Opportunities From: Butler County United Way

During September and October, we are collecting photographic data of the species found at Ruder Preserve for a BioBlitz project. All you need is your phone and the free iNaturalist app!

What is a bioblitz? A bioblitz is a communal citizen-science effort to record as many species of plants and animals within a designated location and time period as possible. ​ 

​How to Take Part Go for a walk with your phone or camera in the Preserve and make observations. An observation records an encounter with an individual organism at a particular time and location. This includes encounters with signs of organisms like tracks, nests, or things that just died. If you use the app on your phone, the app will make a suggestion of the species if your photo has enough identifying information such as flower heads. You can more than one photo to an observation as long as it is of the same individual plant or animal, so a photo of the flower and a second showing leaf shape.  

Where: Helen S. Ruder Preserve, Oxford. This small preserve is located along both sides of Four Mile Creek next to Bonham Road. There is a small parking lot on Shadowy Hills Drive. There is another parking area next to the newer dog park at 5094 Bonham Road. Ruder Preserve has boardwalks on both sides of the creek, and some primitive trails as well. The Preserve is bounded by Bonham Road bridge and the low head dam downstream.  

When: All September and as long in October as we can. The low head dam at the downstream edge of the property is being removed this Fall and this will being sometime in October. This is weather and stream flow dependent and so there is no official start date.  

Download iNaturalist https://www.inaturalist.org/

Find out more: at www.butlerswcd.org/bioblitz

Storm drain sin your neighborhood are designed to carry water off the roads and into local creeks. On it's journey, it can pick up and transport pollutants such as trash into our streams. During this project, you can label the drains in your neighborhood with "No Polluting:Drains to Creek" decals.

Great for individuals, families, and groups.

No experience necessary.Use a wire brush and rag to clean top of drain. Place glue on back of label and stick to drain. Mark label location on a map.

Time commitment is up to you, you can label as many or as few drains as you like.

When: Anytime the roads are dry and the temperatures are between 40 and 80 oF

Materials: All materials provided. They will need to be picked up from Butler SWCD, in Hamilton. Call to make an appointment.

Locations: Hamilton, West Chester Twp, Liberty Twp, Fairfield Twp, Hanover Twp, Madison Twp, Trenton, and Ross.

Youth groups: An educational program can be scheduled for free to teach the children more about the project. Contact Butler SWCD to schedule 513-887-3720

Patches for Youth Groups: A patch is available to any youth group member that volunteers for 3 hours minimum.

Optional additional opportunity: Use garbage grabbers to pick up trash while walking your neighborhood labeling drains.