Environmental Stewardship, Outreach and Education
Partners for Clean Streams Inc. (PCS) is a small non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Perrysburg, Ohio that serves the Northwest Ohio region. Their mission is to promote clean, clear, and safe water in our community through stewardship, outreach, and environmental education. To do this, they lead and organize many stewardship activities – such as storm drain marking, removing tangled fishing line, and stream cleanups – throughout the year.
“Clean Your Streams” is the largest concentrated stream cleanup in Northwest Ohio. PCS partners with Lourdes University, Boy Scouts of America, the Toledo Zoo, the YWCA downtown, the University of Toledo, local churches, businesses, youth groups, and many other organizations to remove pollutants and debris from local rivers, lakes, and streams. Through 2019, they averaged 1,000 volunteers who worked together to remove over 25,000 pounds of trash from 35+ miles of waterways from the Maumee River to small Lake Erie tributaries in Oregon to Ten Mile Creek in Sylvania and many areas in between. “Clean Your Streams” has continued to grow for the past two decades to become a community tradition that unites volunteerism, water conservation, and community pride. This program has a direct impact on the Maumee River, which increases it recreational, environmental, and economic value.
For many volunteers, the “Clean Your Streams” Program is their first connection between human activity and its environmental effects. And, while community members can volunteer for the PCS organized programs, they can also do stewardship on their own. PSC has loaner cleanup kits, and volunteers can track their impact using an app.
You may be surprised to learn that Partners for Clean Streams also works behind the scenes with many organizations to help secure large grants to support projects related to water quality, such as large-scale wetland projects or stream habitat enhancement projects. They lead the “Green Team” at the Mercy Health Glass City Marathon to help the organizers (the Toledo Roadrunners) strategically reduce unnecessary packaging or resources and minimize the impact on the nearby waterways with misplaced trash throughout the event. This may seem like an odd role for PSC, but these efforts prevent marine debris before it even has an impact and it reaches a broad audience to encourage different practices while enjoying the outdoors.
In 2020, despite the pandemic, volunteers continued Cleaning our Streams! On their own or in their small circles, volunteers removed over 20,000 pounds of garbage near local waterways. PCS volunteers paddled to islands in the Maumee River, walked neighborhoods, scoured stream banks, and cleaned clogged up ditches. 2020 was unique in many ways but it was also evident in the misplaced masks and disposable gloves that were everywhere. Despite the challenges, community members remained committed to keeping our water cleaner.
You can support the great work of Partners for Clean Streams through direct donations, participating in your employer’s Northwest Ohio Community Shares workplace campaign, matching gifts, or sponsorship for their programs. Donations, and corporate sponsorships, can be made online at www.PartnersforCleanStreams.org/Give.
Learn more about getting involved with Partners for Clean Streams thorough:
Website: https://partnersforcleanstreams.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/partnerforcleanstreams
