Volunteers conducting a fish survey with Mike Durkalec and Cleveland Metroparks Seasonal Staff during a QHEI Training. | Mill Stream Run Reservation, June 2022

[Photo credit: Cleveland Metroparks]

Staff Introduction:

Watershed Volunteer Program Coordinator

Hi there Watershed Stewards!

I’m Taelor Benoit and I’m excited to say that I will be joining the Cleveland Metroparks as the new Watershed Volunteer Program Coordinator!

A lot of you already know me as both a fellow Watershed Steward (since April 2021) and this year’s WVP Seasonal, but I thought I’d introduce myself to everyone I haven’t met yet.

I’m an artist, activist, and life-long storm survivor from south Louisiana who has been fighting environmental injustice since hurricanes Katrina and Rita made landfall in my hometown. In 2013, and in partnership with Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program (BTNEP), I founded and led the Wetland Warriors, a youth activist group focused on environmental science, which achieved the planting of 10,000+ native trees and grasses, the removal of 1,000+ invasive plants, and two televised interviews. (If you’re interested in reading more about Louisiana’s sinking coastline—which lost 1,883 square miles of land between 1932 and 2010—click here.)

I graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 2019 and spend most of my time, outside of environmental work, creating paintings of Louisiana’s wildlife, taking photos of nature, and learning the oral history of Cajun culture. 

I’m very excited to continue my work with WVP and hope to see you all at upcoming events! 

Best, 

Taelor Benoit (he/they) 

Watershed Volunteer Program Coordinator 

Watershed Reflections

Thank you so much for your hard work and contributions!

• Watershed Stewards contributed over 200 hours in June—amazing!
• A big thank you to Millie Harnocz for joining our Enews team!
• We've been having a lot of fun revamping our Green Infrastructure projects this Summer. Thank you to everyone for jumping in to learn about how to conduct infiltration tests to monitor permeable pavement and maintain bioswales by planting native vegetation, weeding, mulching, and more!

Volunteers rolling putty in preparation for conducting an infiltration test in order to monitor permeable pavement. | Euclid Creek Reservation, July 2022

[Photo credit: Cleveland Metroparks]

Community Science Assistant Bre Turner monitoring macroinvertebrates with a volunteer.

Baldwin Creek, May 2022 | [Photo credit: Cleveland Metroparks]

Training: Chagrin River Macroinvertebrate Monitoring

TODAY, Jul 13, 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. @ North Chagrin Reservation

Work Session: Invasive Plant Removal

Fri, Jul 15, 5:30 - 8 p.m. @ Big Creek Reservation

Talk: Dragonfly Monitoring

Sun, Jul 17, 10 - 11:30 a.m. @ West Creek Reservation

Training: Bank Erosion Hazard Index (BEHI)

Mon, Jul 18, 10 a.m. - noon @ West Creek Reservation

Work Session: Invasive Plant Removal*

Sat, Jul 23, 10 a.m. - noon @ Ohio Erie Canal Reservation

Monday Meetup: Medina County Parks Watershed Approach

Mon, Jul 25, 6 - 8 p.m. @ Lake Chippewa, Medina

Work Session: Invasive Plant Removal

Thu, Jul 28, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. @ Big Creek Reservation

*Open to the public. WVP volunteers, please log into Volgistics to register.

Cuyahoga County Public Library: Moses Cleaveland Trees: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow*

TODAY, 7 - 8 p.m. (Parma-Snow) and Aug 8, 7 - 8 p.m. (Brooklyn): Register here to join Dr. Roy Larick to learn about the magnificent Moses Cleaveland Tree Specimens (they are photogenic!) and how they can help us grow a more natural urban canopy.

Euclid Pond & Garden Tour, featuring the Friends Of Euclid Creek Native Garden

Jul 16 & 17, 1-5 p.m.: register here to get tickets to this self-guided event

Doan Brook Watershed Partnership: Doan Brook Gorge Hike Series*

Jul 18, and 25, 5:30 -7:30 p.m.  Learn more here

Doan Brook Watershed Partnership: Upper Watershed Hike with Dr. Roy Larick*

Jul 23, 1 - 3 p.m.: Register here for a guided walk to explore change in the upper Doan Brook ecosystem from the final glacial retreat to the present.

Summer Master Rain Gardener Course*

Aug 3-Sep 7, Wednesdays, 10 a.m. -2 p.m. Register here to join this 5 class workshop and learn how to design, build, and care for residential rain gardens.

Cleveland Metroparks: Digital Emerald Necklace

Read and watch here.

Ohio Farm Bureau Federation: 2022 Water Quality Report

Read here.

*WVP volunteers can submit supplemental hours in Volgistics under (S:L) Conference/Symposium/Workshop/Webinar/Tour by July 30.

Cleveland Social Media Influencer Spends 24 Hours on a Raft in Lake Erie to Raise Funds for Beach Cleanup Efforts | Read on

How the Cuyahoga River Got Its Otters Back | Read on

Bonnie Park Restoration Dedication | Read on

Parma Heights Receives Cuyahoga County Grant to Plant More Than 180 New Trees | Read on

'Soil Your Undies' Campaign Asks Pennsylvanians to Bury Their Underwear to Test Soil Health | Read on

Researchers Rediscover Oak Tree Thought to be Extinct | Read on

It's Raining Anchovies in San Francisco, CA | Read on

An 'Island' of Disgusting Wet Wipes Changed the Course of the Thames River in London, England | Read on

'Wet Wipe Island' along the River Thames near Hammersmith Bridge in London, England

[Photo Credit: Tim Anderson]

AmeriCorps Natural Resources Technician – East  

Cleveland Metroparks – Willoughby Hills, OH | Apply here Deadline July 22, 2022 

AmeriCorps Natural Resources Technician – Central  

Cleveland Metroparks – Parma, OH | Apply here Deadline July 22, 2022 

PhD Opportunity in Stream Restoration and Invasive Species  

Virginia Tech – Blacksburg, VA | Apply here Starting Date January 2023 

Executive Director 

Midwest Biodiversity Institute - Hilliard, OH | Apply here Deadline July 14, 2022  

Restoration Hydrologist 

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY| Apply here Posted 6/21/22 

Water Resources Engineer, Senior Water Resources Engineer, 

Wetland Scientist   

Shumaker Consulting & Land Surveying - Binghamton, NY |  

Apply Here Open Until Filled  

Water Resources Specialist  

Dauphin County Conservation District - Dauphin, PA | Apply here Open Until Filled 

Water Resources Engineering Project Manager  

Davey Tree - Gainesville, VA | Apply here Open Until Filled  

Environmental Technician 

Davey Tree - Cincinnati/Bethel, Ohio | Apply here Open Until Filled 

Stormwater Program Manager 

Licking Soil & Water Conservation District - Newark, OH | Apply here Open until filled

Conservation Educator 

Licking Soil & Water Conservation District - Newark, OH | Apply here Open until filled

Senior Watershed Programs Manager  

West Creek Conservancy - Parma, OH | Apply here Open Until Filled  

Field Biologist: Lake Management Applicator  

Jones Fish Hatcheries & Distributors - Columbus, OH | Apply here Posted: 5/5/22