GALENA — The novel coronavirus won’t keep the Big Walnut Nature Club from doing its annual summer clean sweep.
Volunteers are needed for the “Hoover Summer Clean Up” at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 25, at the Hoover Preserve Area N trailhead, near 45 S. Walnut St. (the end of the road) in the village of Galena. Organizers want to clean up the area to help the local wildlife to thrive in their habitat.
“Our group is focusing on (bird) species of special interest such as the eagles, osprey, prothonotary warblers, and chimney swifts, but we are also interested in improving the environment for the benefit of all our wildlife,” said Craig Ebersold, coordinator of the clean up effort for the Big Walnut Nature Club, in a press release. “A lot of trash ends up in our waterways coming down the Little Walnut and Big Walnut creeks and on the Hoover Reservoir, and we get out at least twice a year to clean it up. We welcome everyone to come out and help us clean up the area so we can all enjoy the great natural resources Galena has to offer.”
Social distancing will be used by giving attendees assigned areas as they arrive. The club asks volunteers to “wear appropriate clothes, boots, and gloves for being in woodsy, damp areas.”
The Delaware General Health District will provide volunteers with trash bags and grabbers, courtesy of the agency’s Keep Delaware County Beautiful program.
For more information, visit [email protected], www.bwnatureclub.webs.com, or the club’s Facebook page.
“The Galena area offers all sorts of opportunities for nature lovers, with a variety of habitats and viewing locations to see a variety of flora and fauna,” states the village’s website. “For birdwatchers, Galena is believed to have the largest population of prothonotary warblers in Ohio during the nesting season, mid-April to mid-August. When Hoover Reservoir’s water level is low, shorebirds find the Galena mudflats attractive during spring and fall migrations. There’s also a good chance of seeing ospreys and bald eagles. In addition to being able to tally a decent bird checklist, the area also affords the opportunity to see a variety of wildflowers, mammals, and reptiles and amphibians.”
Galena is located at the north end of the Hoover Reservoir between Big Walnut and Little Walnut creeks.
According to GoFishOhio, Hoover Reservoir’s lake covers 3,300 acres, nearly five square miles. Boating ramps are on the west side of the lake at Oxbow, Red Bank and Sunbury roads. Although the lake is in both Delaware and Franklin counties, the dam is in Blendon Township, near Westerville.
Built in 1953-1955, the dam is the major water source for the city of Columbus. It holds 20.8 billion gallons of water, the website Wikipedia states. It is not named after President Herbert Hoover, unlike the dam between Arizona and Nevada. Instead, Ohio’s Hoover Dam is named after two men: Charles P. Hoover and Clarence B. Hoover, brothers and long-time employees of Columbus Waterworks.
