Get to know the CYS 27 Planning Team

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With seven public kickoffs, more than fifty sites to tackle, and hundreds of volunteers to coordinate, our Clean Your Streams planning team works hard to put together an impactful program. Get to know this year’s team.

Our planning team kickoff leaders:

  • Oregon Kickoff: Andrea Beard (19th year involved with CYS)
    • Storm water engineer with the City of Oregon.
    • The City of Oregon has been a CYS kickoff location for 19 years, since 2004, although Oregon watersheds have had a kickoff since 2001.
    • Why does Andrea support Clean Your Streams? “I personally enjoy spending time walking the creeks in preparation for the event.  It gives me a sense of satisfaction reading through data cards knowing that we have done a small part of eliminating trash from the streams.”
  • Side Cut Kickoff: Bob Neubert (20th year involved with CYS)
    • Surveyor and floodplain coordinator with Lucas County Engineer’s office.
    • Although the Lucas County Storm Water Utility hasn’t been around as long as Bob has been involved with CYS, we’re very proud that the Lucas County Storm Water Utility has been a consistent CYS major sponsor for many years.
    • Why does Bob support Clean Your Streams? “To provide stewardship opportunities, especially to Scouts since I’m a volunteer Scouts BSA leader.”
    • Bob’s interesting find: A fifty-inch flat screen TV, which a Boy Scout group pulled out of Swan Creek.
  • University of Toledo Kickoff: Tim Niederkorn (7th year involved with CYS)
    • Environmental engineer with the University of Toledo.
    • UT has been a CYS kickoff for 17 years, since 2006, and has been a consistent CYS major sponsor for many years, beginning 2 years after the UT kickoff started.
  • Perrysburg Kickoff: Lauren Rush (6th year involved with CYS)
    • Stormwater coordinator with the City of Perrysburg.
    • The City of Perrysburg has had a CYS kickoff location for 8 years, since 2015.
  • International Park Kickoff: Ariya Fathi (5th year involved with CYS)
    • Engineer with Verdantas, LLC. (formerly Hull and Associates).
    • Verdantas has been a consistent CYS sponsor both under their former and current business name.
  • Monroe St. Kickoff: Marilyn DuFour (26th year involved with CYS)
    • Senior Environmental Specialist with the City of Toledo.
    • The City of Toledo has been a CYS partner since the very beginning – 27 years since 1997! Marilyn herself has only missed one year of Clean Your Streams.
    • Why does Marilyn support Clean Your Streams? She likes the opportunity to get more young people engaged with Ottawa Park and the Ottawa River.
  • Secor Kickoff: Rick Bryan (5th year involved with CYS)
    • Active environmental volunteer throughout Northwest Ohio, currently involved with the Oak Openings Region Conservancy. He first became involved with CYS as a board member of Lucas SWCD, serving on the TMACOG Environmental Council.
    • Rick initially co-coordinated the Olander Park Kickoff before relocating to Secor in 2020.
    • Rick’s interesting find: a piano illegally dumped at Kitty Todd Preserve.