Note: Following are portions of the Jan. 6 minutes of the Blanchard River Watershed Partnership meeting. Bluffton is a contributing member of the partnership and Nancy Benroth, Bluffton's representative to the group, was re-elected the group's secretary-treasurer.

Four major projects were listed to be worked on for 2010.
1. Revision of The Outlet/Lye Creek WAP.
2. Restoration Projects
a. Riverside Sediment Removal, etc.
b. Blanchard River bank restoration- Riverbend Park
c. Lake Erie Crep, EQUIP and other BMPs.
3. Riley Creek WAP
4. Redesign and update web site.

Concerning Riley Creek, the following action was reported in the minutes:

Currently Sarah Lehman is looking up landowners and gathering permission slips to traverse their land. This is fairly intense, since in Putnam County it is not on-line and must be looked up at the court house.Once the permission slips are in hand, Sarah will devise a plan on doing the habitat inventory and monitoring. That's when she'll need more assistance. At that time we will get in touch with Bluffton University, Ohio Northern University and the Bluffton High School for volunteers.

The goal is to have the habitat inventory completed by the end of spring 2010.The goal is to have the whole WAP completed and submitted by March. 31, 2011.

Some landowners are already on board and we have already done some monitoring.

Partnership Strategic Plan

Create a professional staff position to implement the 2007 strategic plan and improve the effectiveness of the volunteer leadership through planned education.

• Insure that the BRWP becomes a financially sustainable entity
• Develop BRWP's image
• Education & Outreach
• Watershed Action Plans

The group's meetings in 2010 are the third Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. (except February, when the meeting is the fourth Wednesday of the month). The February and March meetings will be held at Owens Community College, Findlay.