With April being the traditional start of the trail season, let’s take a moment to recap FLMSP’s accomplishments last season and to look ahead to what’s coming soon.

Looking Back

Last year marked the 10th anniversary of FLMSP and the 40th anniversary of the Little Miami State Park. To celebrate the Big 4-0, FLMSP hosted a weekend of special events including trail rides and birthday bashes complete with music and prizes.

We erected a new informational kiosk at Corwin, in memory of FLMSP’s first president, Simeon Copple.

The FLMSP Trail Sentinel program kicked off with volunteers trained to recognize safety issues patrolling the trail.

Road intersections with the trail became safer thanks to FLMSP’s outreach to local jurisdictions and funding from a grant and generous donors. Improvements at the 41 intersections included vertical and horizontal signage on roads, clearing of sight lines, and flashing solar trail signals at the most dangerous intersections.

These accomplishments were above and beyond FLMSP’s numerous ongoing contributions to the trail. 
Here’s a brief overview of the contributions FLMSP makes to our trail-park throughout the year: 

Ongoing FLMSP Work

• Repair fences
• Pay for annual honeysuckle spraying
• Pay for port-o-lets both year-round and seasonal
• Plant hundreds of trees 
• Blow debris
• Paint Mile Markers and STOP markings on trail
• Clear small downed trees
• Clear berm and clean signs
• Repair cracks, bumps, potholes
• Clear intersection sight lines
• Clear shrubbery for scenic views
• Patrol trail with Trail Sentinel Program
• Provide Hotline for downed limbs and safety issues
• Build and maintain Rest and Information Centers (kiosks, benches, shelters, bicycle repair stations, bicycle racks)
• Communicate with trail users via Trail Mail, website, and social media
• Serve as an advocate for the park with local, state, and national jurisdictions and organizations

Looking Ahead

+  Much-needed drainage work and repaving of almost 2 miles of trail just south of Morrow begins soon. This work is made possible by YOUR grassroots efforts to secure $200,000 in community-based capital from the state of Ohio. Work just south of Foster also begins soon, moving a section of compromised trail away from the river and improving drainage. Work on these two projects is being contracted by ODNR.
+  FLMSP is working on improving its relationship with its volunteers. Part of this effort will include using software to make specific volunteer opportunities known to the public and facilitating signup.
+  A new shelter is coming to Corwin! Thanks to a model collaborative effort among the Friends, the state, and the village of Corwin, a 16-by-28-foot steel shelter will be erected over the existing picnic tables near the trail restroom (see location on photo). Corwin is supplying $7500 toward the cost, ODNR is supplying the labor to erect the shelter, and FLMSP handled the zoning and other legal work, and is paying the remaining cost (about $8,000). Work is delayed until the state approves group work projects to resume after the virus response, but the shelter should go up this season.

I truly love listening to music of many genres. I also absolutely love the privilege of working out on the Little Miami Scenic Trail. What I don’t love is combining the two. Today’s high tech, lightweight and custom fit headphones coupled with smartphones provide for high quality listening on the go. And yet, when I use the trail, whether walking, running, bicycling or roller skiing, I want to hear nothing but a combination of nature, silence and my own breathing. For safety purposes, I want to give my full attention and to listen to what’s happening around me, especially to see and hear vehicles at intersections and other trail users engaged in various activities as they approach me from the front or rear.

Rules established by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources forbid the wearing of headphones or earphones while bicycling on the trail and understandably so. Even relatively slow cyclists move fast enough that distractions or failure to hear can result in serious consequences. While trail users other than cyclists are permitted to wear headphones, doing so can be just as risky. For example, lack of attention or hearing may lead you to step into the path of a fast-approaching cyclist or vehicle.

One major draw of the Little Miami Scenic Trial is its beautiful sights and sounds, sounds emanating from the murmuring river, calling birds and rustling squirrels. Listen carefully to this advice; when using the trail, leave your headphones at home and enjoy the relaxing sounds of nature.

by Erick Wikum
March 2020
image: AfterShokz – Titanium Wireless Bone Conduction Open-Ear Headphones, BestBuy.com

One of the endearing qualities of the Little Miami Scenic Trail is that it is a multipurpose trail, able to be enjoyed by so many people in diverse ways. This diversity of use can also create challenges which require give-and-take among various trail users. One activity, dog walking, which combines human use with that of a tail-wagging sidekick, comes with its own unique set of such challenges. Both dog walkers and other trail users bear responsibilities to ensure that everyone, humans and animal friends inclusive, can use the trail safely.

For their part, dog walkers should follow appropriate etiquette including the following:

1. Obey the trail rule, instituted by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), which requires that pets must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Now, six feet seems to be awfully restrictive and it is, but there’s a good reason for this rule. The trail itself is narrow, and requiring a short leash ensures that a dog does not stray into the path of other trail users. If your dog needs greater freedom of movement, find another venue.

2. Control your dog and train your dog not to bark, lunge at or sniff other trail users. Not everyone is comfortable around dogs.

3. If need be, move your dog to the side of the trail and command it to sit while other users are passing. Doing so signals to other trail users that it is safe to pass and prevents your dog from getting overly excited or scared.

4. Clean up after your dog as a common courtesy and dispose of doggy waste responsibly.

For their part, trail users who approach dog walkers should exercise caution and adhere to the following etiquette:

1. Announce your presence in advance, giving the dog walker time to take appropriate actions with their dog before you pass.

2. When passing, be defensive. Slow down and be ready to react in case the dog veers in front of you. (Unfortunately, many trail users fail to obey rule #1 above, either walking their dog on a long leash or, even worse, unleashed.) Only execute the pass when you are completely sure you can do so safely.

3. Do not approach a dog (no matter how adorable) without first asking the owner’s permission.

The allure of the Little Miami Scenic Trail lies not only in its natural beauty, but also in its diverse users and uses. By following a few basic principles of mutual respect, trail users, including dog walkers and others they encounter, can enjoy the trail together and safely.

by Erick Wikum
Jan. 2020