by Vicki Jeromos-Blayney, Communication Committee Chair
We were so honored to have Kate Chapel from the Tinker’s Creek Watershed Partners with us on October 16th to fill us in on all the details.
So to answer the question, a watershed is an area of land that drains to a river and in our case to Tinker’s Creek. And Tinker’s Creek watershed is the largest tributary to the Cuyahoga River. So even if we seem small, we are a part of something much bigger and we matter here in Reminderville. In fact, the entire Village of Reminderville is a part of the watershed not just a part of the village like some other municipalities.
So because we are such a big part of the system, there are things we can do to not only help the great Cuyahoga River but also our homes right here in the Village. To make a difference in our properties, we can grow native plants that are used to our areas climate and can handle sometimes crazy weather. And there are even some beautiful plants that like being in wet to moist soil which can really help out in those areas in our lawns and gardens that stay damp.
Here are some examples from Kate:
Wet shade: Sensitive Fern
Dry shade: Bee-balm
Wet sun: Coral Bells
Dry sun: Black-eyed Susans
Kate is amazing with suggestions, so please contact her to get some specific ideas to help your yard. She even can make a house call to see what will work best for you!
Also removing invasive plant species that tend to take over the area, composting, healthy lawn care, rain gardens and rain barrels can help. And an important point about rain barrels, which Kate does have workshops on between April and September, they slow down stormwater so that the water doesn’t rush the system and create water overflow. And a second benefit is that you can use the water from a rain barrel to water your own garden.
For more information about the watershed or things you can do on your own property, please contact Kate Chapel, Senior Project Manager, at 330-963-6243 or kchapel@tinkerscreekwatershed.org.
And visit tinkerscreek.org anytime to find important information, join their newsletter or check out the latest events.
And Kate will be back in February 2019 talking about “Making your property watershed friendly”
Thank you, Kate!!