A Summer Message from Executive Director Kathi Vrable-Bryan
Happy Summer, Mahoning County!
There is a distinct energy that comes with a Northeast Ohio summer. It’s the season when our fields are in full production, our backyards are teeming with life, and our local waterways become the focal point of community recreation. Here at the Mahoning County Soil and Water Conservation District, summer is also our busiest and most rewarding time of the year.
Our team has been hitting the ground running. We kicked off the season close to home. We loved seeing so many of you out in the community, especially those who joined us to celebrate our local ecosystems at the 2nd Annual Pollinator Palooza in May. Next year, Pollinator Palooza will be held at beautiful Austintown Township Park allowing us to expand the event. We also volunteered at the State Envirothon held at Franciscan University, witnessing firsthand the incredible passion and environmental knowledge of Ohio’s high school students, including our very own Boardman Local School District who sent two teams to the state competition. Right now, our focus is squarely on our local water quality. We just launched our monthly “Watershed Wednesdays” stream monitoring series. On the third Wednesday of each month throughout the summer, we are out in the field gathering vital biological data, looking at everything from water chemistry to the tiny benthic macroinvertebrates, like mayfly nymphs, that tell us a deep story about the health of our local watersheds.
As we look ahead, we’re excited to continue expanding opportunities for our community to learn about and protect our water resources. Upcoming programs include a behind-the-scenes tour of a local water treatment plant, offering residents a firsthand look at how clean drinking water reaches our homes, as well as watershed cleanup events that invite volunteers to make a direct, positive impact on the health of our local waterways. These hands-on experiences are just a few of the ways we’re working to build environmental stewardship throughout Mahoning County.
Whether you are a landowner working to implement conservation practices on your property, a resident curious about backyard conservation, or someone looking to volunteer for water quality monitoring, we are here as your resource. Conservation happens at the community level, and every rain garden planted, pollinator habitat restored, and stream protected makes Mahoning County a better place to call home.
Thank you to our County Commissioners, Board members, staff, partners, and YOU, our community supporters, for helping make conservation a shared priority to protect our natural resources. I hope to see you out at one of our upcoming summer events!
Warmly,
Kathi Vrable-Bryan
