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Fall 2026 River Currents: Conservation updates, new leadership, and a fall fundraiser
Updated: 3 hours ago
Fall 2026 Edition Quarterly newsletter
Saving a national treasure since 1967
Safeguarding the Little Miami State and National Scenic River for nearly 60 years
As signs of autumn sweep through the region, our stewardship across the Little Miami corridor deepens. In this Fall 2026 dispatch, discover the people, the science, and the initiatives keeping our scenic waterway thriving.
Annual Fundraising Event
The 2026 Fall Gathering
On Friday, November 6, we're coming together at Great Council State Park for an evening celebrating the Little Miami State and National Scenic River and the people who protect it. Expect good company & conversation, great food, a look at what's ahead as LMC nears its 60th anniversary in 2027, and meaningful opportunities to support our mission of keeping the Little Miami wild and scenic for generations to come.
Partner with Us
Sponsorship Opportunities
Invest in the heritage of your river. We are looking for community partners to sponsor the upcoming Fall Gathering. Your contribution directly funds critical river corridor protection, ecological restoration projects, and water quality monitoring programs while providing visibility for your organization.
Leadership & Governance
New Faces at LMC in 2026
We are proud to welcome visionary new leadership to guide the Conservancy's ongoing mission. Introducing our new Executive Director alongside four new dedicated members of the board of directors who bring deep expertise in ecological science, watershed stewardship, and regional engagement.
Executive Director Leadership
The Little Miami Conservancy is pleased to announce the appointment of Ginger Clark as its new Executive Director. Ginger has over a decade of experience leading regional outdoor recreation, conservation, community engagement and public advocacy initiatives.
She enjoys paddling, hiking, music, reading, and nature photography. She lives in the South Dayton area with her husband and three children.
As LMC enters its next chapter, Ginger will lead the organization in its ongoing mission to protect, conserve, and enhance the natural, scenic, and recreational resources of the Little Miami State and National Scenic River and its riparian corridor.
Dan Michel
Dan joined the Board in January 2026 after volunteering with LMC for two years. He retired after 30-year career in banking/finance and brings his experience to help the Conservancy. He is also a member of LMC’s Fish Monitoring and River Health team, doing in-stream sampling, analysis, and database work. Dan and his wife, Anne, live in Montgomery and have three children. They have a cabin on the Little Miami River in Warren County, a place where Dan grew up spending a lot of time. Their kids grew up kayaking, fishing, camping, tubing on the river there. That personal connection drives his commitment to protecting the river for future generations.
Outside of his work with LMC, Dan is the singer/guitarist with the band VelvaSheen. His other interests include golf, travel, hiking, and songwriting. Dan credits former LMC Board Member and Little Miami legend Bill Schroeder with helping inspire his involvement with the Conservancy.
Paul DeNu
Paul works in the Office of Online Learning at Cincinnati State, where he supports instructors and develops courses, content, and learning experiences that help students and faculty connect with information in meaningful ways. He hopes to bring those skills to LMC through storytelling and social media. There are so many great stories to tell about the Little Miami and the people working to protect it, and he wants to help share them with a wider audience.
By his own admission, Paul has too many hobbies. He plays in two bands, runs social media for several restaurants and organizations, and coaches track & field and golf at Milford. His biggest passion, though, is his YouTube channel, Cincy Fish Dudes. For the last seven years, he has spent hundreds of hours fishing the Little Miami and its tributaries and documenting those adventures online, which is what eventually led him to the Conservancy. On weekends, you'll usually find him on the sidelines cheering on his kids.
The Little Miami has been part of Paul's life for as long as he can remember. He joined LMC's Development Committee in 2023, helping with content and the Little Miami River fishing tournament, and saw how much a dedicated group can accomplish together. For Paul, serving on the board is a way to give back to a place that has given him so much. He wants his kids and future generations to know how lucky we are to have this river, and he's excited to help connect more people to it.
Hannah Lubbers
Hannah has a Masters of Science from the University of Cincinnati where she conducted a thesis on headwater stream ecology. She also has a BS in Environmental Science. Hannah worked with the Clermont County Office of Environmental Quality for 16 years monitoring surface water quality and collaborating on watershed management projects in the East Fork of the Little Miami River.
She learned to whitewater kayak and made many lifelong friends at the boathouse rapid on the Little Miami River near Kelly's Nature Preserve. On the weekends Hannah likes to garden, mountain bike, and go camping with her husband, two young kids and dog. They often ride bikes at Jim Terrel Park and finish the outing playing in the river. Just this weekend, her five-year old said "I like the outdoors, it's calming" as he stared out at the water on the Little Miami. While serving on the board, she hopes to help more people find that peace as they enjoy the river. She also hopes to use her professional background to maintain healthy water quality and biological communities in the Little Miami River.
Jana Marshall
Jana grew up playing in the Little Miami River and later, conducted a majority of her field studies on the Little Miami as part of her degree in environmental science.
Jana has been a certified Naturalist for over 15 years and loves spending time outdoors. When she's not attending board meetings, you can catch Jana birding on the trails, traveling to explore new destinations, hiking with her two pups or with her nose in a book.
Jana is excited to join the LMC team and help continue to conserve our National Scenic river and create new educational experiences for children and adults.
She strongly believes that every single person can make a positive difference in our world but there has to be a connection first. "In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught" - Baba Dioum
Ecological Monitoring
River Corridor Field Notes
Eagle Cam 2026 Update
Our live nest camera observed two successful fledglings this season. The LMC eagle cam team are currently working on repairs and upgrades in the short window before the resident pair- Bette and Baker- make preparations for winter roosting along the upper basin. Stream live HD footage and get an eagle-eye view.
Fish Monitoring
LMC’s Fish Monitoring Team recently wrapped up its 2026 Summer testing period, collecting samples from 25 sites spanning the Little Miami River - from Clifton Gorge to Armleder Park, including key tributaries.
Using eDNA technology, the program tracks fish species diversity and composition to help assess the health of the river ecosystem.
In 2027, the team expects to expand the program to include water quality indicators such as dissolved oxygen, phosphates, nitrates, pH, and other key parameters. Combining fish population data with water quality information will give us a much more complete picture of the health of the Little Miami River System.
The goal is to develop health scorecards for the individual sites and for the watershed as a whole, establish a meaningful baseline, and then monitor over time.
We’re not just watching the river. We’re building the data to better understand it.
Stewardship
River Cleanups This summer brought far more rain than usual to the Little Miami watershed, and with it came persistently high river levels. Because the safety of our volunteers always comes first, we had to cancel a number of our scheduled river cleanups, so we weren't able to get out on the water as often as we'd hoped. We're grateful to everyone who signed up and stayed flexible as plans changed, and to those who joined us on the days the river cooperated. The work of keeping the Little Miami clean continues, and we look forward to seeing you at our next cleanup.
As always, we greatly value our partnerships that allow us to do these cleanups! Special shout out to Roads Rivers & Trails, RiversEdge Outfitters, Loveland Paddlesports, and Little Miami Watershed Network.
We have one remaining cleanup scheduled for the season, on Saturday, October 10, coordinated by Roads Rivers & Trails.
Milestone Celebration
The 60th Anniversary (1967–2027)
Next year, we celebrate six decades of conservation. Watch this space for upcoming celebratory events and ways you can leave a lasting legacy on the Little Miami River. Stay tuned for a year of fun, reflection, and meaningful action.
Corridor Biodiversity
River Wildlife in Focus
A photographic glimpse of species supported by clean water and undisturbed riparian buffers along the Little Miami.
Wild Turkeys
White-tailed Deer
Monarch Butterfly
Preserve the Legacy
Your Gift Protects the River for Generations
As a non-profit conservancy, our work to maintain natural riverfronts, plant native canopies, and protect pristine water quality relies entirely on donor generosity. Support ongoing conservation with a tax-deductible contribution today.
It’s great to see the Little Miami Conservancy keeping the river and surrounding nature in such good shape, especially with the fall season here. For a bit of fun in my free time, I’ve also been playing Stickman Hook lately, and it’s a simple, relaxing way to unwind.