Friends of Euclid Creek seeks to teach through fishing

Jul. 10—The Friends of Euclid Creek in conjunction with the Native Fish Coalition of Ohio will be hosting a fish sampling event on July 13.

Starting at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Euclid Creek Reservations' Upper Highland Picnic Area, off of Euclid Creek Parkway, participants will be able to get their feet wet for science.

Friends of Euclid Creek's Brandon Weeber, who serves as the educational chair, said that the goal of the survey was to try and get a better insight on how many types of fish live in the creek, which is part of a watershed whose coverage stretches over six municipalities.

"We want to get the general public outside into the streams and just observe the different types of fish that inhabit Euclid Creek," Weeber said. "What we are really looking at is, what kind of native fish are in the creek, and what fish depend on this ecosystem to survive.

"It's a fun way to get people learning about what native fish inhabit Euclid Creek, why they are there, what purpose they serve the creek, but also what purpose do they serve outside of the creek."

He said that getting younger people involved has been challenging after the pandemic, but he was trying to change that by switching from informational lectures to hands-on activities.

"I went to an event at the Geauga Park District, and it just hit differently learning how to catch the fish and seeing them with my own eyes, my own hands, rather than just sitting in a classroom," Weeber added.

Participants that want to help in fish sampling won't have to do any casting, as they will be using a seine net, which is part of a fishing method which dates back to over 2,000 BCE.

"What we basically do is take a seine net, and two people post up in a river and dig the net into the creek bed," Weeber said. "Then you let the net flow with the river, while two or three people about 15 feet away rummage through the rocks and creek bed and flip over rocks.

Basically, you're making creek disturbances which push the fish toward you, into the net. Once you lift the net, if all luck works, you get the native fish or sometimes non-native fish such as Steelhead in the net... Then we put them in observation jars to pass them around the group and the kids so they can see what the fish are, how to identify these fish next time they are out and about, and then we release them back into the creek."

He said the data collected, where the fish were caught, the speed of the stream, the habitat the fish was caught in, will all go into a data set that he can use later on. In the future he hopes to collaborate with other organizations and hopes that this will be a step in that direction.

Knowing the health of the creek can give a better sense of how the Euclid Creek Watershed's health is being affected by the cities which drain into it. Weeber said that the watershed starts in Beachwood, and eventually drains into Lake Erie, which means any water in Lyndhurst, South Euclid, Richmond Heights, Highland Heights, and parts of Cleveland and Euclid goes straight into the drinking water supply without filtration.

"We try to teach people that even though you might not see the body of water, any chemicals, fertilizers, trash, and other pollutants that you see in the streets eventually end up going right into Euclid Creek and then eventually Lake Erie" Weeber said. "We try to teach people better ways of maintaining their lawns, litter clean up, litter prevention, because any stormwater drains don't get filtered like sewage would."

While it might seem like a big undertaking, Weeber said there are a few things people can do to maintain a healthy watershed and therefore a healthy lake. He said that using alternatives to salt in the winter, sugar beet juice, sawdust, and other methods can reduce the amount of salt that gets washed into the creek every year. Picking up trash, he said, is also a step that anyone can join in on, if they want to help maintain the quality of water for everyone.

"There are a lot of different ways people can help maintain the watershed," Weeber said. "What we try to advocate is to use less fertilizer if you are growing a garden, more natural pest management, and if you have a lawn think about the different types of fertilizer you are putting on the lawn. Pick up after your pets, and don't liter, when the winter comes trying to find alternative measures instead of using salt."

For more information on healthy gardening tips, information about the Euclid Creek Watershed, and future events, can be found at www.friendsofeuclidcreek.com.