The Little Miami Watershed Network has secured a $10,000 state grant to fund volunteer cleanups along the Little Miami River in Warren County, money that will pay for supplies, waste disposal and outreach to get more neighbors on the water pulling trash.
The grant comes through Governor Mike DeWine's H2Ohio Healthy Rivers Livery program. Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Mary Mertz announced nearly $87,000 in total funding for 12 liveries and watershed organizations statewide, according to the Warren County Post. The Little Miami Watershed Network received the maximum award. Mertz said the program connects livery owners with volunteers who care about local waterways and called it a model for long-term stewardship.
The Little Miami River flows directly through Mason and Kings Mills. Ohio's first National Wild and Scenic River, it runs 111 miles through five southwestern Ohio counties, supports at least 87 fish species, and draws hikers, cyclists and paddlers to the Little Miami Scenic Trail year-round.
Why it matters locally
The river is an economic engine. A 2022 Ohio State University study found that communities along the Little Miami made 836,000 trips to 45 parks in the watershed in a single year, generating $14.9 million in annual recreation impact. The nonprofit is updating that research with a new five-year study that launched in spring 2026.
Bill Schieman, with the Little Miami Watershed Network, made the case for protecting the river in March 2022 when the OSU study was released: "This is how we get access, by studies like this. If we can't make a case for more access to our streams in Ohio now, I mean, wake up."
The Bellbrook-based nonprofit, a 501(c)(3), removed 3,225 pounds of trash, 54 tires, grocery carts, metal barrels and a mattress from the river through community cleanups in 2025.
Statewide scope
Across Ohio, 48 cleanups are scheduled for 2026. Volunteers will paddle nearly 200 miles of river and are expected to pull more than 20,000 pounds of trash from state waterways, with cleanup sites spanning 10 counties including Warren, Montgomery, Greene, Hamilton and Clermont.
The Warren County Park District completed an H2Ohio-funded Headwaters Restoration at Landen-Deerfield Park in Maineville in July 2026, transforming a former manmade pond into a natural stream and wetland system to improve water quality in the same watershed.
How to get involved
Residents can sign up for volunteer opportunities at lmwn.org/events or contact Adam Lanzillotta at the ODNR at [email protected] for information on upcoming funded cleanups.
