A Stew's Trip to Togo

I had a wonderful summer in Togo, Africa. I was warmly welcomed by the people and had a life changing experience. We originally went to Togo to build latrines but upon arrival we found out that an NGO had already built them. We then talked to the village chief and his counsel about how we could help their village. The village chief came to us and said that we could help his village by designing and building a soccer field. The World Cup was going on in South Africa so everyone had soccer fever. We figured that the soccer field would allow the children in the village to make lifelong friendships with other village soccer teams as well as become a place where the community could gather and celebrate. We designed the soccer field to be regulation size so tournaments could be held. In the end, everyone was very happy. In thanksgiving the village chief gave us a bucket of yams, one live cock, and our choice of the village women to marry. I enjoyed the yams and chicken.

Summer Paddling Programs Come to a Close

It was a busy summer for the Rivers Institute and the first for implementing a series of paddles that brought the UD and Dayton communities physically to the river. With the help of a small grant from the Greater Dayton Conservation Fund (GDCF), the Rivers Institute certified staff and students with the American Canoe Association to be official kayak instrustors and bought more equipment to allow us to carry out this new summer programming. Looking back at the summer, not only can we say that we brought over 85 people to the river but we can also say that we helped foster of a sense of pride/place in Dayton as a river city with our participants, while building relationships and community along the way.


(Students & Staff at the Neighborhood School Centers enjoy EastWood MetroPark's Blue Hole)


We started the summer off by inviting groups that we tend to collaborate with throughout the academic year, like Campus Ministry, RecPlex, the Fitz Center and ArtStreet. We then enjoyed the opportunity to work with the BlueSky project by offering river inspiration and team building opportunities to their artists, both professional and student. We then branched out to work with the Dayton Development Coalition, the Neighborhood School Centers of Dayton Public Schools and the Wellness Team for Cleveland Elementary School. By this time, we were ready to wrap things up and invited the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Dean's Office to join us for the last paddle of the season, as a way to show appreciation for all the hard work and support they provide the Rivers Institute.

(The CAS Dean's Office sets off for their two hour paddle down the Mad River)

(The CAS Dean's Office comes around the bend and paddles towards Downtown Dayton)

(Dick Ferguson races to play in the fountains at RiverScape)

All of the groups enjoyed the chance to see Dayton from a new lens, while learning about our local watershed and developing leadership amongst their respective departments out-of the-office. Our participants were also able to experience what the Rivers Institute is all about, first-hand......And I think it is safe to say, EVERYONE had a great time!

Thanks to everyone who participated in and helped staff the programs. We look forward to taking more groups on the river next summer and hope to see you out there between now and then!

(The CAS Dean's Office rafts up for a group picture at RiverScape)

Feel free to check previous posts to see pictures of the other participating groups.

Poland

This summer I went to Poland with my family for my cousin's wedding. After the three day wedding, my Polish relatives took us around and showed us Poland. One place we visited was the Hel Peninsula--this is located in northern Poland in the water's of the Baltic Sea. Along the boardwalk there were several posters that had pictures that showed the effects of people not taking care of land, water, and animals. Even though I can't read Polish, I got the point because 'a picture speaks a thousand words'. I thought my fellow River Stewards might also appreciate these pictures. And, maybe it might give us some ideas for something we could do to promote taking care of the river and other assets that we have.

This fish was constructed out of garbage that was found in the water and they transformed it into an artistic statement.

Check out this video!

Clean Sweep Video

Rivers Institute participates in 2010 Clean Sweep!

River clean up yields odd bits of treasure amid tons of trash

By Steve Bennish, Staff Writer

Updated 4:38 PM Saturday, July 17, 2010

DAYTON — A shopping cart, a lawnmower, a broken small parts cabinet, a bicycle, a half eaten jar of pickle, a despised orange traffic cone, a tire sidewall. Countless plastic bottles and paper wrappers.

Such were the fruits of labor gathered by 900 volunteers along the Great Miami River for Clean Sweep 2010 Friday July 16, the annual event that ensures river corridors are wildlife-rich, scenic and healthy places.

Dragonflies and butterflies hovered and danced in the heat as volunteers arrived from local schools, the Dayton Department of Recreation’s camping program, area correctional facilities and corporate sponsors including Cox Media Group, parent company of the Dayton Daily News.

Alex Taylor, Cox Media Group vice president, told 100 volunteers at MacIntosh Park that “this river is the crown jewel of Dayton. It’s the reason Dayton was founded here. It’s our greatest natural resource.” Andrew Fahlund, vice president for conservation for the nonprofit group American Rivers, called on volunteers to be “lifelong stewards of the Great Miami River.”

Reshawn Mize, 13, of Trotwood, a bass fisherman, came out to “help the community and the animals - the ducks and swans,” he said. He brought his visiting cousin from Florida, Jordan McConnell, 13, and brother Cercharles McConnell, 14, also of Trotwood.

Felicia Graham, environmental compliance coordinator for the city, said it would be nice if more remembered to police their trash. Litter thrown in the street washes into the river through storm drains. You can report a litterer and the person’s license plate number to a Montgomery County Hotline at 225-4999, Graham said.

By July 24 when volunteers in Logan County finish their efforts, 150 miles of the Great Miami River corridor from Indian Lake to the Ohio River will have been cleaned.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7407 or sbennish@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Clean Sweep of the Great Miami River 2010!

Friday July 16th and Saturday July 24th.
Check it out:
http://miamiconservancy.org/water/clean_up.asp

Blue Sky Artist Inspired by Dayton's Rivers

Victoria Theatre Association and the Blue Sky Project presents

Of A River
Live Performance Installation featuring
m u s i c ~ d a n c e ~ s i l k

Shaw Pong Liu & Rodney Veal
July 22, 2010
7pm & 9pm
Winter Garden @ The Schuster Center
free to the public
www.blueskydayton.org
www.victoriatheatre.com

click here for pictures and the blog post from when the Rivers Institute paddled with the Blue Sky artists.