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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Trees Down!
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 Trail Hotline caller: "Hi, it's Sunday morning, and there's a tree down right after Beech Road, covering the whole trail. And there's also a branch leaning precariously about a quarter mile south of Morrow, hanging on by a thread before it falls on the trail." What happens next?
A call to our hotline number initiates a process planned to fix the trail problem as quickly as possible. Aaron Rourke, our Adopt-a-Trail coordinator, receives the call or message and contacts the volunteers assigned to the problem area, usually one of our four chainsaw teams as well as the trail adopter for that section. Aaron received this call on June 29, and then contacted the southern chainsaw crew of Mike Dresch and Bruce Cortright, and segment adopter Steve Hobart.
At the same time, the mid-trail chainsaw team of Paul Morgan and Rick Forrester were on their way to clear two other downed trees farther north on the trail, also in response to hotline calls. By that afternoon, all three trees had been cut up and removed, and the trail was clear. Our Friends group works to keep 50 miles of trail safely clear of debris. Our chainsaw teams are trained and certified, and make safety--theirs and that of trail users--the number one priority. After a windy storm, trail adopters often check their section for downed trees and limbs. But deadfalls can happen at other times, too, and then we rely on trail users to alert us to problems.  Please add our Trail Hotline number to your phone: 513-212-6958. If you see a fallen tree or limb on the trail, or another unsafe condition, please call and describe the problem and the location, preferably with the approximate mile marker. A photo is also a big help; send to the hotline number, or email adopt-a-trail@flmsp.org. You just might prevent an accident. |
| Fighting the Invaders | 
Trail volunteers are invited to attend a training workshop for spraying invasive plants and weeds along our trail. This valuable training is approved by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and is required for all volunteers who help with herbicide application.
Jim Mason, the trainer, has sprayed invasive honeysuckle on our trail the past two years, improving sight lines and allowing reestablishment of natural species. The training covers how to handle the product, 9:30 - 11:00 am, and applying it to the plants, 12:15-2:30. Lunch will be provided during the break between sessions. The trainer will provide a PowerPoint presentation and handouts, and demonstrate the use of backpack sprayers, mist bottles, and spray bottles.
This is the same training required for Certified Applicators, Operators, and Non-Certified Technicians by the Ohio Department of Agriculture, customized for use by our trail group. Trainer Jim Mason has been a Licensed Pesticide Operator since 1976. He is an Agricultural Science graduate and an Invasive Plant and Pesticide Control expert. Jim is also on the statewide Board of Trustees for the Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association.
Tuesday, August 12
9:30 am - 2:30 pm
Train Stop ("Monkey Bar") at Fosters crossing
Please RSVP to Don Hahn at dhahnj@zoomtown.com
If you are interested but cannot attend on Aug. 12, please suggest days and times you could attend another session.
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On the Trail of Native Americans
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by Gary Standafer
 | | Artist's conception of Stubbs Woodhenge, located at the present site of Little Miami H.S. grandstands |
Did you know that what's now the Little Miami State Park has been inhabited for over 10,000 years, and that artifacts have been found on the plateau that occupies the Ft. Ancient earthworks that date to 5000 BC, five millennia before the Hopewell culture built the earthworks there?
Although little is known about the cultures that date to that time, quite a bit is known about the Native American cultures that thrived along the trail from 500 BC to the Indian removal a couple of hundred years ago. These native cultures cleared areas for cultivating crops, built monuments, made pottery and projectile points, and created ornaments from the shells and mussels taken from the Little Miami River.
Although these cultures encompassed a large geographic area in Ohio and surrounding states, you can see a great deal of evidence of them as you traverse the trail from Newtown to Morrow. Read More
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| Trail People: Don & Virginia Wahle | |
by Janet Slater
You could only pedal a few miles around Loveland on our trail in the early 1980s when it was new, so Don and Virginia Wahle liked to take the old red Huffy tandem bike they found at a pawn shop out onto the quiet country roads north of Cincinnati. Their five children had left the nest, and they were looking for a new activity. Soon they moved up from the one-speed Huffy to a six-speed Schwinn, and later, when they decided they were hooked for life, they got the customized Cannondale they now ride.
Don and Ginny always ride tandem--not just because it's fun and romantic, but because Don has been legally blind since 1980. For years, he would load the 9-foot-long bike into the van they bought for the purpose, where it would run lengthwise with the front wheel between the seats, and Ginny would drive them to the more than 25 states where they have ridden. Read More
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| Trail Heroes |
Kudos to Roger West and David Chaffin, who covered over 25 miles of trail on July 14, removing limbs and trash and clearing three fallen trees. Their secret weapon? The speeding White Flame borrowed from a neighbor's farm, loaded with equipment from our tool caches.
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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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| Tell Us We're Cracking Up! | |
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