Miami Group (Cincinnati, Middletown, Dayton) Sierra Club

10/08/2026

It’s been years! But the Oasis Trail has finally reached the point of planning and construction!

Sierra Club, Ohio River Way, Paddlefest and others worked to get this bicycle and pedestrian trail built from downtown Riverfront to Lunken Airport. It will then be connected to other trails such as Little Miami Trail and Ohio-to-Erie.

Cincinnati and Great Parks will have a continuing virtual open house through October 23. This is important! There are a number of potential access points for trail users, and design considerations where the trail is narrow and whether some additional expansion is desired. Your input is important ! The survey can be accessed at

Great Parks and the City of Cincinnati in partnership with Metro and the Indiana and Ohio Railway Company (IORY) are planning designing and constructing the Oasis Trail. This new 4.5-mile shared-use trail will provide a dedicated safe and paved pathway for bicyclists walkers runners and other non-mo...

10/05/2026

Sierra Club Miami Group supports strong regulations to make sure that data centers are community assets, not liabilities. We’ve adopted a Data Center Position Paper, and shared that document with city leaders.

Cincinnati City Council has tasked the Department of City Planning and Engagement with developing a set of regulations to govern data centers in Cincinnati. The Department will be hosting two meetings as part of the first round of public engagement for the data center zoning study. Details and registration for both events can be found here: https://miamigroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/260611-Data-Center-Position-Paper-Final.pdf

Miami Group urges our members to make their voices heard on this important topic.

10/01/2026

Sierra Club Miami Group recently partnered with Girl Scouts of Western Ohio to offer Basic First Aid and CPR training. The full day class was held at the Deer Park Public Library for both Sierra Club Outings Leaders and Girl Scout Leaders for no charge. Participants who successfully completed the course received Basic First Aid / Adult CPR AED certification through Health and Safety Institute good for 2 years.

Sierra Club prioritizes the safety of outings participants. We require all Outings Leaders to be First Aid and CPR certified, and additionally require Wilderness First Aid certification for backcountry trips. We welcome other members of the community to join our training whenever feasible.

09/28/2026

Protections for our national parks, wilderness areas, and monuments are being stripped away at an alarming rate. Most recently, the Trump administration announced it is repealing the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. This measure conserves more than 58 million acres of National Forest lands by preventing road building, hard rock mining, oil and gas and industrial logging, and was one of the most popular rules in U.S. history supported by ninety-five percent of the public. The public comment period on the proposal to repeal the rule ends September 21, 2026.

If you care about our natural resources as much as we do, here are 4 easy things you can do:
1. Let Washington know that the “roadless rule” helps keep our most iconic public lands protected for future generations. Add your comment here before September 21. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/20/2026-16965/special-areas-roadless-area-conservation
2. Help gather 1 million signatures by Public Lands Day to remind our elected officials that we remember who champions public lands. Sign here. https://action.outdooralliance.org/a/save-public-lands-day?mc_cid=e02eea8db0&mc_eid=e9b3ecb693
3. Attend the public lands forum September 24. Our friends at Roads, Rivers and Trails in Milford have joined with a host of hiking, fishing, hunting, and outdoor recreation groups to help educate and empower the rest of us to take action. Register here. https://rrtevents.eventcalendarapp.com/public-lands-town-hall-1?mc_cid=e02eea8db0&mc_eid=e9b3ecb693
4. Share this with everyone you know who cares about our public lands!

09/24/2026

Over the past half dozen years or so, we have recognized people who have made a significant contribution to the Miami Group at our annual summer Picnic. This year’s award winner is someone who has worked tirelessly on the twin issues of overland flooding in Hamilton County and the related problem of combined sewer overflows (CSO’s). We need less impervious surface areas for storm water to run off. To that end, an Impervious Surface Fee (ISF) has been studied. Our award winner led the charge to get Cincinnati City Council to pass a Resolution for action on getting an ISF in place, by directing the Metropolitan Sewer District to quickly implement fees to the top 500 IS land holders. The Hat Award, “Flooding Field Marshall” for that effort went to our own Larry Falkin.

09/21/2026

The rural landscape of Trenton, Ohio in Butler County is the latest battleground in a high-stakes war over data centers. Outside the city limits, rolling farmland is facing irreversible change. Industrial real estate giant Prologis is forging ahead with "Project Mila," a massive 250-megawatt, 141-acre data center campus. If completed, this facility will cover nearly one million square feet - the equivalent of more than five Walmart Supercenters. Read more here:

The rural landscape of Trenton, Ohio in Butler County is the latest battleground in a high-stakes war over data centers. Outside the city limits, rolling farmland is facing irreversible change. Industrial real estate giant Prologis is forging ahead with “Project Mila,” a massive 250-megawatt, 14...

09/17/2026

For more than 10 years, SCMG has been urging MSD, Cincinnati and Hamilton County to get serious about stormwater and combined sewer issues. After massive flooding hit Cincinnati on July 17th, and again on July 21st. it seems they have finally gotten the message. Read about it here: https://miamigroup.org/finally-stormwater-rises-to-front-and-center-in-cincinnati/

09/14/2026

SCMG supports strong regulations to make sure that data centers are community assets, not liabilities. We’ve adopted a Data Center Position Paper that you can read here (https://miamigroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/260611-Data-Center-Position-Paper-Final.pdf), and shared that Position Paper with City leaders. Cincinnati City Council has tasked the City Planning Department with developing a set of regulations to govern data centers in Cincinnati. The Planning Department will hold a Public Engagement Session, probably in September, to gather input from the public on what should be included.

Want to be notified when the engagement session is scheduled? Email [email protected], tell her that you are concerned about data centers, and ask to be put on the contact list for public meetings about data centers.

09/10/2026

Pollution steel mill in Middletown plans to use money designated for decarbonization to reline a blast furnace ensuring decades of additional pollution from coal and coke making, harming the community’s health, workers, reducing jobs and even hurting Cleveland-Cliffs bottom line and becoming less competitive with other steel mills in the US and globally

Unfortunately for Middletown, Cleveland-Cliffs has backed off the commitment and plans to drop the DRI EMF project, and instead reline the highly polluting blast furnace and build a small cogeneration facility, using the funds awarded from the Biden administration and plans to use their own funds some other projects as well.

This is extremely disappointing given large carbon dioxide emissions from Cleveland-Cliffs (over 3.5 million tons per year as of 2023). The decision also sets the stage for continuation of chronic, dangerous emissions affecting the lives and property of nearby residents.

09/08/2026

Sierra Club outings leaders recently had the pleasure of leading a canoe outing on the Mill Creek in Cincinnati for the Urban Native Collective (UNC). The Urban Native Collective works to preserve and represent the culture and heritage of Native American, Indigenous, and First Nations people. They provide education, advocacy, and support on contemporary Indigenous issues and cultivate knowledge about Native American history in local and regional communities.

The event began at Salway Park with a “trailhead” talk covering water safety, paddling technique and a brief history of the Mill Creek and its restoration. The participants then had an opportunity to hone their paddling skills with an experienced paddler before heading downstream to enjoy the beautiful summer afternoon.

A special thanks to Rivers Unlimited for their generous loan of the canoes and equipment.