MIKE BRAUN Help check stream quality

Without water, life comes to a screeching halt. So it goes without saying that keeping an eye on the quality of the water that sustains us is important.
For the big picture, there are agencies that are charged with keeping tabs on the quality of the water we drink. On a smaller level, local citizens can volunteer to help the state monitor the quality of Ohio's scenic streams, also a valuable resource.
Since 1983, the state has operated the Ohio Scenic Rivers Stream Quality Monitoring Program as a way to let the general public be involved in protecting stream quality.
Volunteers help to gather data on streams and rivers that have been designated wild and scenic by Ohio, including the Grand, the Little Beaver, the Chagrin and the Upper Cuyahoga, all in northeastern Ohio.
Workshops: To promote this program, the state will host four different workshops in May on these waterways. The hands-on sessions will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on the following dates: May 14, Chagrin River at the Old River Farm Picnic Area, North Chagrin Reservation, Chagrin River Road; May 17, Grand River at the Hidden Valley Picnic Area, Klasen Road off state Route 528; May 23, Little Beaver Creek at Beaver Creek State Park, off state Route 7 in Rogers; and May 31 on the Upper Cuyahoga River at the Camp Hi Canoe Livery, Abbott Road off state Route 82.
The free workshops will offer instruction on how to sample stream life and riparian corridor habitat and gauge water quality from that information. Work will be done in the streams, so participants should expect to get wet.
An example of sampling includes wading into the streams to conduct surveys of animal life. These animals include the group of macroinvertebrates such as aquatic insects, clams, snails, crayfish and aquatic worms.
The purpose of these workshops is to engender interest in citizen volunteering and to get a roster of those who will be dedicated to helping the state keep an eye on the quality of scenic rivers, including periodic sampling of stream life, chemical analysis of the water and other activities.
All information the volunteers gather is entered into a central database in Columbus for an annual report.
To participate: Those interested in more information or making a workshop reservation should call Billie Jagers, Stream Quality Monitoring Coordinator, Northeast Ohio, at (330) 527-2961, or Steve Roloson, North East Ohio Scenic Rivers Coordinator, (330) 527-4184.
Go canoeing: If you don't want to get INTO the stream, how about on TOP of it?
Trumbull Canoes Trails Inc. has started its 2001 canoeing season and has a full slate of trips planned.
The group's first trip was to be today on the Shenango River, but there are eight other excursions scheduled that should be equally as fun and worthwhile.
The next trip will be May 19-20 on the Clarion River in Cooks Forest, followed by the Mohican River in Loudonville June 3, Mosquito Lake July 15, Lake Milton Moonlight Run Aug. 4, Presque Isle Sept. 16, Mahoning River Color Run Oct. 14, Cuyahoga River Frostbite Run Nov. 4 and the Mahoning River Chili Run Dec. 2.
For more information on the club and its trips, contact Richard Allen at (330) 542-2891 or Bob Bakalik at (330) 792-3110.