Clean Streams Ohio

09/14/2025

If you haven't already...please follow the link to our new page!
Basically, I've decided that I can be more effective and do more good if I reduce my scope to the area where I lived for 20 years and that I know the best. I will absolutely still be picking up trash and contributing to clean-up efforts in New Richmond (I live here now) and Clermont County and wherever else I can help, but the main focus of the nonprofit will be in the Paint Creek and Scioto River watersheds in south central Ohio.
Thank you all...and see you on the other page!
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580464883558

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the simple mission of helping to preserve and promote the natural integrity and beauty of the Lower Scioto River and its tributaries in Southern Ohio.

09/04/2025

I don't have any photos, but the City Of Chillicothe finished cleaning up the abandoned homeless camp at Millennium Grove Park that we started a few weeks ago! That's a whole lot of trash (about 3.5 tons according to Mr. Todd Limle) that will not end up in the Scioto River. Thank you to the cleanup crew and to the Mayor's office! 
💪🇺🇸

Send a message to learn more

08/30/2025

Update on the Paint Creek homeless camp clean-up in Frankfort...
We are SOOO close to having this site cleaned up. Unfortunately only one person could make it to help today. This cat named Gregg Bly. AND he brought a dump trailer with him. AND he's going to take this load to the dump on his own dime so the village doesn't have to mess with it. (Which they generously offered to do after already paying the dump fees for the last two dumpsters that were hauled out). 
I estimated that we got about 55 bags (30 gallon)... not bad for a couple of old guys putting in a half a day of hard work, eh?
We focused on the biggest pieces of trash first so they don't get into North Fork in the next flood and get caught up on tree branches and break down into lots of little pieces and microplastics. Tarps, blankets, clothing, tents, and big pieces of plastic of all kinds. 
There are still lots of little pieces of trash left, like plastic bottles, shoes, food packaging, more clothing, and etc. With a few volunteers and a few more hours we can knock this out of the park. (And maybe even hit some minor miscellaneous trash on the creek directly behind Brad Lytle). 
And today was my 54th birthday...whatever that means. (Maybe it means it's a good day to donate to my nonprofit so I can keep on keeping trash out of the streams?)
🇺🇸💪☮️

https://gofund.me/847c9939

08/27/2025

Trailer is loaded and ready for Frankfort with buckets and trash grabbers and bags and hand sanitizer and rakes and all the other goodies needed to get this site cleaned up before the trash makes it into the creek! All you need is a good pair of work gloves, a good pair of shoes (not flip-flops or sandals), and your water bottle.
Saturday, August 30, 11 AM at Brad Lytle Memorial Park. Don't be late, yo. We'll do a quick orientation on homeless camp trash and say hello, and then grab our gear and get r done. I haven't seen the site personally, but from the photos it looks like we should be able to knock it out pretty quickly. 💪💛

08/27/2025

Picking trash off the New Richmond riverbank is a Zen experience for some reason.
Tim, Colton, and I spent a quick hour this morning dragging wet, muddy tires and carpet and rope and what-not. (And a dilapidated plastic Christmas tree with the lights still attached). We'll be back next week to load up the pile. 
Thank you to the Clermont County Solid Waste District for taking these tires off our hands. 🙏

08/24/2025

I took a walk on the Ohio riverbeach this morning in New Richmond. The water level is pretty low, exposing more tires, marine rope, a plastic Christmas tree, an old tarp, and other miscellaneous bullsh**.  😆
And a cool little piece of pottery with the apparent date of August 5, 1912.
Colton from Cincinnati Cleanout (a New Richmond based local business) and I are going to bring down a farmers jack and try to extract some of the tires and see if we can get some of the other big stuff as well. Please feel free to join us for an hour if you'd like to get your hands dirty!
8 AM this Wednesday morning (Aug 27th). 
💪
And as always...more cashola means more cleanups...so feel free to drop a fiver in the hat to help us do what we do.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/clermont-county-cleanup-series/cl/o?utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_content=amp13_c&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link&lang=en_US&attribution_id=sl%3Ad1463a69-c357-4e15-918b-267b550b0a1e&ts=1756059994

08/22/2025

So this is what's left of the abandoned homeless camp after Gearhart Farms LLC., Brian Boetcher, and the Frankfort Village officials worked their magic. They loaded up two dumpsters with a skid steer and hauled to the dump. Thank you guys!
I'll be bringing a trailer next Saturday (Aug 30) with buckets, trash grabbers, bags, and everything else needed to finish getting the garbage by hand so it doesn't end up in the stream. We've cleaned up a lot worse sites than this...but many hands make light work, so if anyone would like to volunteer for a half hour or an hour, we can probably get this cleaned up pretty quickly. And it might be good to throw down some clover seed or something else to reestablish the vegetation and give nature a jumpstart? Seth Rankin what do you think? 
Meet in the parking lot at Brad Lightle Memorial Park in Frankfort at 11am sharp on Sat, Aug 30th. Don't be late. We'll do a quick orientation on homeless camp trash and say hello, then grab our gear and get 'r done. 💪
All you need is good shoes (DON'T wear sandals), a pair of gloves, and your water bottle. And kids are not a good idea. (Bringing them, not having them.😂 Might be some 'adult' garbage that we don't want kids getting into!)
Please feel free to message me (Joe Letsche) with questions.
And as always...more cash donations equals more clean up events. A high five to those of you who have dropped a couple of bucks in the hat!
Peace out and hopefully will see a few of you guys there.
🙏

https://gofund.me/f0050785

08/21/2025

Hey guys. I'm headed back home to Ross County next week! I'm planning to get back into Millennium Grove park in Chillicothe and continue work on the massive cleanup on the Scioto River that we started a few weeks ago. And also to help the village of Frankfort clean up an abandoned homeless camp on the North Fork of Paint Creek before the next high water takes it into the stream. Details are forthcoming...we'd love to have the volunteer help!
💪
And just in case you can throw a few buckskins in the hat...the more cash we have, the more cleanups we can do.
https://gofund.me/f0050785
Thank you everyone.
(The photo is the Frankfort camp).

08/19/2025

This couch cushion was full of mud and water and gunk and weighed about 500 pounds, but we were able to turn the wagon on its side and roll it in, and then pull the wagon to the trailer. That's one less source of micro plastics to get into drinking water and clog the gills of fish!
Your Ohio River beach cleanup team this morning has been Colton Broach, Tim Broach, Chuck Feldkamp, and yours truly, Joe Letsche.
And a big thank you to Cincinnati Cleanout (a New Richmond based local business) for paying the dump fee for this stuff, and the village of New Richmond for taking care of the tire disposal. (Tire disposal isn't free, which is unfortunately why so many people dump tires in the river.)
Peace and love y'all! 
💪

08/15/2025

A one hour quickie this Tuesday (Aug 19th) at 8am to pick up some trash on the riverbeach at New Richmond. You can stroll with a bucket and trash grabbers (we supply) to seek out the little stuff, or you can help us load up some carpet and ropes and such.
A big thank you to Colton from Cincinnati Cleanout who will be helping us! (a New Richmond based small business.)
Just message me (Joe) with any questions. ☮️

08/14/2025

Sometimes the pieces of trash are quite small and it takes 50 times longer to fill up a trash bag. But what a beautiful foggy morning on the New Richmond riverbeach. ❤️