The
“Watershed Approach” has come to the immediate Firelands
Area with the reception of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources
(ODNR) Watershed Coordinator Grant issued to the Friends of
Old Woman Creek to initiate the Firelands Coastal Tributaries
Watershed Program. With this grant, a watershed coordinator
position was created to oversee the development of a community
driven management plan for the Old Woman Creek Watershed as
well as increase watershed stewardship awareness throughout
the Firelands Coastal Tributaries Area. (Click
here for our brochure).
What are the Firelands Coastal Tributaries do you ask?
Much
of Erie County’s drainage empties directly into the Sandusky
Bay and Lake Erie through tributaries that do not connect to
larger river systems. These systems have an extensive drainage
area that needs to be broken down into sub-watersheds (“top-down”
approach) for effective management. The partners of this program
understood that each small watershed in our Firelands Area is
unique and will also need special attention for effective management.
Because our tributaries do not combine into larger river systems
they must be managed separately, using a “ground up”
approach for management. The goal for this program is to begin
management of the Old Woman Creek Watershed and eventually encompass
additional tributaries in the area to reduce non-point source
pollution entering Lake Erie.
Supporters
of the Firelands Coastal Tributaries Watershed Program provide
technical assistance for the development of the Watershed Action
Plan for Old Woman Creek and the financial means for a grant
funded watershed coordinator to oversee the process.
