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Photos and stories featuring the Monday Creek community, and news and activities within the watershed.

The Small Boat Project

(Above: L to R) Aaron Christian and Chris Alexander (Office of Surface Mining summer intern) caulking. Photo by Matt Woods.

George Vernon, Cory Spencer, and Cameron Blosser paint the skiff.
Photo by Matt Woods

Matt Woods (AmeriCorps VISTA), Cory Spencer, and George Vernon work in Ron Eaton's garage.
Photo by Chris Alexander

Back in April 2000, Mike Steinmaus and Norah Newberg attended the National Watershed Outreach Conference in San Diego, California. Individuals from across the nation presented educational programs that have successfully engaged adults and youth in watershed activities.

One such session, presented by the Associate Director of the Alexandria Seaport Foundation located in Alexandria, Virginia, involved the building of a small boat by at-risk youth. Norah was inspired by the program's ability to involve youth and adults in a hands-on project. She successfully proposed a boat-building program as an educational outreach activity for Monday Creek through an Ohio EPA grant, under the provisions of Section 319(h) of the Federal Clean Water Act.

During its three-year life, the grant will fund the purchase of a boat kit each year. Plans are to engage youth in building one boat each year in three different communities in the Monday Creek Watershed. MCRP will call upon the leadership of VISTA volunteers and Office of Surface Mining summer interns to work with the youth. In addition, MCRP will seek community residents with woodworking skills, tools, and a secure location for the boat construction.

A Bevin's boat kit was purchased and delivered to the MCRP office in early July, 2002. The kit contained all the materials necessary to construct the eleven-foot, rowboat-style, wooden skiff. In addition to our OSM summer intern, Chris Alexander, and Matt Woods, our AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer, Ron Eaton, a New Straitsville resident, volunteered to provide a garage, woodworking tools and his woodworking expertise in constructing the boat.

MCRP distributed flyers describing the boat building to about three dozen boys and girls taking part in a summer kids' program in New Straitsville. Four boys indicated a willingness to participate in the boat building.

Construction started in mid-August with cutting, drilling, gluing, nailing and sanding according to the boat plans. Just prior to the beginning of the school year, the boat was completed, except for painting. The boys have spent their time after school painting and putting the finishing touches on the boat.

On Sunday, September 15 at 1:30 PM the little boat will be christened and launched at the beach at Burr Oak Reservoir Beach, off SR 13 past the Tom Jenkins Dam. All the boat builders will get a chance to navigate the completed vessel. To celebrate this event, the residents of New Straitsville and all interested public are invited to attend. A picnic lunch will be served following the launch.

--MCRP, September 2002