Greetings from FLMR

Friends of Lower Muskingum River
Greetings from FLMR
Friends of Lower Muskingum
River (FLMR) is a 501(c)3,
non-profit watershed based
organization founded in
2001. We are a partnership of
organizations and individuals
whose mission is to “restore,
protect, and maintain the
physical, chemical and biological integrity of the Lower
Muskingum River and to
protect and promote its natural, cultural, historical, recreational and socioeconomic
resources”. The Lower Muskingum Watershed that FLMR
serves contains a drainage
area of over 600 square miles
of land with its Northern
boundary being the South
side of Zanesville and its
Southern boundary ending at
Marietta.
Since the organization's
founding, FLMR has pursued
this mission through not only
Land Trust efforts but also
through the dedicated efforts
of Watershed Coordinators
and AmeriCorps VISTA
members. As a Land Trust,
FLMR has acquired and manages, through conservation
practices, over 250 acres of
land mainly within the Lower
Muskingum drainage basin.
We also hold donated conservation easements protecting
671 acres of forest, farmland
and river front properties.
In pursuing endeavors to
Who is FLMR?
meet the goals of FLMR’s
mission, our Watershed Coordinators and AmeriCorps
teams have also been hard at
work throughout the years.
Through partnerships with
Ohio EPA, Ohio Department
of Natural Resources
(ODNR), Duke Energy,
American Electric Power,
Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD),
and many other supporters,
FLMR’s Watershed Team
has been able to hit the
ground running in efforts to
better the watershed since we
became an established organization.
Some of FLMR’s Watershed
Team’s greatest achievements include:
• Developing a Watershed
Action Plan that thoroughly
studied the causes and
sources of impairment in the
Meigs Creek region and offers prioritized stream restoration projects.
• Received Ohio EPA 319
grant funding to analyze nitrate impacts to groundwater
within the Southern portion
of the watershed and developed Source Water Protection
Plans with four Public Water
Supplies in the region.
• Brought back the fun and
excitement of the former Marietta Jaycee’s Raft Regatta
by hosting the “Annual
Mighty Muskingum River
Raft Race” the past three
years!
• Highlighted the Lower
Muskingum River basin
through educational programs
to schools and through public
demonstrations (e.g. fish
population electro-shocking
sampling demonstrations
conducted by Ohio EPA).
Currently the Watershed
Team has received a four
year, ODNR Watershed Coordinator grant to develop a
Watershed Action Plan for
the Southern Subwatershed of
the Lower Muskingum River.
This is an area of land starting at Marietta, extending
North between Lowell and
Beverly. Upon state endorsement the plan will be added
to the overall Management
Plan and will serve as a guide
for stream restoration in the
area.
As part of this newsletter,
you will find a survey of the
Southern Subwatershed with
a map of the area included. If
you live within this region
and want to express your
opinions, please thoroughly
fill out the survey and send it
Inside this issue:
Another Successful
Raft Race for FLMR
2
The 3rd Annual
Mighty Muskingum
Raft Race
2
FLMR’s Continuing
Support
3
Conservation Tax
Benefits for
Landowners
3
My Time at Camp
Hervida
4
Fund Drive—2011
4
History of Luke Chute
part 2
5
to the address on back. If you
have specific concerns please
do not hesitate to call me at
740-374-4170.
Jesse Daubert
Watershed Coordinator,
FLMR
Help Support FLMR
By Recycling!
Give us your old Inkjet
Cartridges, Laser/Toner
Cartridges and Cell
Phones so we can recycle
them and raise money.
Friends of Lower Muskingum River
On August 14th the Friends of
Another
Lower Muskingum River held
its 3rd Annual Mighty Muskingum River Raft Race, which yet
again was a success. This year the
raft race was the finale event of the
“Rivers, Trails and Ales” Festival,
an event that prides itself as a
“celebration of paddling, road and
mountain biking, fine local ales and
grooving music”. Being part of this
lively festival was the perfect way to
promote the raft race this year.
The raft race is an event that has
roots in Marietta’s past, as the Marietta Jaycees organized the original
raft race back in the 1970’s and
‘80’s. This inspired FLMR to carry
on this tradition and bring the race
back to Marietta in the summer of
2009. FLMR wants to encourage our
community to take full advantage of
the unique opportunity we have of
living along the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers and to continue our mission of promoting the recreational
use of the river.
In this year’s race there were a total
Successful Raft Race for FLMR
great help to us as well. We had
volunteers helping sign-in participants, sell shirts and operate
safety boats. FLMR is well on our
way to making the raft race a large
event in Marietta again thanks to all
of the support we’ve had.
As expected, there were many creative rafts out on the river- with one
even powered by a bicycle! The
winners of the race had a raft called
“The Patio” made of PVC pipe.
Needless to say they finished with a
record-breaking time of 39 minutes.
of 11 rafts and 32 participants, with hundreds of onlookers. FLMR’s raft race is
steadily becoming more well-known and
had its greatest number of rafts thus far.
We also had more sponsors support our
event this year, with 7 monetary donations
and 15 in-kind donations from local businesses. Everyone who volunteered was a
I encourage everyone to be a part of
this exciting event next year! If you
have an adventurous spirit this is the
race for you, and the perfect time to
channel your inner Huck Finn and
begin your plans for your raft. If
traveling down the river in a homemade raft doesn’t sound like something you want to do, it is still a very
fun event to watch.
Kim Steese
Duke Energy Endowed OSM/
AmeriCorps VISTA, FLMR
The 3rd Mighty Muskingum Raft Race
Being a spectator of the
Mighty Muskingum Raft
Race has been a hoot the past
two years. Better yet was
participating this year and not
only staying afloat but placing second to Peter Prigge’s
beautifully engineered craft.
Beverly Prigge and Wendy
Frye were so speedy, Linda
Lewis and I decided we’d
never catch up, so we kept a
comfortable pace despite
constant heckling from the
Dragon Boat, Gretchen’s
Phoenix.
Captain Prigge’s raft, The
Patio, won by about a halfmile. The rest of the pack
Page 2
was behind
us by about
a half-mile.
We constructed
Dragonator
1&2 with
plywood that
had been
hanging
around the
garage for
some forgotten reason, leftover paint (bad idea), discarded swim noodles, transparent tape and air. We two, I
can’t say worked, played ideas
off each other about weight,
stability, displacement, camber and drag finishing breath-
lessly at the last
minute—the
tape held for
the 2 miles!
Needless to
say, it wasn’t
only tape holding us together—there
were a few
pounds of
screws too.
We bounced many more ideas
back and forth on the journey
thereby creating thoughts for a
part of our brains to be fiddling
with for another year. It is exciting to have a dream.
Oh, and there were so many
spectators on the dock at the
launching ramp it tipped.
We didn’t stop to see how
many landed in the river.
There were spectators cheering us on along the riverbanks too. Perhaps some of
them will have been convinced to join us in the river
next year along with all the
safety boat volunteers and
kayakers, including Roger
Kalter and his fire extinguisher.
It was a beautiful day with a
lot of laughing people on
our beautiful river.
Elin Jones
FLMR Vice President
FLMR continues to be
fortunate in having support
to maintain staff.
Kristyn Robinson, former
Watershed Coordinator,
wrote applications to fund the
Watershed Coordinator's position before she left last winter. ODNR is funding 75%
of Jesse's position and Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District is funding the
remaining 25%. These are
both four-year grants to en-
FLMR’s Continuing Support
able Jesse to do the research,
monitoring and writing to
develop a Watershed Action
Plan for the Lower Muskingum River (Big Run, Rainbow Creek, Cat Creek and
Bear Run). This is a timeconsuming process but necessary to identify the problems
and possible solutions for
these sub-watersheds. If you
have any thoughts or infor-
mation on these watersheds,
please give Jesse a call at
(740) 374-4170.
For the second year, Duke
Energy has endowed a
VISTA position for FLMR.
Jesse was the VISTA in 2010
and Kim Steese is our 2011
VISTA. Both years the grant
included travel costs (very
difficult to get funding for
The Friends of Lower Muskingum River would like to thank Kathy Ortt for the donation
of a new HP Officejet Pro printer for use in our office. If you would like to donate to
FLMR items we currently need include: postage stamps, gas cards, letter-sized printer
paper—we reuse paper with outdated letterhead, and other general office supplies. Your
contributions are very appreciated and help FLMR to continue our mission and serve our
community as both a watershed organization and a land trust.
Conservation Tax Benefits for Landowners
The federal government has
extended a special incentive for
landowners to protect their land
from commercial development,
via a conservation easement or
agricultural easement, until the
end of 2011.
If you own land that you really
care about, and you are concerned about how the land may
be used even after it is sold or
passes on to you heirs, a conservation easement may be the
answer.
A conservation or agricultural
easement is a legal document
that ravels with the property
deed and permanently limits the
ways in which the land may be
used. The landowner creating
the easement may specify whatever limitations he wishes. The
Page 3
most common restrictions in
conservation easements prohibit subdividing and commercial development, and
agricultural easements limit
land use to agriculture (which
can include tree farming).
The document is recorded
and given to a Land Trust,
which is responsible for making sure the donor’s wishes
are honored. Except for the
restrictions in the easement,
the landowner still owns the
land and can manage it as he
pleases, just as before. The
donor’s reward for giving up
specified rights (besides satisfaction and peace of mind) is
an income tax deduction for
the value of the easement (the
value of the rights given up).
The special tax incentive,
which applies to easements
donated before the end of
2011, does the following:
(1) Raises the deduction a
donor can take in any one
year from 30% of adjusted
gross income to 50%; (2)
allows qualifying farmers to
deduct up to 100% of their
income, provided the land
remains available for agricultural production; and (3)
increases the number of
years the unused portion of
the deduction can be carried
forward from 5 years to 15
years.
For a wealth of information
about conservation easements, visit the website of
the Land Trust Alliance
(www.LTA.org), a national
organization. Friends of
Lower Muskingum River is
a local land trust and nonprofit conservation organi-
but with the size of the watershed, a substantial cost) and
additional monitoring equipment.
FLMR appreciates the financial support from these three
major sources - it really could
not be done without your
help!
Marilyn Ortt
FLMR President
Meet the FLMR officers,
board members, and staff
Officers
President— Marilyn Ortt
Vice President— Elin Jones
Secretary - Doug Albaugh
Treasurer - Susan Corcoran
Board of Directors
Doug Albaugh
Mike Bailey
Dave Blount
Susan Corcoran
Elin Jones
John Lee
Rick Mayle
Jim McKibben
Marilyn Ortt
Quincy Robe
Staff
Jesse Daubert
Watershed Coordinator
Kim Steese
Duke Energy Endowed
OSM/AmeriCorps VISTA
zation
(www.muskingumriver.org).
Neither organization can offer
legal advice, but they can provide a lot of basic information.
Reprint from Washington
County SWCD July-Sept 2011
newsletter.
Friends of Lower Muskingum River
After becoming the new
OSM/AmeriCorps VISTA
for FLMR I had the opportunity to teach children at
Camp Hervida, a 4-H camp
in Waterford, about watersheds and water quality. I
taught at three different
camps: senior, junior and
beginner. At senior and junior camps my nature program was three days long,
while at beginner camp it
was only one day. Though
short, it was a very fun experience.
The three day program included a habitat assessment,
a benthic macroinvertebrate
assessment and water chemistry. At the end of the third
My Time at Camp Hervida
day we played a game that
illustrated the importance of
everything we learned. At
beginner camp I focused on
habitat assessment along with
a fun, but educational game.
For most of the kids the
best part by far
was getting into the stream
and catching bugs. Many
of the kids already go into
the creeks at their homes
for fun, so each group already had
an expert crayfish catcher. My favorite part, however, was seeing
the look of amazement on their
faces when we found some of the
smaller animals, like mayfly larvae. They couldn’t believe that all
the little ‘critters’ we found live in
the creek.
Teaching at Camp Hervida was a
wonderful experience. For some of
the children it was an inspiring
experience, and for others it was a
fun way to get them out and experiencing nature. For all the kids
it was a great way to increase their
awareness of watersheds and the
importance of good water quality.
Kim Steese
Duke Energy Endowed OSM/
AmeriCorps VISTA, FLMR
The Friends of Lower Muskingum River held our annual community yard sale outside of our office in Marietta on September
17th this year. With the items that were generously donated to us and the help we received from our volunteers along the way
we had a very successful yard sale, raising a total of $604.20. This money will be used for both land trust funds and to support
the FLMR office. Please keep FLMR in mind as you find any gently used items you no longer wish to keep and help our organization by donating them for our community yard sale next year!
Fund Drive – 2011
This past summer The Friends
of Lower Muskingum River
made a plea for donations from
the membership that would be
in addition to standard membership contribution. This is
the second time that “The
Friends” have made such an
appeal, the first being in 2010.
As with any small non-profit
environmental organization the
membership contributions do
not quite stretch far enough.
“The Friends” have tried to
keep the membership contribution at a level that is affordable
to all. We value our members’
interest and support for the
goals of “The Friends” and
desire to keep all of them on
the active rolls. There are expenses that the membership
contributions do not entirely
cover.
Page 4
What are these other expenses?
• Education and community
outreach programs are usually
funded out of general funds.
• Grants nearly always require a “match” from the receiving organization. While
part of this can be covered by
what is called “in-kind” contributions there is inevitably
some actual cash required.
• Once property has been
acquired it must be maintained,
inspected, and in some cases
restored.
• Conservation easements
must be defended against trespass and non-compliance.
• There are costs associated
with researching and selecting
potential properties for acquisi-
tion. If the property is not
acquired FLMR still has to
absorb these expenses.
• FLMR maintains an office
in Washington County with a
watershed coordinator and
VISTA volunteer. There are
expenses associated with maintaining this office.
The response to the appeal for
supplemental donations was
very gratifying and positive.
Of the ninety six appeals
mailed, representing more than
120 people counting family
memberships, “The Friends”
had 27 donations totaling
$1330. This is a return rate of
well over 25%. This is truly a
very positive response and
indicates the importance that
the membership places on ef-
forts to improve the quality of
the Muskingum River and its
watershed.
The officers and directors are
very thankful to represent such
a dedicated membership. We
all look forward to a better
Muskingum River.
Quincy Robe
Membership Chair, FLMR
This is the second
History of Luke Chute and the Luke Chute Conservation Area The state
collected
in a series of artiover
cles about the his$50,000 in tolls and water1837, but marine engineers
tory of the Luke Chute region
River Improvement was compower rents in 1847, the peak
constantly increased the size of
and the Luke Chute Conservapleted in 1841.
year, and revenue averaged
steamers to permit handling
tion Area of the Friends of
about $40,000 a year from
larger payloads, and steamers
Lower Muskingum River.
The state employed Major
1843 to 1853, when railroad
that could enter the MuskinSamuel R. Curtis, former incompetition began to make
gum River locks were eventuThe first steamboat on the
fantry officer and a West Point
inroads. . . .
ally classed as small boats. . . .
Ohio River appeared in 1811,
graduate, as project engineer,
but it wasn’t until 1824 that a
and established the project
River traffic declined, however
Many mistakes were made in
steamboat tackled the Muskinoffice at McConnelsville.
after 1853, and operating costs
building the Muskingum navigum. On January 9, 1824, the
Construction began in 1837.
began to exceed revenues. By
gation project which would not
steamboat Rufus Putnam made
The following account of the
1860 the state had begun to
have been made at a later date,
its way up the Muskingum
construction and operation of
look for someone to take over
but it was one of the first navifrom Marietta, bound for
the Muskingum locks and
the project and try to make it a
gation projects completed in
Zanesville. This was possible
dams is taken from Men,
paying proposition. The
the United States when it
only because the river was at
Mountains and Rivers: An
United States eventually beopened in 1841. . . . Stone
flood stage. That evening, the
Illustrated History of the Huntcame willing to give it a try.
masonry had been commonly
Rufus Putnam tied up for the
ington District, U.S. Army
used for construction since
night at Luke Chute, before
Corps of Engineers, 1754After years of lobbying by the
ancient times, but ordinary
negotiating the whitewater
1974, by Leland Johnson,
State of Ohio, during which
lime mortar was used on the
rapids there. Next day, the
1977, pages 53-54.
time the Muskingum dams and
Muskingum locks as sealer
little side-wheeler made it suclocks fell into disrepair, the U.
between the stones, and it soon
cessfully to Zanesville. The
The dams were built of timber
S. Army Corps of Engineers
washed out, the stone masonry
return trip to Marietta took
cribs, resembling log cabins,
took over the Muskingum from
began to slide, and the lockpinned at the corners with iron
only seven hours.
the state in 1887. At that time,
walls had to be bolted together
rods, which were dropped into
a survey revealed that Luke
to prevent complete collapse.
the river side by side from
Thus began a steamboat comChute dam and the Devol dam
bank to bank. The cribs were
merce on the Muskingum that
had been breached, and none
The white-oak lock gates were
filled with random stone from
lasted more than a century.
of the dams were considered
first opened and closed by men
nearby quarries, planks were
Traffic was sporadic at first,
safe. Col. William E. Merrill,
turning windlasses attached by
pinned atop the cribs to hold
depending on water level, but
who conducted the survey,
chains to each leaf of the lock
the stone, thick boards were
profitable. Steamboats ran
stated that the project must
gates; it took four men turning
driven along the upstream face
frequently up to Zanesville,
never have been run by a procranks at each gate, eight at
of the cribs to foundation rock
and occasionally made it to
fessional engineer, and that
each lock, to open and close
to reduce seepage, and rocks
Coshocton, constituting an
maintenance funds had been
the gates. A direct rack-andwere dropped into the river
important addition to the alwasted through ignorance.
pinion was eventually installed
above and below the cribs to
ready numerous flatboats and
at each lock gate to reduce the
Stop-gap measures by the Enprevent washout. The dams
keelboats.
size of the lock force, but lockgineers saved the system from
leaked and were often
total failure, following which
ing through the Muskingum
Since the Muskingum was still
breached by floods, thus
was always a slow process.
dams and locks were replaced
the main “highway” to the
greatly increasing mainteor repaired as circumstances
nance costs over the years, but
interior of Ohio at that time,
In spite of its many design
required. In 1892, the Muskinstonefilled timber cribs were
for transport of people, goods,
gum was at last kept open to
shortcomings and operational
and mail, there was great pubstandard at the time.
navigation for an entire year.
problems, the Muskingum prolic support for making it naviject, at a construction cost of
In that year, 8,058 boats passed
gable by steamboats at lower
Monolithic concrete river locks
through the locks carrying all
$1,628,028.29, established a
water as well as at flood stage.
were not built in the United
sorts of commodities as well as
slackwater navigation system
In 1836, the Ohio legislature
States until 1895, and all locks
passengers.
that was much more reliable
approved funds for construcbuilt before 1895 were of eithan navigation on the Ohio.
tion of the Muskingum River
ther cheap rockfilled timber
To be continued. A list of
Ohio River boats often took
dams and locks, as part of a
cribs, or more expensive stone
refuge in the Muskingum slack- sources and suggested reading
vast canal system built from
masonry. Major Curtis dewill appear at the end.
water during low water sea1825 to 1847. A channel deep
signed cut-stone masonry locks
sons.
enough for steamboats was to
for the Muskingum, with room
Doug Albaugh
be maintained all the way to
in the lock chambers for 160. . . Muskingum River comSecretary, FLMR
Dresden. The Muskingum
foot-long and 35-foot-wide
merce was booming and beboats. The dimensions were
coming of “great importance.”
ample
for
most
steamboats
in
Page 5
Newsletter layout by Kim Steese
Duke Energy Endowed OSM/AmeriCorps VISTA, FLMR
Friends of Lower Muskingum River
348 Muskingum Drive
Marietta, OH 45750
Want to become a FLMR member?
Cut out this form & return to the
address below!
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www.muskingumriver.org
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Upcoming Events
“Unsafe Water Supply Investigation—Nitrate Sources at Devola, Ohio”
Presenter: Chris Kenah, OEPA; Thursday, December 1 7:00 PM Rm.150, Selby Hall, Marietta
College
"6-Legged Con-Men"
Presenter: Dr. Dave McShaffrey; Thursday, December 8 7:00 PM Rm. 150, Selby Hall
Marietta College: Prey to many other animals, our six-legged friends have developed some
incredible adaptations to help them blend into the environment or look more dangerous
than they really are. Mr. McShaffrey, MC dept. of Biology and Environmental Science, will
show us striking examples of insects that look like something they aren't - many living right
here in Marietta.
Membership Level Annual
Dues
Individual $15
Family $25
Non-profit Organization $50
Corporate$100
Dues: _________
Donation: _________
Amount Enclosed: _________
Please make checks payable to:
Friends of Lower Muskingum River
Mail to: Quincy Robe, FLMR Membership Chair, P. O. Box 31, Malta, OH
43758