25,000 as part of a $37,898 project.

Noble County Commissioners – sewer system design in Seneca Lake area residential area, $85,000 as part of a $210,000 project.

Friends of Lower Muskingum River, Morgan County – Muskingum River (Luke Chute) bank stabilization study, $10,000 as part of a $48,000 project.

Village of Malvern, Carroll County – Big Sandy Creek bank stabilization, $115,000 as part of a $153,618 project.

City of Canton, Stark County – Nimishillen Creek restoration, $60,000 as part of a $88,100 project.

Richland County Engineer – Pavonia East Road bridge replacement, $62,000 as part of a $704,000 project.

Projects are funded through proceeds from the assessment of property owners collected by the MWCD to provide for the safe and effective operation of the system of reservoirs and dams in the Muskingum River Watershed for flood reduction and water conservation.

Applications for Partners in Watershed Management projects are accepted by the MWCD with a deadline of Nov. 29, 2013, for projects in 2014. For details and application materials, visit the MWCD’s website at www.mwcd.org.

The MWCD, a political subdivision of the state, was organized in 1933 to develop and implement a plan to reduce flooding and conserve water for beneficial public uses in the Muskingum River Watershed, the largest wholly contained watershed in Ohio. Since their construction, the 16 reservoirs and dams in the MWCD region have been credited for saving more than $10 billion worth of potential property damage from flooding, according to the federal government, as well as providing popular recreational opportunities that bolster the region’s economy. A significant portion of the reservoirs are managed by the MWCD and the dams are managed for flood-risk management by the federal U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

For more information about the MWCD, visit www.mwcd.org and follow the MWCD on Facebook and Twitter.

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An advisory committee consisting of experts in watershed planning will assist the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) with the review of proposals for funding from the MWCD “Partners in Watershed Management Project Assistance Program.”

“The Technical Review Advisory Committee will be a great asset in the process of identifying and prioritizing projects for consideration under the program,” said Boris E. Slogar, MWCD chief engineer. “Experts in the field of floodplain management, watershed management and water quality, dam safety and flood control, and green best management practices will serve on this committee to evaluate proposals as part of the selection and prioritization process.”

Members of the MWCD Board of Directors approved the creation of the volunteer advisory committee during a recent meeting held on the campus of Kent State University-Tuscarawas at New Philadelphia. Board members will receive the recommendations of the advisory committee for consideration and approval of grant awards as part of the MWCD’s Amendment to the Official Plan.

Up to eight members will be appointed to the advisory committee by the Board of Directors and will meet at least annually with Slogar to review proposals in the watershed partners program, Slogar said.

In an effort to support the work of agencies and groups involved in conservation programs, water quality issues, and flood reduction and mitigation projects, MWCD developed the watershed partners program. It provides assistance to local communities, agencies and groups involved in projects and programs that support the conservation and flood-reduction aspects of the mission of the MWCD.

In 2009, the MWCD has awarded funding to projects for the reduction of the flow of pollutants and aluminum into Piedmont Reservoir, for the removal of homes from a floodplain region in Carroll County, and for a flood reduction and water quality project in Stark County.

The MWCD, a political subdivision of the state of Ohio, was organized in 1933 to develop and implement a plan to reduce flooding and conserve water for public uses in the Muskingum River Watershed, leading to the construction of 14 reservoirs and dams several years later. The MWCD is a partner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in the operation of the system of dams and reservoirs in the watershed, as the USACE operates the dams and the MWCD manages most of the reservoir areas behind the dams.

Since their construction, the dams and reservoirs have prevented more than $7 billion worth of property damage from flooding, according to the USACE.

The 18 counties wholly or partially contained in the MWCD jurisdiction are Ashland, Belmont, Carroll, Coshocton, Guernsey, Holmes, Harrison, Knox, Licking, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Richland, Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas, Wayne and Washington.

For more details, visit www.mwcd.org.