More than kids can have fun in the creek
- col-karen-gotter
- May 22, 2025
- 119
The “lazy days of summer” might be right around the corner, or they might be a thing of the past. If there are kids in your family, maybe you’ve been bombarded with opportunities for fun summertime activities or are looking for ways to keep them active and social throughout the months ahead.
May we suggest a good, old-fashioned day in the creek? Even better, come join in the fun!
Our next Ladies of the Land program is focused on growing your appreciation and knowledge of our local streams, and there’s no way to do that better than some splashing around, seeing what treasures await under the next rock.
Ladies and Their Littles: A Creek Walk and Critter Hunt will take place June 17 from 10 a.m. to noon at the farm of Ervin and Amanda Mast, 8910 Township Road 553. This is the site of the Rush Run stream restoration project Holmes SWCD and the Holmes County engineer finalized in 2022. Before and after fish sampling shows the variety of species has improved since the restoration project, and we expect other creek critters will have benefited as well.
A healthy stream in Ohio should support a variety of fish, crustaceans, insects and amphibians, as well as the birds and land-based animals that visit. While it can be fun to simply look for these animals, knowing which species you’re looking at can tell you a lot about the type of stream and the health of the community living there. We plan to have fun with this event, but we will sneak in some education to show you how to determine the quality of the creeks near you.
We will have several staff members and volunteers to help with identifying our finds, to help catch jumpy frogs or to show how to catch a crawfish while minimizing getting pinched. These extra sets of hands and eyes also are there for the safety of all participants, which will be another topic: how to enjoy playing in creeks safely and what potential physical hazards (like eroding banks or debris in the river) or water quality (like bacteria) you should look out for.
Each family that attends will take home a stream book and a fish dip net to continue their hunts throughout the rest of their summer adventures. A home-cooked lunch also will be provided as part of the program fee. We ask that our attendees wear shoes that can get soaked but provide protection (old sneakers or Crocs are good options) and that they bring a towel, their own water bottles and sun protection. The program is geared toward 5- to 10-year-olds with an adult.
Having a wide range of fun activities to choose from isn’t a bad thing, but it makes you wonder how there’s time to squeeze in everything you want to do over a few short months. Make sure you leave time for simple pleasures and pastimes that will leave lasting memories with the little ones in your life.
To register for the Ladies of the Land series, email or call our office at holmes.swcd@gmail.com or 330-674-2811 ext. 3 or stop by the office at 62 W. Clinton St. in Millersburg.