After careful observation while walking, running, bicycling and roller skiing on the Little Miami Scenic Trail over the last several years, I have come to the realization that one of the most serious safety threats for trail users is one memorialized in an award-winning cartoon of the 1950s and 1960s. That cartoon is none other than Mr. Magoo.

Mr. Magoo’s poor eyesight led him on a series of adventures in which he avoided repeated imminent catastrophes only through “blind luck.” For example, in “When Magoo Flew,” he mistook the international airport for the theater, where he planned to see a movie, and ended up boarding a flight. Once aboard, he interpreted “Emergency Exit Only” as “Elevator to Lobby” and ended up walking on the wing of the flying aircraft. He somehow, through no effort of his own, ended up back inside the plane and helped bust a criminal.

Have you seen Mr. Magoo on the trail? He’s the one who doesn’t understand and follow trail etiquette. He’s the one focused completely on himself without regard to other trail users. He’s the one who is blind to what is happening around him. He’s the one who behaves most unpredictably.
In Mr. Magoo’s world, there’s humor in close calls. With the Mr. Magoos we meet along the trail, close calls can easily become unfortunate incidents. While in cartoons, the laws of physics are suspended, in our world, these laws apply and are unforgiving.

There’s only one thing to do. When using the trail, keep your eyes wide open for Mr. Magoo. When you encounter him, enter defensive mode. Slow down, announce your presence and be prepared for the unexpected. When it comes to being safe on the trail, it takes more than blind luck.

by Linda Grinalds

When my fellow volunteer naturalists invited me to join them on their SQM (stream quality management) Team, I was reluctant, to say the least. Why would I want to wade around in a river without the thrill of swimming, kayaking or fishing? It seemed to me that nothing could be duller than something called “stream quality management.” It sounded like a pessimistic endeavor for a dour environmentalist whose glass is perpetually half-full. I pictured a bunch of stoic scientists filling tests tubes to prove that in fact all the rivers and our very lives are irreparably overcome with pollution and despair. But the reality of what I encountered that day at the Little Miami National Scenic River couldn’t have been more inspiring. And surprising!

Back in the parking lot we donned our waders and sported our crisp new ODNR sun visors, an unexpected token of appreciation for our volunteer citizen service. Filling our pockets with the essentials (phones and keys), we trundled along the shore line to an optimal flow location. Having reached an eddy-free stretch in the river where the movement was steady and the depth just below the knee, we deposited our equipment. And it wasn’t much: a sediment stick (a.k.a. a clear plastic measuring tube), a seine net, a plastic mat/sheet and an ice cube try. Very straight forward.

As the sun rippled across the water and the gentle current flowed past our legs, we slowly moved out into the stream. Our first task was to check the river for clarity and turbidity using the sediment stick. An accurate reading allows us to monitor the suspended solids that influence stream light and temperature, reflect habitat health and effect aquatic organism viability. All of this is rendered from a simple measuring tube filled with rushing water. This five-minute measurement was the closest we came to behaving like mad scientists. The rest of the two-hour excursion was a relaxing exploration of some of nature’s hidden
wonders.

By catching micro-organisms in the seine net, we encountered the unsung heroes of the river bed. One person kicked up the sediment from the riverbed surface while the other steadily held the net positioned downstream to catch any loosened aquatic organisms which might be lurking below the surface such as macroinvertebrates, unionid mollusks, fish or various amphibians. Under the direction of our competent monitoring coordinator, Rebecca Parry, we somehow managed to execute this counter current maneuver without going belly up and floating downstream.

To our great delight, there is a whole army of vitality slithering between the rocks and clinging to their undersides. By lifting rocks and agitating their surfaces, a variety of living creatures were released into the surrounding waters. After trapping this uncertain swirl of aquatic debris into our nets, we emptied our catch onto the plastic sheet which we had draped over an exposed, level stretch of shoreline. And that’s where the fun began. Erupting from strains of vegetation and unsavory sludge, a world of movement danced before our eyes: nymphs everywhere! Dragonfly nymphs, mayfly nymphs, and stonefly nymphs! Like pouring over jigsaw puzzle pieces, we examined the moving muck.

By sorting the different creatures into the ice cube tray compartments, we were able to identify and track the prevalence of different stream macroinvertebrates. My two favorite discoveries were the water penny larva (who knew there was such a thing?) and the gilled snail. Because they are sensitive to pollution, their presence indicates positive water quality. Yeah!

After recording our data onto a simple one-page log sheet, we rinsed off our equipment and waded back to the parking lot. Feeling like kids on a carefree summer day, each of us counted it a great privilege to have been able to peek beneath the surface of one of Ohio’s greatest natural resources: The Little Miami National Scenic River. Encouraged by the health of our river and empowered by this small act of stewardship, we returned home optimistic and invigorated.

June 2019

Before setting off for a walk along the Little Miami Scenic Trail, it helps to start with a little R&R.  Here, R&R refers not to Rest and Relaxation, but to Rights and Responsibilities.  Whether you’re walking alone or with others, you have the same right (yes, the same right) to enjoy the trail as anyone else (see All Users Are Equal).  As a user of the trail with full-fledged rights, you also have responsibilities to keep fellow trail users and yourself safe.  Among these responsibilities are the following:

·         Stay on your side of the trail and better yet, stay “tight right” to allow others easily to pass.

·         Preferably, walk single file.  If you choose to walk two abreast, pay attention and move to a single file formation when others approach from the front or rear.

·         When stopping to converse with someone you meet on the trail, move off of the trail surface.

·         When walking your dog, use a hand-held leash no longer than six feet.

These responsibilities might be summed up in four words—"be courteous to others.”  As a multi-use trail, the Little Miami Scenic Trail provides recreation for many types of users, including walkers.  No matter how you choose to use the trail, treat others courteously and both they and you will enjoy all the trail has to offer safely.