Blanchard River Watershed Partnership and West Central Ohio Conservancy will hold a June watershed tour in Bluffton. The focus will be on Riley Creek.

Last year's tour took place in Findlay.

The 2020 tour is Friday, June 13, by invitation only and Saturday, June 13, open to the public.

Joe Sehlhorst, Bluffton council member who represents the village on the BRWP, said that the tour will highlight how agricultural land and conservation practices can work together in one area to achieve improved water quality.

The BRWP and WCOLC with give presentations at the start of the tour.

"We hope to have Mary Mertz, Director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, as our keynote speaker to discuss H2Ohio and wetland projects," said Sehlhorst.

The presentations, along with a meal, are tentatively schedule for Moyer Nature Center at the Bluffton University Nature Preserve.

Sehlhorst said, "We will visit three project sites like we did for the 2019 tour. One of the sites has already been chosen.

"Vice President of the West Central Ohio Land Conservancy lives on a 40-acre farm along Little Riley Creek, and has a riparian buffer along the creek with 4,000 trees."

Watch the Icon for additional updates. The map below shows the subwatersheds in the Blanchard River Watershed and the location of the Lower Riley Creek.