Minuteman Response: The violent derecho windstorm on Friday, June 29 downed 40 trees on our 50-mile trail. By Sunday night, our Adopt-a-Trail adopters and volunteers had cut up all 40 trees to make the trail passable. Jim Henahan, Ohio State Parks manager, noted "this was the largest turnout of friends/volunteers to an emergency situation in Ohio State Parks history. The friends/volunteers on the Little Miami led the way in responding quickly and efficiently thanks to your group's strong organization and selfless members.”

Purchase of a pull-behind debris blower: This high-capacity blower, selected and bought by Tony Blizniak with grant funds from Loveland’s Amazing Race, removes leaves, twigs, and walnuts to extend the safe use of the trail into the fall and winter months.

A smoother ride: Don Hahn and his team ground down bumps from encroaching tree roots moving from Oregonia to the southern end of the trail. Jay Hanson’s team cut offending roots at the trail edge to keep the ride smooth. 

Good riddance: Super-invasive honeysuckle met its match when the Friends hired a professional to spray the plants with herbicide. Now that it’s spring, the effectiveness is visible on all 33 trailside miles treated so far. Controlling non-native honeysuckle allows the return of Ohio underbrush in all its variety and promotes trail safety by improving visibility at intersections.

Fifty miles of paint: Don Mills and Bruce Cortright repainted all 100 mile markers and all 92 pavement stop signs along the trail.

Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati Grant: Recognizing the vital role of our trail in promoting exercise, the foundation awarded a total of $37,500 over three years to the Friends for filling cracks in the asphalt to promote safety and trail life. Contractors are completing the southern section.

Arming the Adopters: REI awarded a $5,000 grant for the purchase of tools to clear the trail berm of ever-encroaching undergrowth. Paul Morgan bought chain saws, KombiSystem power tools, and other equipment now used every week by all Adopt-a-Trail crews.

Tool Caches: We now have three tool caches spaced along our 50 miles of trail. This promotes efficient use of our volunteer resources by reducing the time spent fetching and returning tools.

Community Support: Several work days during the year brought out volunteers from Crossroads Church, Anderson Hill United Methodist Church, Procter & Gamble, Madeira High School, Starfire Academy, and LexisNexis. Work days not only allow group members to do meaningful trail work in a fun environment, but also promote a sense of shared responsibility for maintaining this well-loved community resource.

Volunteer Dedication: Friends of the Little Miami State Park gave a total of 3,791 hours of their time in 2012 to ensure our trail is safe and well-maintained for the 500,000 people each year who find a multitude of ways to enjoy its natural beauty. Help us make this story even better for 2013 by joining us.

FLMSP Receives State Recognition for its Quick Action after June Storm

by Randy Durrum

Friends of the Little Miami State park received recognition for its coordinated response when severe weather closed the trail in June. Ohio State Parks honored FLMSP at its regular meeting on August 19. Jim Henahan, Community Partnerships Manager of OSP, presented a certificate of appreciation to Adopt-a-Trail coordinator Aaron Rourke, who accepted on behalf of FLMSP.

Our volunteers quickly cleared the trail after the storm of Friday, June 29. Weather services described the weather event as a derecho, a violent system that stretched across the midwest to the east coast. Segment adopters were summoned and labored as a coordinated team throughout the weekend. Despite extensive deadfall on the trail, the workers cleared 20 of 24 segments by the end of Saturday. Ohio State Parks then moved in to pulverize and remove the debris.

The certificate cites the “outstanding assistance to Ohio State Parks staff in clearing the trail following the June 29, 2012 storm.” The certificate also emphasizes the “true partnership between the friends’ group and Ohio State Parks for the benefit of trail users.”

In presenting the certificate to Rourke, Henahan cited the extraordinary effort of the FMLSP crews. He also said how their rapid response exemplified how Ohio State Parks has come to rely on the efforts of 57 friends groups in Ohio. In all, 7,000 volunteers across the state gave 400,000 hours of service to the parks in 2011.

To join our efforts in keeping the trail open and well-maintained, consider joining Friends of the Little Miami State Park. You will be participating in a partnership with Ohio State Parks and communities along the trail. Click the "Join Us" tab above for membership information.

(Photo: Aaron Rourke, Adopt-a-Trail coordinator, and Jim Henahan, Ohio State Parks Community Partnerships Manager)

A $10,000 grant will enable Friends of the Little Miami State Park to further our program of trail maintenance and safety. Organizers of Loveland’s Amazing Race, an annual charitable “fun” race based in Miami Township, will present the award to FLMSP on August 27th, 6:30 pm, at Bob Roncker’s Running Spot in Loveland.

Loveland’s Amazing Race (historicloveland.com/lovelandsamazingrace.html), which took place June 16, is billed as a “full day of good natured competition, music, fun and laughs.” The competition progresses through Loveland and challenges participants in tests of balance, strength and problem solving skills. FLMSP participated in the race by managing the food pavilion with ten volunteers.

Besides sponsoring an entertaining day for the community, Loveland’s Amazing Race donated to selected charities. Since the 2006 race, they have donated over $300,000. Other recipients this year in addition to FLMSP were In Return (http://www.inreturn.org/history.html), Buckeye Search and Rescue (www.buckeyesardogs.org/) and Ohio Valley Voices (http://ohiovalleyvoices.org/).

FLMSP will spend most of the grant, about $7,000, on a single-pass blower. The new tool will efficiently clear the 50 miles of the Little Miami State Park trail from Avoca Park near Milford, through Loveland, to Hedges Road south of Xenia. Clearing the trail creates a safer environment for trail users, especially bikers when the trail is wet. The FLMSP board will decide how to spend the remainder of the grant in the near future.

The grant comes at a good time for FLMSP, as severe weather events have increasingly taxed our resources. After the June 29 storm, FLMSP mobilized its trail adopters to clear the trail. By the end of their first day of operation, adopters had opened all but eight of 20 blocked sections. By leveraging the grant from Loveland’s Amazing Race, FLMSP will be able to respond even more efficiently to emergency events.

The date for the next Loveland’s Amazing Race is June 15th, 2013. Details and registration can be found at www.LovelandsAmazingRace.com. Registration has already opened. If you want to join, register soon because the event has historically sold out quickly.

All mile markers are now freshly painted, thanks to trail adopter Don Mills

Take a ride or a walk along the Little Miami State Park today, and you will notice a distinct improvement. Don Mills, a trail adopter for Friends of the Little Miami State Park (FLMSP), has repainted all 100 mile markers on the multi-use trail. He finished Tuesday, June 5.

The markers do more than just help you casually check your journey’s progress. They help users keeptrack of their progress toward exercise goals, and they provide location information to emergency (EMS) and law enforcement personnel. The markers are also beneficial to state workers and volunteers by providing location information where maintenance is needed.