New 'Groundwork Cincinnati' joins elite national network

Cincinnati's own "community charity with a green heart" enters into a new phase of growth and development as the city and the Mill Creek Restoration Project launch Groundwork Cincinnati/Mill Creek.

The initiative is dedicated to making the improvements along the Mill Creek sustainable as the group joins a network of Groundwork Trusts, which are chosen by the National Park Service via a competitive process.

In order to be declared a Groundwork Trust, a local group must demonstrate access to national and regional funding and training resources and agree to participate in a network of like-minded groups. Now that the local Trust has been approved, Mill Creek will join 20 other Trusts around the country that can use the Groundwork USA name, identity, national profile, reputation and influence.

There is no other Groundwork Trust in Ohio or Kentucky.

Community-driven restoration, fueled by countless collaborations and dogged determination of advocates led often by the MCRP's Robin Carothers, has continued to change not just the health, but the image of the long-beleaguered Mill Creek.

Once a polluted dumping ground for factories and sewers, the Mill Creek now boasts wetlands and a biking/hiking that connects neighborhoods and neighbors. Hundreds of volunteers of all ages, from school groups to neighbors, have cleared trailways and planted trees and gardens to soften the concrete walls that surround the Mill Creek as it winds its way toward the Ohio River.

As the city and the MCRP announce the creation of the Groundwork Cincinnati/Mill Creek Trust, officials also confirm a new Audubon/Toyota grant that will allow the restoration of a three-acre wetland and continued work on the edible forest garden along the Mill Creek trail.