In our ongoing efforts to conserve and enhance the ecosystems at Valley View, we are pleased to partner with the Clermont County Soil & Water Conservation District and our neighbors at Madison Tree to improve the East Fork of the Little Miami River. This project was initiated several years ago by the Conservation District. The purpose of the project is to address the significant destructive erosion that has been occurring in the East Fork River that runs through Valley View’s property.
While erosion is a naturally occurring geologic process and no project can or should stop erosion, the rate of erosion on our land is more aggressive than would naturally occur. There are multiple reasons for this. First, soils on our land are mostly sand and gravel, which erode very easily. Second, decades of farming that took place on our land prior to Valley View’s founding in 2002 prevented the growth of large trees with root systems to provide structure and support to protect the banks from erosion. Third, as population has grown and roads and land development has occurred in the watershed upstream of our property, the water flow regimes in the river have changed during storms events.
Ohio EPA has designated the East Fork in our area as an Exceptional Warmwater Habitat. According to the Agency, “This use designation is reserved for waters which support ‘unusual and exceptional’ assemblages of aquatic organisms which are characterized by a high density of species, particularly those which are highly intolerant and/or rare, threatened, endangered, or special status. This designation represents a protection goal for water resource management efforts dealing with Ohio’s best water resources.” Ohio EPA is fully supportive of the river restoration project and is providing project funding to the Conservation District through Ohio’s Clean Water Act funding program because it will protect and improve the water quality in the East Fork were endangered mussel species have been observed.
While the Conservation District is leading the project, they have involved Valley View leadership throughout the entire planning process to ensure a project that benefits all stakeholders. The work will disrupt our property for a brief time during the first half of 2026 with some followup planting to take place in the fall of 2026. The project will impact a relatively small area of our property near Bay Road where the construction team will enter and gain access along the river. Work will also take place on the east bank of the River on land that is also owned by Valley View and Madison Tree. The work will require clearing of invasives and removal of a few large trees. Some of our trails will be closed, removed or relocated. Rest assured that the finished project will result in a safer and more scenic East Fork on our property, with many new trees planted along the river and environmental benefits for the aquatic life in the River. The project should also significantly slow the erosion of banks along the river for generations to come.
For more information, please visit the Conservation District’s project website:
Lower East Fork Restoration Project | Soil & Water Conservation District
