A Practicum Addressing the Needs of the Friends of Scioto Brush Creek: a Community Driven Watershed Organization

ABSTRACT

A PRACTICUM ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF THE FRIENDS OF SCIOTO BRUSH CREEK: A COMMUNITY DRIVEN WATERSHED ORGANIZATION

By Ryan F. McClay

This paper reports on the activities surrounding the author’s involvement in a community based watershed organization in southern Ohio. Detailed are the steps and processes of providing a useful set of tools and recommendations to assist the Friends of Scioto Brush Creek in meeting their stated objectives. Several aspects of social marketing and group dynamics are discussed and positive results reported. A PRACTICUM ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF THE FRIENDS OF SCIOTO BRUSH CREEK: A COMMUNITY DRIVEN WATERSHED ORGANIZATION

A Practicum Report

Submitted to the faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment for the requirements for Master of Environmental Science Institute of Environmental Sciences

by Ryan F. McClay Miami University Oxford, Ohio 2005

APPROVED

Advisor ______Dr. Mark Boardman Reader______Dr. Donna McCollum Reader______Dr. Adolph Greenberg TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 ...... 1

BACKGROUND INFORMATION...... 1 PRACTICUM DEVELOPMENT ...... 3 PROJECT SCOPE ...... 6 WATERSHED OVERVIEW ...... 7

CHAPTER 2 ...... 10

FRIENDS OF SCIOTO BRUSH CREEK WEBSITE...... 10 Rationale...... 10 What is a CMS? ...... 10 CMS Choice ...... 11 CMS Structure...... 12 Implemented CMS Features...... 12

CHAPTER 3 ...... 14

PROMOTIONAL AUDIO-VISUAL PRODUCTION ...... 14 Rationale...... 14 Methods...... 14

CHAPTER 4 ...... 17

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FRIENDS OF SCIOTO BRUSH CREEK...... 17 Background...... 17 Recommendations and Rationale...... 17 Future Direction ...... 19 PRESENTATION ...... 21

CHAPTER 5 ...... 22

PROJECT EFFECTS ...... 22 July 6th meeting ...... 22 August 14th meeting...... 22 2005 Rarden Whitetail Deer Festival ...... 22 October 8th meeting...... 23 SUMMARY ...... 23

APPENDIX A ...... 24

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 1. TIMELINE OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE PRACTICUM...... 4 TABLE 2. CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FUNCTIONS...... 11 TABLE 3. FOUR STAGES AND FOUR CHALLENGES OF ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT...... 20

iii

LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1. LAND USE/LAND COVER FOR THE SCIOTO BRUSH CREEK WATERSHED...... 9

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

It is with great pleasure I acknowledge the helpful input from Dr. Mark Boardman and my graduate committee members, Dr. Adolph Greenberg and Dr. Donna McCollum. Likewise I wish to thank Dr. David Todt as an advisor and excellent resource for gaining insight into the dynamics of the Shawnee Nature Club and the Friends of Scioto Brush Creek. In addition, the Graduate School deserves acknowledgement for their willingness to support the pursuit of this project. I would also especially like to thank the members of the Friends of Scioto Brush Creek as without their input and constant encouragement project would not have been possible. Finally, Dr. Gene Willeke as the director of IES deserves special recognition for granting the opportunity to complete this project after a lengthy delay on my part.

Chapter 1

Background Information

Scioto Brush Creek is a rural watershed in Scioto and Adams Counties in southern Ohio with few environmental impacts. It has an intact riparian corridor and its water is classified as Special High Quality Water by the Ohio EPA1. Its fish species diversity is incredible with 71 identified species and 69 documented extant species. Of all of the streams in Ohio, Scioto Brush Creek is the most like pre-settlement in fish variety. The drainage basin also includes a number of federal and state listed terrestrial and aquatic species.

The watershed faces little in the way of development pressures and contains only marginal industry aside from agriculture. The primary threats to the watershed that have been identified at this point are failing or non-existent residential septic systems, poor livestock practices, and potential unregulated construction or development. 2

The Friends of Scioto Brush Creek (FoSBC) is a group working “to maintain and improve the water quality of Scioto Brush Creek through education, awareness, and involvement of local residents.”3 The FoSBC is a sub-committee of the Shawnee Nature Club (SNC), a 501c3 organization started almost 50 years ago as a bird watching group. It is now primarily a social club and nature study group. The FoSBC is the most active part of the SNC. The stated mission of the SNC is “to promote interest in all phases of nature, both as a hobby and as a science; to further study in various fields of nature; and to sponsor programs leading to the conservation and preservation of plant and animal life.” As it is a sub-committee, all participants in the FoSBC are members of the SNC. Additional members of the SNC could be called upon to serve in and work with the FoSBC. The committee

1 http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/rules/antidegHQlist_july03.pdf 2 Personal Communication, Martin McAllister, ODNR Field Officer, 12/13/2004. 3 Personal Communication, Martin McAllister, ODNR Field Officer, 12/14/2004.

1 had 15 members originally, but it has since decreased to 7 via attrition and disinterest. This is not surprising given that most members of the SNC are not impacted by the activities of the FoSBC group.

The FoSBC hold the Scioto Brush Creek Days event every year and have done so for the past 6 years. This event focuses on educating 5th grade students as a method of influencing future land owners as well as current landowners through knowledge transfer from the students. The Scioto Brush Creek Days involves students from Northwest Local Schools in entertaining learning activities.

The students pass through three teaching stations staffed by professional educators and Department of Natural Resources personnel. First is the “predator-prey” activity where food chain relationships, limiting factors, and impacts on the riparian corridor are emphasized in a “tag” style game. The second station involves the demonstration of electro-taxis techniques to sample fish populations. The final station educates the students in macro-invertebrate sampling and diversity as an indicator of stream quality.

The FoSBC group in conjunction with township trustees coordinates additional activities including stream cleanup events. They also promote public awareness via displays at community events. They have procured a booth at the Scioto County Fair in past years, but have found that the most effective outreach is the Rarden Whitetail Deer Festival. Rarden is a community in the heart of the watershed and is impacted by the stream; positively as a recreation resource and negatively by flooding.

The FoSBC desire a pro-active approach to watershed management. Its goal is to prevent degradation while still being sensitive to the economic needs of the region. They would like to be the “go-to” group in this area for environmental issues in the watershed. The FoSBC would also like to be able to secure funding for Best Management Practices (BMPs) for agricultural activity in the watershed as well as to assist in funding proper septic structures.

The group has considered and rejected pursuing state or national scenic river status for the Scioto Brush Creek, even though its diversity and uniqueness might warrant such action. The primary reason for not working for scenic river status is because of a history of negative and bad publicity that occurred in neighboring Ohio Brush Creek during such an attempt for that watershed. Such a status is also not directly compatible with the FoSBC mission as they want to be a community driven watershed group and not one that is seen as having governmental oversight.

Practicum Development

I had known about the Friends of Scioto Brush Creek group through a booth that they had procured at the local county fair. Living near the watershed and having enjoyed its resources, I was naturally interested. I had discussed a number of projects working in other areas with Martin McAllister, an employee of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and member of the FoSBC over the years that could be used to complete the research component of the M.En. degree at Miami University, but nothing ever developed. Finally, a casual conversation presented the idea of working with the FoSBC group in an area of personal expertise, Internet technologies. Over a period of several months, the needs and desires of the FoSBC were made known to me and I incorporated them in the development of my project.

The development of this practicum started with face to face meetings. Despite these meetings and attending of a few of the SNC meetings, it took a while to determine the course of action that would best serve the FoSBC. Meetings were hard to organize and there seemed little interest from the group in my assistance. These difficulties illustrated some of the aspects in which the FoSBC could best be served by my involvement. See table 3 for a timeline of the events leading up to and including the conclusion of the practicum.

I enrolled in the Ohio Watershed Academy conducted by the Ohio State University Extension service during the fall of 2004. The intent was to utilize the Academy as a framework for

3 conducting the practicum. During the initial meeting of the Academy, I developed a tentative plan to provide a database of resources available in the Scioto Brush Creek watershed. Such a catalog did not exist in any meaningful format and could be used to market the inherent value and uniqueness of the watershed. At the same time, I intended to compile a list of stakeholders within the watershed to provide a pool for inclusion in the FoSBC. These initial ideas were modified and eventually discarded upon subsequent meetings with the group.

Date/Event Comments 8/16/2004 Email communication with Martin McAllister Initial email brainstorm session to identify a potential project. Ice storm impacts on nature reserves mentioned. FoSBC mentioned as an afterthought. 9/1/2004 Face to face meeting at home of Martin McAllister Needs of FoSBC mentioned. Concept of need for web site and/or water quality studies on stream developed. 11/12/2004 Communication with Joe Bonnell Introduced to Ohio Watershed Academy (OWA), did not know this existed. 11/15/2004 Communication with David Todt Introduced myself, knew of him, but didn’t know if he knew me. Asked him to be advisor for project and his involvement with SNC 11/16/2004 First meeting of OWA At this point, I still hadn’t met anyone from FoSBC except Mr. McAllister. Determined to create a database of resources as part of project 12/6-12/15/2004 Email communication with Martin McAllister Attempted to gain insights into the group via email for OWA assignments. Not able to schedule a group meet. 12/21/2004 SNC meeting Learned the “social” and not activist nature of SNC 1/2005 Scheduled FoSBC meeting Canceled due to family illness of primary members 3/5/2005 Scheduled FoSBC meeting Canceled due to family illness of primary members 3/15/2005 Initial draft of web site Through email gained insight into needs of group. Chose a CMS and developed a prototype web-site for review 4/2/2005 First meeting with FoSBC group Very productive, listened to feedback on prototype web-site, learned more about classroom teaching/Brush Creek Days and discussed promotional DVD 4/12/2005 Mike Greenlee presents to SNC Nice presentation about diversity in Scioto Brush Creek, recorded presentation for possible inclusion on DVD 4/21/2005 Jody Newton-McAllister presents to 5th grade Classroom teaching program, recorded for DVD inclusion 5/6/2005 Scioto Brush Creek Days Field event originally scheduled 4/29, but rain prevented date. Recorded for DVD inclusion, also a number of still pictures were taken 6/13/2005 FoSBC group meeting Preview DVD. Encouraged them to define audience. Defined what message they wanted the DVD to portray 7/6/2005 FoSBC group meeting Presented DVD for next to last review. Presented recommendations for FoSBC improvement, trained on use of web-site. 8/14/2005 FoSBC group meeting Final approval of DVD, discussion on 501c3 status 9/24-9/25/2005 Whitetail deer festival Normal FoSBC activity. Good success 10/8/2005 FoSBC group meeting Discussed 501c3 paperwork, elected board. I attended only as an observer and synergy is high. 11/5/2005 FoSBC group meeting Additional new members attend, 501c3 paperwork discussed December 2005 Sign 501c3 paperwork, expanded FoSBC meeting activities to include highlights of resources in watershed. Table 1. Timeline of development of the practicum.

After the first few sessions and lessons in the Academy, it became apparent that the FoSBC did not have in place the full core set of features necessary to ensure group sustainability and success in watershed management and planning. There was no organized administrative structure or staff, no consistent, long-term funding source, and no process for monitoring and evaluating group activities in relation to their stated goal.

A few of the aspects of community based watershed planning success existed, however. Some contacts with stakeholders were already established along with the dedicated core group of individuals who have the support of state and local government agencies. Some goodwill already existed between the FoSBC and the local township trustees and many of the core FoSBC members are influential community members. Mr. McAllister is employed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, so there is state buy-in and support as well as a point of contact with the state agencies and access to the state-level available resources.

After several weeks of participating in the Academy, the activities and action items became harder and harder to complete because of the lack of any real structure to the FoSBC. Even getting the group together to discuss items of interest became a major task with little success. Finally after an initial meeting and some email discussion, the project took shape as a social marketing endeavor. In addition, there also existed a need for recommendations relating to group structure, function and evaluation and that incorporated into the project as well.

The face to face meetings with the group and individuals within the group were very important in shaping the scope of this project. Being from the area, I understood that most individuals in the area have a great reticence to governmental intervention on private property rights. Therefore, a community driven watershed management approach definitely was the right way to go. When listening to the FoSBC group, they repeatedly emphasize their desire to come across as non- threatening and simply interested members of their community. Their needs and interest in my assistance helped shape the project scope to one that became very successful.

Project Scope

The Scioto Brush Creek watershed is a high quality environmental resource; the stated purpose of the FoSBC is to try and maintain that resource through education, awareness, and involvement. It is fairly easy to get attention and financial support when you have degradation within a watershed; however, it is very hard to obtain support and take preventative measures until degradation is imminent or has already occurred. The FoSBC committee is working to establish itself as a resource and prominent authority in being proactive in the maintenance and continued high quality of the watershed.

An important part of any environmental activity is to gain the support of the local community. The integration of sound science and social values, incorporating stakeholder involvement, and making management decisions that are appropriate for local conditions is vital to the production of a community-based watershed management plan. The Community-based Watershed Management, OSU Extension Factsheet4 puts it this way

“Watershed management consists of those coordinated human activities aimed at controlling, enhancing, or restoring watershed functions. In the past, watershed management in Ohio was viewed largely as the responsibility of government agencies and conservancy districts and was focused primarily on controlling the flow of water through the construction of dams and levees to protect human communities from flooding, store water for times of drought, and provide opportunities for water-related recreation.”

This emphasis on structural solutions to water storage and flooding problems has given way to a new approach that recognizes the multitude of functions watersheds provide and the need to meet multiple objectives such as flood prevention, erosion control, wildlife habitat, and provision of recreation. There has also been increasing awareness that watershed management is not solely the responsibility of government agencies and conservancy districts.

4 Community-based Watershed Management, OSU Extension Factsheet #WS-0001-00. http://ohioline.ag.ohio- state.edu/ws-fact/0001.html

The FoSBC group is positioned to act as the primary agent for facilitating community-based watershed management. It has gone out of its way in the 6+ years of its existence to come across as a non-threatening and community oriented assembly. It has largely succeeded in this approach as judged from the reactions at the Rarden Whitetail Deer Festival.

In an effort to expand the role and influence of the FoSBC group, I worked with the most energetic member of the FoSBC, Martin McAllister. It quickly became apparent that beyond Mr. McAllister, the group needed motivation and consultation to help it achieve its goals. A recent series of family health problems and a “satisfied with the status-quo attitude” severely limited the group’s ability to achieve its stated mission. I performed three projects to energize the FoSBC members to effectively achieve its goals.

1) Creation of a web site to facilitate interaction among the group members themselves as well as to network the FoSBC with the community in a more tangible and permanent way. 2) Production of a promotional DVD highlighting the activities of the FoSBC group. 3) Authoring a set of recommended steps for the continued growth and activities of the FoSBC group.

These three projects will be discussed in detail in the next 3 chapters. The effects and evaluation of these projects will be discussed in the final chapter.

Watershed Overview

The Scioto Brush Creek watershed includes 175,332 acres over 2 counties in southern Ohio. It is a sub-watershed of the larger Scioto River watershed. Scioto Brush Creek’s water quality ranks among the best in Ohio when compared to other streams of its size. It is recognized by the Ohio EPA as an outstanding warm water habitat with sixty-three of the originally sampled fish species still found in the stream today.

The watershed is heavily wooded and not significantly degraded. See Figure 1 for land cover information. Nearly 82% of the 175,332 acre drainage area that composes the Scioto Brush Creek watershed is in woodland. Over 23,000 acres (12%) of the watershed is used for agriculture uses. Only 884 acres of the watershed is considered urban; this includes villages and roadways within the Scioto Brush Creek Watershed.5

There are very few, if any, significant point sources for pollution. Faulty septic systems, soil erosion, and illegal dumps are some of the more serious causes of non-point source pollution

within the Scioto Brush Creek Watershed. The riparian areas are generally in good quality and several rare and endangered species, both terrestrial and aquatic, inhabit the watershed. See Appendix A for details on some of the endangered and threatened species.

There are a number of sportsman activities available in the watershed. The muskellunge is a game fish native to the watershed and is a favorite trophy for the local anglers. Small watercraft

such as canoes and kayaks also can navigate large stretches of the main stem.

On October 18, 2004 the USDA approved a new $207 million Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to improve water quality, restore threatened and endangered species habitat and reduce soil erosion in the Scioto River Watershed. Scioto Brush Creek, as part of that watershed, is eligible for some of that CREP funding especially if an organized group such as FoSBC can facilitate participation in the program by local residents.

5 ODNR's Division of Real Estate and Land Management. Map of the Scioto Brush Creek Watershed.

Figure 1. Land use/land cover for the Scioto Brush Creek watershed. Chapter 2

Friends of Scioto Brush Creek website

Rationale

The FoSBC made it known that a website might be the best way for them to publicize who they are and to emphasize the fact that they were not seeking to “tell people what to do.” It was determined that the best type of website was one that permitted the members of the committee to manage the content rather than rely on an outside source for constant maintenance. This places a much higher degree of ownership and responsibility into the hands of the group. It was determined that a Content Management System (CMS) would be the most effective way to achieve the results of a group managed web site.

What is a CMS?

A CMS or a Content Management System is a way for organizations to present a wide range of content in a standard format with ease and precision. These can range from very simple text “stories” such as news releases to complex pages with specific layouts. Another primary use is the presentation of dynamic information from a linked database, the linking of relevant content to each other, and providing a forum for interaction with the public. The value of CMS is that it permits all of these to be done in a cohesive and relatively easy to facilitate manner.

A CMS’ functions can be broken down into 3 classifications.6 Function Description

Content creation Actual writing of content

Content management Repository, manipulation and management of content functions

Publishing & Presentation Generation of final pages and quality control functions Table 2. Content management system functions.

Identifying these functions and their role within the FoSBC was vital in to making the CMS choice.

CMS Choice

Since the FoSBC does not have a significant budget and is subsidiary to the Shawnee Nature Club, it was necessary to limit the search for a suitable CMS to those products which were of little or preferably no-expense. Also, the FoSBC group contains little technical expertise. Therefore those two issues dominated the CMS choice process. Relative ease in implementation and familiarity with the technology was another factor.

There are literally hundreds of free open-source content management systems. Keeping in mind the 3 salient points above and the 3 functions of a CMS, Mambo© was chosen as the CMS. First, Mambo is licensed under the GNU Public license as free software. This permits an almost unlimited use of the software free of charge as long as it is not marketed for commercial purposes. “Free” obviously fulfills the budgetary needs. After the initial set-up which required some technical ability, the content generation, management, publishing, and presentation can all be done from a web interface with minimal technical skills and only minimal training. Another

6 This list is quite arbitrary and is formed from information in How to evaluate a content management system. KM Column, 23 January 2002. http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/kmc_evaluate/

important factor was the fact that Mambo is developed to utilize technology that I was familiar with; specifically PHP web language and MySQL for database storage. Both of these are likewise licensed under general use public licenses. Finally, Mambo was chosen because it is widely implemented on the Internet and there is a thriving Mambo support industry that could be utilized by the group as their needs and desire to expand the website grows.

CMS Structure

One of the most important aspects of any CMS is the separation of the content management from the presentation or “public/user” area of the web site. This is accomplished in Mambo by having a completely separate administration interface from the actual “user” interface. The “user” and administrative interfaces are fully customizable by the use of cascading-style sheets (CSS). This is valuable because the content can be developed and the entire look and feel of the site can be changed without redoing all of the content. Use of CSS is standard practice in web authoring, but its interaction with the Mambo engine makes it particularly unique and powerful for this application.

Implemented CMS Features

The web site is registered under 2 names; www.friendsofsciotobrushcreek.org and www.friendsofsciotobrushcreek.com. It was determined to publish the site under both names as the .com is in common use and many internet users automatically think .com before .org, .net, .edu, or other domains. This enables a greater degree of success when advertising to an interested public. Without the .com name, the group might lose a potential contact out of simple frustration. A similar concern could be applied to the length of the name, but it was determined by the FoSBC that the full name would best convey the ideology and purpose of the group.

The Mambo CMS came with many powerful “modules” already in place and ready to be utilized. It was necessary to turn off many of the features enabled by default to fit the needs of the FoSBC group. Utilized features included news, polls, personal account creation and login, and web links. The use of personal account creation and login was included with the hopes that interested

stakeholders could be persuaded to sign up and provide enough personal information to facilitate communication from the group to the stakeholders. Also, certain security levels can be established which would permit a greater role for certain stakeholders or perhaps actual data collection in the future by community or student sampling.

For example, macro-invertebrate surveys, bed composition, total suspended solids and other assessment criteria used by the Ohio scenic rivers program could be gathered and submitted by the participating public. This would promote greater involvement as well as create a steady stream of valuable data on the health and well-being of this rather large watershed. This data collection would not be used to promote a state or national scenic river status, but rather to provide a point of interaction with the stakeholders and to provide data useful to tracking trends in watershed quality.

Chapter 3

Promotional audio-visual production

Rationale

The FoSBC group has been around for several years, but it was not well-known in the community and did not have a great deal of visibility. The group determined that a marketing tool was needed to aid in this regard. Since the primary activity of the Friends group is to conduct a training session with the local 5th grade class each year, it was determined that a video highlighting what the group actually did should be produced. With this in mind, the classroom training session, conducted by Jody Newton-McAllister, was recorded to capture the classroom portion of the FoSBC’ educational efforts. Likewise, the recording of the group’s activities, Scioto Brush Creek Days, provided a clear picture of the nature and mission of the FoSBC. These sessions were placed onto an essentially unedited DVD for the group’s consideration. No real direction as to the target audience or clear purpose for the DVD had been indicated at that time.

Also, during the course of acquiring the source video, footage of Mike Greenlee, Ohio Department of Nature Resources was filmed conducting 2 informational talks for the Shawnee Nature Club. These videos could be edited and placed on a second DVD that the group could use for training and other promotional activities as well.

Methods

A professional grade digital video camera, a Canon XL1, and tripod were used to shoot the classroom training, the field days, and both of Mr. Greenlee’s presentations. Subsequent footage was recorded by a second handheld consumer grade digital video camera. This was invaluable as the quality of the video near the end of the tape fell off dramatically on both cameras. Also,

access to multiple angles and footage from different perspectives provided an invaluable resource in producing the final product.

No special audio recording was performed as a high quality boom microphone was included with the XL1. The quality was quite satisfactory despite having very little experience in videography.

All video editing was done using Sony Vegas® Video 5.0, a professional grade video editing package for the Windows™ platform. Sony DVD Architect™ was used to compile the DVD and provide the menu structure and navigation.

Still photographs were used with an audio piece to produce a 1.5 minute “about the Friends Group” segment which plays automatically upon using the DVD. It was important that this piece effectively introduced the FoSBC group and caught the attention of the target audience.

A preliminary DVD consisting of the introductory piece and an edited, yet not shortened, video of the classroom teaching and the Scioto Brush Creek Days presentations was presented to the Friends group on June 13th. This meeting proved to be very profitable in formalizing how the group wanted to proceed with this video. They were disenchanted with the long training videos in the sense that they had in mind something more interesting.

The meeting successfully forced the group to identify their target audience for the promotional DVD. It was decided that the promotional DVD was to be oriented towards primarily towards other educators and secondarily for the general public. The reason for targeting educators first was that the group wanted to share their 6 years worth of program development with other schools besides Northwest Local that had students in the watershed.

It was also determined that the DVD would direct the audience to the www.friendsofsciotobrushcreek.org web site where additional materials will be placed. These

materials include the macro-invertebrate keys used during the sampling and basic information sheets on the creek and its species diversity.

Chapter 4

Recommendations for the Friends of Scioto Brush Creek

Background

As previously stated, the Friends of Scioto Brush Creek exists as a sub-committee of a larger 501c3 organization, The Shawnee Nature Club. There are some advantages and disadvantages to this arrangement. The major advantage of this configuration is providing a legal structure, funding source, and organizational structure in which to operate. However, it is disadvantageous as the SNC must be consulted and involved in many of the decisions of the FoSBC.

The group has gone successfully through an all important step of establishing a mission statement. Their mission statement is “to maintain and improve the water quality of Scioto Brush Creek through education, awareness, and involvement of local residents.” This mission is very much in line with the “community-based” approach to watershed management.

The group is somewhere between the “infancy” and “adolescence” stages of building a non- profit organization.7 The group exists and they have a mission statement, but they do not exist as an independent entity and they do not have regular meetings outside of the parent group. They will conduct informal meetings, but these are more task-oriented and do not really provide big- picture direction.

Recommendations and Rationale

My first recommendation to the group is to formalize their meetings to meet at least quarterly. They can do this while still under the auspices of a sub-committee of the Shawnee Nature Club.

7 Weber Richard C. The Group: A cycle from birth to death. NTL Reading Book for Human Relations, NTL Training, 1982.

Regularly scheduled meetings enforce a need to establish rules for quorum, positions of responsibility beyond chairman, election schedules, keeping and voting on minutes and efficient planning with agendas to prevent meetings from becoming purely social events like the SNC.

Why make the step to formalized meetings and structure? Establishing such a structure will overcome the inevitable problem of reliance upon any one individual to conduct a meeting. If the chairman or group leader is ill or not able to attend, the meeting doesn’t happen. This prevents efficient progress towards the mission statement and supporting goals. This was exactly what was happening to the group before the start of my interaction as the chair and co-chair had family illness issues.

Establishing a quorum is important so that it is understood in advance just how many members need to be present to make a binding decision for the group. Reality dictates that all members cannot be at all meetings. Establishing quorum for the group permits meetings to occur knowing that there are established rules with regard to making policy and direction for the group.

The group currently has a chair and co-chair, however these are husband and wife. This means that both chairs are likely to be gone at the same time. This defeats the whole purpose of having multiple positions of responsibility. Additional posts should be created. A group secretary can/should keep minutes of the meeting. I would also suggest electing or appointing a treasurer and historian. Any and all leadership positions should be ready to organize and facilitate the meeting itself.

The use of and approval of minutes would also be a wise step, although there is some rudimentary form of that occurring already. Efficient processing of meeting minutes can help keep the group on task and provide valuable structure as well as keep a formal record. This is a vital role and multiple people should be experienced at performing this task, although one person should be designated as the primary.

Inevitably, regular meetings will result in a desire to increase activity towards fulfilling the mission statement. Increased activity will require increased funding. Since the funding for the FoSBC group comes from the parent organization, this may be a problem. The missions of the parent group and the FoSBC group are compatible, but they are uniquely suited to each group. The SNC is primarily a passive group with wide ranging interests and geographical distribution. The FoSBC is by definition activist and targets a specific group of people. If only for the reason of expanding its membership to include stakeholders, the FoSBC should consider the formation of its own 501c3.

Such a move would not have to be traumatic, nor would it segregate the members of the group from the parent organization. It would also establish the group as an independent entity which could then raise its own funds, establish its own rules, and work on building its own membership of stakeholders directly impacted by the groups’ activities.

Future Direction

The Institute for Conservation Leadership, www.icl.org has developed a model for a “life cycle” of organizations.8 The following table summarizes the document.

8 Straughan, Baird. Four Stages and Four Challenges of Organizational Development, Institute for Conservation Leadership, November 1999.

Volunteer Based "The Leap" Shared Governance Institutional

Group, leader, or The board assumes the The executive director board decides to hire An individual governance of the and staff assume more staff -- generally the leader or a small organization and responsibility for the first executive group has an idea delegates organization's direction. director. and forms an administration of The growing board -- or ... organization run programs to the focuses mainly on The leader raises $ by volunteers. executive director and fundraising and for own salary & staff. community support. forms board.

Primary challenge: Primary challenge: Primary challenge: Developing a Maintaining Developing effective Primary challenge: systematic, effective programs without systems to delegate Remaining responsive to way for the board to ongoing funding more authority to the needs of the support and work or professional director for growing population served. with the executive staff. programs effectively. director and staff.

Table 3. Four Stages and Four Challenges of Organizational Development.

The FoSBC is very much in the volunteer-based stage. There is no reason that they cannot stay in this stage with the recommended additional structure added. Many organizations successfully stay in this stage, especially if the members are satisfied with less frequent, easily-planned regular activities. The group is a long way from taking “the leap” and it may not ever be necessary. However, if the group truly wishes to maintain its long term viability, it may eventually look at taking that step. To make that step as tranquil as possible, good organizational habits must be established in the volunteer-based stage. This is also rationale for the additional structure now.

As shown in Table 4, the primary challenge of the volunteer-based stage is to maintain its programs without ongoing funding or professional staff. In more general terms, the long-term challenge for this organization is to remain responsive to their mission. Additional structure and

the ability to raise funds even while staying in the volunteer phase are the first steps to becoming the effective group they wish to be.

Presentation

The recommendations were presented on July 6, 2005 to the core of the FoSBC at the Ohio State University South Centers Extension office. This meeting also served as a point of final review for the promotional DVD and hands on training of administration of the www.friendsofsciotobrushcreek.org web site. Jerry Isles of the South Centers also did a presentation on the role of community based watershed management groups which was very well received and served as a great motivational item in the agenda.

The recommendations were all well received, even the suggestion to form a separate 501c3. Resistance was anticipated from within the FoSBC itself because of the potential for hurt feelings among the FoSBC and the SNC. It was suggested that perhaps the SNC should see the growth and separation of the FoSBC as a natural progression as opposed to an isolation step. The SNC is seeing part of its goal fulfilled by spinning off an activist group. The direct results of this and subsequent meetings are outlined in the next chapter.

Chapter 5

Project effects

July 6th meeting

The meeting was attended by all of the principle members of the FoSBC and was successful beyond expectation. The results are summarized best by an electronic communication received from Martin McAllister:

“What can I say? You did an outstanding job today with the meeting/training and the work you have done is fantastic. Your creativity and energy has re-charged my batteries as well. I am sure that your hard work will have lasting effects on Scioto Brush Creek. I’ll do my best to keep the group alive! I also look forward to being able to distribute the DVD and encourage people to visit the web site.9”

The major outcome of the meeting was when the group established a future meeting time. This was set for August 14th to discuss the recommendations and plan for the next major event, the Rarden Whitetail Deer Festival.

August 14th meeting

The meeting on August 14th was critical to see if the group would still be motivated to continue with their work. While no major decisions were made, draft versions of 501c3 paperwork were considered and the final form of the promotional DVD was accepted. This was the last meeting I participated in with the hope that the group would continue strong on its own which it has done.

2005 Rarden Whitetail Deer Festival

This was a major success and further fuel for the group. The report from the group stated:

9 Personal Communication, Martin McAllister, ODNR Field Officer, 7/7/2005.

“…we know we made good contact with 63 families inside the SBC watershed and another 22 just outside! Volunteers spoke with at least one member of each of these families about the special qualities of the SBC watershed, its associated rare species and the need to preserve its high water quality. In addition to the 85 families who marked their place on the map, a rough estimate would be that 400 people stopped by the booth and hopefully gained some knowledge of Scioto Brush Creek. It is very clear that the sentiment in this watershed is that those folks who live here would very much like to see their grandchildren enjoy this wonderful natural resource much as they did when they were growing up.10”

October 8th meeting

I attended this meeting as an observer. This meeting was the first real step taken by the group to implement the recommendations. After reviewing the draft 501c3 documents, an initial board was chosen and a date of November 5th was set to sign the documents and get the group formalized as their own entity. Some new members to the FoSBC gained as a direct result of the Whitetail Deer activities participated and were elected as initial board members.

Summary

This project involved many aspects of environmental management: from the technical details of creating a web site and promotional video to dealing with group dynamics and motivation to the legal and structural benefits of non-profit status. Through a series of projects and products, I was able to assist the Friends of Scioto Brush Creek in changing their structure, formalizing their activities, and motivating them to continue in their efforts to provide community based watershed management. Knowledge regarding group dynamics, video technology, working with non-profits, and social marketing gained during this project equips me to effectively continue my work. My continued involvement in the Friends of Scioto Brush Creek is directly influenced by the efforts and friendships that have developed during the course of this project.

10 Personal Communication, Martin McAllister, ODNR Field Officer, 9/26/2005.

Appendix A

This information is in the form of web pages taken directly from www.friendsofsciotobrushcreek.org illustrating the resources and federal and state endangered or threatened species.

Rayed Bean

Saturday, 23 April 2005 State endangered and a federal candidate species, the rayed bean (Villosa fabalis) is a very rare mussel in Ohio. Scioto Brush Creek is just one of twenty-one streams in the world that still have populations of this small mussel.

The rayed bean is a small mussel usually less than 1.8 inches in length. The shell outline is elongate or ovate in males and elliptical in females. Adult freshwater mussels are filter-feeders, siphoning phytoplankton, diatoms, and other microorganisms from the water column. As a group, mussels are extremely long-lived, living from a couple to several decades, and possibly up to 100 to 200 years in extreme instances. The rayed bean' small size probably indicates a shorter life span.

The rayed bean has separate sexes. Age at sexual maturity is unknown, but in other species is estimated to occur after a few years. Fertilization takes place internally, and the resulting zygotes develop within the gills into specialized larvae termed glochidia. Glochidia must come into contact with a specific host fish(es) to survive. Without the proper host fish, the glochidia will die. The Tippecanoe darter (Etheostoma tippecanoe) has been identified as a host fish for the rayed bean; other potential hosts include the greenside darter (E. blennioides), rainbow darter (E. caeruleum), mottled sculpin (Cottus bairdi), and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Rayed bean glochidia parasitize fish gill tissues for a few weeks. Newly-metamorphosed juveniles drop off to begin a free-living existence on the stream bottom. Unless they fall into suitable habitat, they will die. Thus, the complex life history of the rayed bean and other mussels has many weak links that may prevent successful reproduction and recruitment of juveniles into existing populations.

The rayed bean is generally known from smaller headwater creeks. They are usually found in or near shoal or riffle areas, and in the shallow wave- washed areas of glacial lakes, including Lake Erie. Substrates typically include gravel and sand. The species is oftentimes associated with vegetation in and adjacent to riffles and shoals.

Historically, the rayed bean occurred in parts of the upper (e.g., Lake Michigan drainage) and lower (Lakes St. Clair, Erie drainages) Great Lakes system, and throughout most of the Ohio and Tennessee River systems. The rayed bean was formerly known from 106 streams, lakes, and some man-made canals in 10 states. Extant populations of the rayed bean are known from 22 streams and a lake in 5 states.

The decline of the rayed bean in the Great Lakes drainages and the Ohio and Tennessee River systems is primarily the result of habitat loss and degradation. Chief among the causes of decline are impoundments, channelization, chemical contaminants, mining, and sedimentation. Bourgeoning human populations will invariably increase the likelihood that habitat loss and degradation will continue to impact extant rayed bean populations.

The rayed bean is not a commercially valuable species, but may be increasingly sought by lay and experienced collectors because of its rarity. Most states with extant rayed bean populations prohibit the taking of mussels for scientific purposes without a State collecting permit, although enforcement of this permit requirement is difficult. The occurrence of disease in mussels is virtually unknown, and the overall threat posed by invertebrate, piscine, and other vertebrate predators of the rayed bean is not thought to be significant.

The majority of the remaining populations of the rayed bean are small and geographically isolated. The patchy distributional pattern of populations in short river reaches makes them much more susceptible to extirpation from single catastrophic events, such as toxic chemical spills. Furthermore, this level of isolation makes natural repopulation of any extirpated population impossible without human intervention. Population isolation prohibits the natural interchange of genetic material between populations, and small population size reduces the reservoir of genetic diversity within populations, which can lead to inbreeding depression.

The likelihood is high that some populations of the rayed bean are below the effective population size required to maintain long-term genetic and population viability. Recruitment reduction or failure is a potential problem for many small rayed bean populations rangewide, a potential condition exacerbated by its reduced range and increasingly isolated populations. If these trends continue, further significant declines in rayed bean population size and consequent reduction in long-term viability may soon become apparent.

The non-native species that poses the most significant threat to the rayed bean is the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha). The primary means of impact is direct fouling of the shell. Fouling impacts include impeding locomotion (both laterally and vertically), interfering normal valve movements, deforming valve margins, and locally depleting food resources and increasing waste products.

The Nature Conservancy considers the rayed bean to be a G1G2 species; the majority of sub-national ranks are S1. The American Malacological Society and American Fisheries Society consider the rayed bean to be threatened. This species is state-listed in all five of the states that are thought to harbor extant populations. Numerous parcels of public land (e.g., state parks, state forests, wildlife management areas) occur along historical and extant streams of occurrence for the rayed bean or in their respective watersheds. Yet, vast tracts of riparian lands in rayed bean streams are privately owned. The prevalence of privately held riparian lands in streams with extant populations somewhat diminishes the level of importance afforded by public lands. Riparian activities that occur outside or upstream of public lands may be pervasive and have a profound impact on their populations. Habitat protection benefits on public lands may therefore easily be negated by detrimental activities upstream in the watershed.

Types of conservation activities that benefit the species are funding programs, research and surveys, outreach, and habitat improvements and conservation. Management the species include implementing existing laws and regulations, prioritizing streams and watersheds, involving local communities, seeking additional funding, implementing Best Management Practices on riparian lands, initiating more habitat restoration programs, adjusting numerical criteria for pollutants, monitoring populations and habitat conditions, reducing impacts of mining, increasing public outreach and education, conducting stress analyses, and establishing a Geographic Information System database to monitor and address these activities and objectives.

Adequate information is available on the distribution, population trends, status, and threats to accurately assess the spectaclecase for consideration for candidate status. Research, survey, and monitoring tasks that are needed include determining additional host fishes, developing propagation technologies, researching life history and habitat needs, monitoring zebra mussel populations, investigating criteria necessary for population viability, developing parameters for species augmentation, developing parameters for reintroduction, investigating reasons for rangewide differences in survival, surveying for additional populations, investigating the potential taxonomic distinctions of populations, and developing and implementing cryogenic techniques.

Rosyside Dace

Saturday, 23 April 2005

Rosyside Dace (Clinostomus funduloides)

A pool species limited to the Blue Grass Region of southern, unglaciated Ohio, the Rosyside Dace inhabits the smaller first and second order tributaries of Sunfish Creek, Scioto Brush Creek, and the Little Scioto River in Jackson, Pike, Scioto, and Adams counties. They also occur in several of the smaller tributaries which flow directly into the Ohio River in this region.

Ohio populations of this species tend to be restricted to areas 600 feet above sea level where the stream substrates are composed entirely of gravel, boulders, and bedrock.

Rosysides are extremely intolerant of turbid waters and are found only in those streams which are characterized by clear waters and clean substrates lacking silt depositions. As the streams they inhabit frequently go intermittent during the summer, their populations can fluctuate widely depending on annual rainfall conditions.

Factors which act to limit populations include gravel removal from streams resulting in loss of pool habitats and increased siltation, development of adjacent riparian zones for home sites, removal of riparian cover for agriculture and home sites resulting in elevated water temperatures and increases siltation rates.

This species exhibits rose-colored lateral sections of the body with a dusky colored lateral band, hence the name Rosyside Dace.

Virginia Spiraea

Saturday, 23 April 2005 Listed as federally threatened, Virginia spiraea (Spiraea virginiana) is a unique disturbance dependant plant. In Ohio, Virginia spiraea only occurs in three locations along the Scioto Brush Creek. This rare plant is dependant on the scouring action of gravel and sand bars along the creek’s banks.

SPIRAEA VIRGINIANA Britton Appalachian Spiraea

FAMILY: Rosaceae

HABIT: Simple or sparingly branched shrub to 1 m.; flowering June, July.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Unlikely to be confused with any native Ohio Spiraea. Somewhat resembles the exotic Spiraea japonica L. which does escape; however, S. japonica has pink flowers and long-acuminate leaves, while S. virginiana has white flowers and entire or sparingly toothed acute, mucronate leaves.

TOTAL RANGE: OH, GA, KY, NC, PA, TN, VA, and WV.

STATE RANGE: Known from a single site in Scioto County, discovered in 1991. (Now three known sites)

STATE STATUS: 1992 to present: Endangered.

HABITAT: Damp, rocky streambanks and gravel bars. The Ohio population occurs on a large, long-established gravel bar in a fairly remote area of one of the least disturbed streams in southern Ohio.

HAZARDS: Elimination of habitat due to channelization or other stream ”improvement” projects, gravel mining operations, or other disturbance.

RECOVERY POTENTIAL: Unknown, but presumably poor, as this is a rare species throughout its range, and may not be able to readily colonize new sites.

INVENTORY GUIDELINES: Mature flowering or fruiting material should be collected for positive identification. Plants should not be collected without a Federal permit.

COMMENTS: The Ohio population occurs in a remote, difficult area to access. Further survey work of appropriate habitat in southern Ohio may locate additional populations.

SELECTED REFERENCES:

Gleason, Henry A. and Arthur Cronquist. 1991. Manual of the Vascular Plants of the Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada, 2nd Ed. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. 910 p. Division of Natural Areas and Preserves Ohio Department of Natural Resources