Correspondent photo / Ben Davis The Mahoning Soil and Water Conservation District and Mill Creek MetroParks hosted a cleanup Sunday around Lake Newport. From left are Kathleen Vrabel Bryan and Zack Felger, both with the SWCD and Nicholas Demart, who is with the Mahoning County Green Team.

YOUNGSTOWN — A volunteer cleanup on Sunday was organized by the Mahoning County Soil and Water Conservation District and Mill Creek MetroParks with the purpose of cleaning trash out of the Mill Creek Watershed, specifically the area around Lake Newport.

“We are a political subdivision of the state of Ohio. Our parent company is the Ohio Department of Agriculture, but we serve Mahoning County,” said Kathleen Vrabel Bryan, executive director of the SWCD.

While specializing in agriculture and environmental issues, the SWCD also focuses on educating the general public.

“We are deep in our roots of agriculture, so helping out the agricultural community, but we also provide education and that’s what today is about,” Bryan said. “Today is about education. About how you working with us can help improve water quality.”

Aside from educating the public, the Mill Creek cleanup event also was meant to prevent trash and pollutants from flowing into other bodies of water connected to the Mahoning Valley watershed.

“The reason why we do this is because all of our bodies of water are interconnected,” Byran said. “This flows down into the Mahoning River, which then goes into the Ohio River and then into the Mississippi. Everything is interconnected, so we’re not only keeping our area clean here, but we’re keeping it clean for our neighbors downstream.”

Bryan also said the SWCD has been trying to conduct more frequent cleanups.

“We’re trying to do them on a more regular basis now because it’s like just doing maintenance,” Bryan said.

This is a sentiment echoed by Rachel Sobnosky, natural resources manager for Mill Creek MetroParks.

“It’s an ongoing thing. It’s never gonna stop, so we just have to make sure that we stay proactive with cleaning it up,” Sobnosky said.

For the cleanup, Mill Creek MetroParks partnered with the SWCD to go out on the water and collect any stray trash.

“This is just one of our many awesome partnerships that we’re very grateful for,”

Sobnosky said. “We’re just out here cleaning up trash today, we got our kayaks out and just trying to improve the watershed.”

According to Zack Felger, the SWCD’s outreach and education specialist, another goal of the cleanup was to garner community engagement and raise awareness about the importance of the local environment and why it needs to be protected.

“We try to get the community involved in doing these types of events, like getting them involved in cleaning up our local watersheds, and protecting our natural resources just as a way to … spark an interest in the community, and make sure that they’re the stewards of these natural resources that exist around them,” Felger said.

“Mill Creek is one of our largest watersheds here in Mahoning County. It’s one of our most important natural resources that we have.”

Felger also spoke about the importance of everyday members of the community getting involved in cleaning up the environment.

“This is sort of our way to really just get them involved, and try to help them realize that, ‘Hey, I can be a part of these efforts in protecting this natural resource that I cherish so much,'” Felger said. “It’s not just professionals like myself, but the community needs to get involved too.”

The SWCD’s next big event is Watershed Wednesday, when the agency and volunteers monitor water quality in Mill Creek. The event is scheduled for Aug. 19 at the Mill Creek MetroParks Lily Pond.