This year’s Celebrate Our River will be even more special with the recently completed Ottawa River restoration efforts.
Under the close supervision of Dave Derrick from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Dave Hails of Ecological Restoration Inc. carefully placed cover stone for the fish habitat structures installed as part of the recently completed river restoration along the Ottawa River on Main Campus.
“We’re already seeing improvements, and as you start to get more garbage and debris out of those rivers, then there’s less inclination for people to think of them as a place to dump garbage and debris, so it raises awareness and understanding,” said Dr. Patrick Lawrence, UT professor and chair of the Department of Geography and Planning, who is chair of the President’s Commission on the River.
Listed by date, events for the week will be:
• Wednesday through Friday, Sept. 18-20 — Video and poster displays focusing on the river restoration project will be in Carlson Library.
• Thursday, Sept. 19 — The winners of the Second Annual Student River Photography Contest will be announced at noon at the Student River Plaza.
• Friday, Sept. 20 — The dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the river restoration project will be held at noon along the new access path next to the bridge by the east parking ramp.
• Saturday, Sept. 21 — UT will participate in the community-wide effort called Clean Your Streams. Last year more than 1,000 volunteers, including 400 at the University, helped clear up debris found along the river. Sign-in will begin at 8 a.m. on the Law Center Patio. Registration in advance is required by Monday, Sept. 16, at partnersforcleanstreams.org.
“The University of Toledo is a partner for the 17th annual Clean Your Streams,” Lawrence said. “It’s a great opportunity. For a couple hours on a Saturday morning you can do some good, have some fun, and make a difference for rivers and streams in our community.”
For more information on Celebrate Our River events, contact Lawrence at patrick.lawrence@utoledo.edu.
