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Friends of the Little Miami State Park is a non-profit group of volunteers dedicated to restoring and maintaining safety on the park's scenic trail. Working under the sanction of the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources, the Friends provide almost all maintenance on the trail. We depend on your support and invite you to join us in serving our community.
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Little Miami's Perfect Flood?
| | by Gary Standafer
Trail volunteers seem to fight a never-ending battle of keeping the trail free of conditions that cause flooding on parts of the trail: clogged culverts, erosion caused by bridge embankments, and other obstacles that interrupt the flow of water away from the trail surface. We worry about a few inches of water covering small sections of the trail because even a few inches can cause permanent damage. Can you imagine a flooding situation that would cause most of the Little Miami State Park to be covered with 10 to 20 feet of water? It happened, in March of 1913.
The winter snows had melted, the frozen ground had thawed, and the ground was saturated with water. And then conditions for a "perfect flood" throughout Ohio came together. The rains began to fall in the Little Miami River Valley on Sunday afternoon, March 23 . . . More story and photos
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| Good Fences Make Good Bike Trails! | |
by Tom Wallace
Don Mills, one of our key volunteer leaders, said it well: "True volunteerism involves two things: 1) giving back and 2) having fun." Both Tom Creasman and Ray Jacobson - who head up our Fence Repair Team - personify those elements in their work on the trail. Their priorities are first make it safe and then, where possible, make it pretty.
Tom and Ray have been working on upgrading the fencing on the section of trail from Terrace Park to Branch Hill (south of Loveland) and they're just about completed. But the total trail is a long way from finished . . . "The Plodders"? More story and photos here
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Eyesore to Nature Preserve
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by Bill Schroeder
On April 27, Little Miami Conservancy (formerly Little Miami Inc.) dedicated a new nature preserve just north of Morgan's River Campground on the section of the trail adopted by Dirk and Lori Morgan of Morgan's Outdoor Center and Campground. This new nature preserve is on property that was a horrible eyesore with six tractor-trailers, lots of junk, a house that was falling into the river, dozens of plastic drums, and literally tons of trash.
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The Little Miami Conservancy acquired the property as part of a court settlement between the Warren County Building Department and the former owner over building code and other violations. LMC spent about $20,000 to demolish the house, disassemble and remove the tractor-trailers, remove tons of junk and trash, and remove liens on the property. They planted over 100 trees, then dedicated it as the Mel Hensey Nature Preserve. Mel was a dedicated steward of the river and the trail, working hard to clean up and preserve both for the enjoyment of all, now and in the future.
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| Madeira High School Workday |
On May 16, three teachers and 26 students from Madeira High School spruced up a half-mile section of trail near Terrace Park. The group worked for four hours, supervised by Don Mills of Friends of the Little Miami State Park. Thank you all for your hard work!
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| Peters Factory Plans | 
Plans call for the historic Peters Cartridge factory next to the trail at Grandin Rd. near Kings Mills to be renovated into loft apartments with commercial space on the ground floor for restaurants, shops and brew pubs that will appeal to tenants and passing bicyclists. See full Enquirer article and photos here. PHOTO: M. SCHMIDT, CINCINNATI ENQUIRER |
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The Friends is a nonprofit organization devoted to the preservation and enhancement of the Little Miami State Park. We assist the Ohio Department of Natural Resources with development planning, routine maintenance, capital improvements, and safety concerns.
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Save the Date:
Annual Meeting
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Trail Closing Update
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Work is underway on the section of trail next to the eroded riverbank between Strout and Senior Roads south of Ft. Ancient. Trees have been removed in preparation for moving the trail away from the eroded area, and work continues until May 23. The construction area will be CLOSED during this time. However, Dirk Morgan, owner of Morgan's Canoe and a trail segment adopter, has posted detour signs directing trail users around the work site.
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It must be here somewhere . . .
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| Dirt & Gravel Washes Repaired at I-275 & 48 | |
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Thanks to a great cooperative effort from Ohio Parks, Ohio Dept. of Transportation, FLMSP and Warren County, the gravel washes at I-275 and Rte. 48 have been repaired. Now the grass just needs to grow!