Volunteer Opportunities at Mt. Airy Forest
We are so blessed to have Cincinnati’s largest park right in our neighborhood. “The Forest” is within walking distance or a short bike ride or drive away from anywhere in the community. At 1459 acres and with over 25 miles of hiking trails, the mere size can make the maintenance of the park a daunting task for the city. For this reason, the Parks Dept. is very reliant on the volunteer community to provide assistance for general upkeep of the park. There are a number of volunteer groups coordinated through parks. If you are interested in becoming a Cincinnati Parks volunteer, please go to https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cincyparks/get-involved/volunteer/ for information and an application.
Community Garden Volunteer Days: Equal Parts Productive, Rewarding and Fun!
2024 is the inaugural year for the Mt. Airy Commons Community Garden and we have gotten off to a flying start! Last winter, the space was an unsightly, overgrown half acre that was crying out for a major transformation. Trash had been blowing into the area over time and illegal dumping was a constant problem. During the spring, our newly formed community garden committee convened many meetings and put together a comprehensive plan to make our vision become a reality. We knew we would need lots of help, so we started reaching out to the neighborhood, the city and the business community to organize multiple volunteer days. On April 19, we partnered with Keep Cincinnati Beautiful and the Aiken High School Urban Agriculture Program to primarily work on clearing the area of dumped items, trash and unwanted organic debris.
There was a tremendous feeling of camaraderie and there was a palpable vibe among all participants that we were engaging in something special that would have a lasting impact for years to come. On May 10, we kicked off construction of the gardens. Our generous corporate partner, Duke Energy, provided energetic volunteers to help build the frames for eight raised beds and filled them with rich soil to officially get the Mount Airy Commons Community Garden established.The hard work has continued all year and easily over 500 hours of volunteer labor have been invested. Tree and stump removal, grading, planting, weeding and watering have all been a major part of the ongoing maintenance that has occurred. This sweat equity has given our neighborhood a special place that we look to become a symbol of positive change. We are looking forward to engaging volunteers in the future to truly make this one of the best green spaces in the entire city. We would love for you to become part of our team. Please email us at [email protected].
3rd Saturday Beautification Committee
A collaborative endeavor between Mt. Airy CURE and Mt. Airy Town Council has been organized aimed at cleaning up Mt. Airy. This takes place on the third Saturday of the month from 9am to 11am and meets at the Mt. Airy Commons parking lot at 5536 Colerain. We will primarily focus on the business district on Colerain between North Bend and Kirby, but would love to expand to the whole neighborhood if we are able to grow participation. We not only do things like litter pickup and removing unwanted vegetation, but will also be setting up decorations and will communicate with city departments such as Parks, Keep Cincinnati Beautiful and Urban Forestry to coordinate larger projects. If you are interested in participating, please contact Tom Wurzelbacher at [email protected]
