Upper Black River Watershed Project
A federal grant of $300,000 through the Ohio 319 Program, matched by $294,055 in local/state in-kind and monetary contributions for a combined total of $594,055 was received for this project. The project involved the Lorain Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD), Lorain County General Health District, Medina County Health Department, Seventh Generation (sponsor/fiscal agent), Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and the Ohio EPA. Project Summary Highlights: The Lorain SWCD will be providing $140,000 in cost-share monies for farmers in Lorain County to implement a nutrient management program using precision farming techniques (use of state-of-the-art satellite technology). They have also received $40,000 from ODNR to establish gully erosion practices in agriculture crop areas along the Upper West Branch of the Black River in Lorain County. The Lorain County General Health District and the Medina County Health Department have collectively received $75,000 to implement an in-depth investigation/survey and sampling of known and suspected "on-site septic and aeration disposal systems" in Lorain and Medina County portions of the Black River watershed. This survey will be supported by a GIS database. The survey and sampling data collected will support the implementation of maintenance and inspection programs for the Lorain and Medina County portions of the Black River watershed. Seventh Generation has received approximately $60,000 to assist the health departments in their bacterial sampling of on-site septic and aeration disposal system failures in Lorain and Medina County portions of the Black River watershed. Presently the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency is finalizing the 319 program requirements.

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Carlisle Township Comprehensive Plan
$71,110 in state Lake Erie Protection Fund (LEFP) monies matched by $70,000 in local/state/federal in-kind contributions for a combined total of $141,110 have been received for this project. Project Partners include the Lorain County Commissioners, the Lorain County Community Development Department and the Ohio EPA. A consultant has been hired to help Carlisle Township (a rural/suburban mix township that includes both branches of the Black River in Lorain County, Ohio) develop a comprehensive Township Plan that incorporates natural resource and open space protection, flood control and non-point source pollution abatement measures. GIS support staff will be hired to develop a Carlisle Township land use database that will compliment zoning changes to the Township Plan. Carlisle Township will have access to a volunteer team of natural resource and conservation experts for forming their Township Plan. Also, a consultant will be hired to assist Lorain County in developing a Community Guide on how to develop Township Comprehensive Land Use Plans using the Carlisle Township Plan as the model.

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Metropark Projects
The Lorain County Metroparks have contributed to the enhancement of wetland habitat in the Black River Watershed through two recent projects. Each project highlights a different approach to wetland restoration. The Carlisle Woods project is a result of a conservation easement purchased by the federal government and the second is a mitigation bank to off-set wetlands impaired by development elsewhere. Carlisle Woods Project: The Lorain County Metro Parks in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) put about 150 acres of the parks' Carlisle Reservation in the USDA's Wetland Reserve Program. Through an agreement, the USDA paid about $107,000 for an easement to do restoration projects, and Metro Parks officials agreed to manage the land according to regulations in the program. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Program in Elyria worked locally with the Metro Parks on the project. North Ridgeville Sandy Ridge Project: Lorain County Metro Parks and the Lorain Building: Industries Association have completed work on a 130-acre wetlands park within the municipal limits of the City of North Ridgeville. The park features a picnic-playground area and water-covered acreage with an elaborate series of floating walkways and habitats to give visitors a close-up look at vegetation and animals that live in a wetland setting. Development of the park was a part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' national mitigation program designed to preserve and create wetland areas.

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Constructed Wetlands/Health Department
A remarkable experiment in wetland-based sewage treatment is taking place in the Black River AOC. In early 1993, the Lorain County General Health District recognized the need for an alternative to the conventional septic system for private homes. Alternative systems need to be able to handle the cold temperatures common during northeastern Ohio winters. So the Health District in 1993 initiated an experimental project using constructed wetlands to treat sewage affluent from single-family homes. Constructed wetlands are engineered ecosystems designed to clean polluted water by filtering it through a network of bacteria and anything from algae and plants to snails and fish. By 1994, twelve systems were installed at individual residential homes. The homeowners voluntarily agreed to test and pay for the wetland systems. For more information on the design of these systems or their progress, contact James Boddy, Director of Environmental Health, Lorain County General Health District, at (440) 284-3224.

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Watershed Education Project
While many of the RAP’s efforts have focused on landowner and farmer education, the education of youth remains an essential priority. In 1996, Seventh Generation partnered with Oberlin College to form the Watershed Education Partnership Program (WEPP). The WEPP is a watershed-based environmental education project for local schools. Seventh Generation and the Oberlin College Environmental Studies Program assisted local teachers in the development of curricula that use the Black River watershed as an integrating concept. Support for this effort has come from the Ohio Environmental Education Fund and the nationally-based Orion Society and Adopt-a-Watershed organizations. During the fall, Oberlin College students and local teachers take a course on the natural history of the Black River taught by 12 college faculty from different disciplines. During the following spring, college students are placed in local classrooms to design K-12 place-based activities. Eventually, these activities will be shaped into a comprehensive curriculum that will utilize the local watershed as a hands-on teaching tool and engage students in efforts to develop solutions to local problems. Other watershed education projects are geared toward the general public, including this interactive web site, the book Explorations of a Watershed: A Natural History of the Black River (published by the Environmental Studies Program of Oberlin College), and a recent production by the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra which captured the natural history of the watershed through music and dance.

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