Metro Parks Continue to Grow

Darby's two Metro Parks continue to add acreage, promising greater protection to the Big Darby mainstem.

Prairie Oaks, Darby's newest public park, recently added an extremely significant parcel when it announced the purchase of the Olen sand and gravel quarry in Brown Township.

The quarry has been a controversial operation for years, drawing complaints from local residents because of dust and speeding trucks, and from environmentalists because of disruptions of the Darby flood plain.

However, with the recent sale Olen has contributed 172 acres to the Darby effort. News reports suggest that the purchase price-$1.6 million-was less than 60 percent of the property's value, which would make the sale a generous gesture by Olen Corp., a division of Kokosing Construction.

Quarry operations will continue through 2003, after which restoration of the property will begin. Unnatural cuts in the land will be smoothed and planted in native vegetation.

The acquisition expands Prairie Oaks to about 1,400 acres. At a recent public meeting officials outlined their plans for the property. Most of the flood plain will be allowed to revert to forest, while uplands will either be restored to native prairie, or planted in grass and forage plants designed to attract Ohio's declining grassland birds. Development will include constructing roads, trails, and park facilities on the west side of Big Darby. Eventually, a nature center may be added.

Meanwhile, Metro Parks has been busily adding to its southern park, Battelle-Darby. For the first time it has made substantial purchases south of Darbydale. In recent months nearly 400 acres of agricultural floodplain land has been obtained, signaling the district's intent to expand to the Orient-Harrisburg area. As reported in the last issue of the Darby Advocate, 19,000 trees were planted on one parcel.

The purchases have expanded Battelle-Darby to well over 4,000 acres, making it by far the largest natural area in central Ohio.

Franklin Soil and Water District awarded Hellbranch grant

The Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District has applied for and received a grant from the federal government (with local matching funds) to promote stream protection in the threatened Hellbranch Run watershed.

The money will pay for the protection or establishment of riparian buffers along the stream, according to Hector Santiago, a FSWCD riparian conservationist in charge of implementing the project.

Anticipated projects will include cost-sharing for buffers on smaller properties, acquisition of easements on larger properties, and additional incentives for agricultural property to participate in government programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP).

The three-year grant will also provide for an educational effort, which will include consultations with individual landowners, public meetings, and collaboration with various groups such as DCA. The effort will also provide support for existing initiatives, such as the Hellbranch Greenways Plan. Santiago can be reached at 614-801-9450 ext. 14.

Chaos in Plain City

Plain City is a small village on the banks of Big Darby Creek, home to many families with historic ties to the Darby Plains.

If current mayor L.H. Murphy gets his way, the village will soon be transformed into a mecca of suburban sprawl.

A plan that will be submitted to the OEPA will propose a new sewage treatment system with the capacity to serve 6,000 new homes and 12,000 additional people, according to The Madison Press. This would represent roughly a five-fold increase in the size of the village.

As if to emphasize their intention to develop at any cost, recently the village council approved an apartment complex that will be built in the Darby flood plain. The decision came despite opposition from ODNR.

This disregard for the health of Big Darby is only part of the story. The mayor and council have also shown disdain for the wishes of the people they supposedly serve, namely village residents. A recent poll showed most opposed the new explosion of subdivisions.

A group of citizens has organized to oppose recent projects, and to promote responsible planning. Stay tuned for further news.

DCA speaks at Plain City Historical Society

On a more pleasant note, DCA trustee Terry Stewart gave a presentation on Darby to the Plain City Historical Society in March. Stewart discussed the history of conservation in the watershed, outlining battles over dams and the struggle to win the creek Scenic River status. He showed slides of the creek and its aquatic life.

Despite some anti-refuge sentiment in the audience, Stewart had a positive discussion of the issue.

"I told them how land purchased for the dams were now valued Metro Parks," Stewart said. He suggested that some good may yet come of the refuge controversy: "The refuge, as bad as it appears to some people, has refocused people on developing a plan to preserve Darby creeks."

The Historical Society invited him back anytime.

McDonald's Donates Land

America's most popular fast-food company became more popular with Darby enthusiasts with the recent announcement that it had donated 8 acres of land along Little Darby Creek in West Jefferson to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for preservation.

The land, which is adjacent to the McDonald's store on Rt. 40, includes the creek corridor on both banks, according to the Madison Press. ODNR intends to allow public access to the site for hiking and fishing.

"Sugar Farms" project put on hold

The controversial and ironically named "Sugar Farms" subdivision in Norwich Township has been put on hold indefinitely, according to the Ohio EPA.

The project, which is to feature a land application sewage treatment system, has been under review for months. It was initially rejected due to technical and environmental concerns, but the applicant had appealed that decision.

The latest decision to withdraw the appeal was made by the developer. However, the project may be resubmitted at any time.

Scioto River upgraded near Darby's mouth

In what can only be described as an incredible turn of events, the Ohio EPA recently upgraded a portion of the Scioto River near its confluence with Darby to "exceptional warm-water habitat," the agency's highest rating.

In the past, the Scioto has been notoriously polluted, especially downstream of Columbus. The recent turnaround can be attributed to two factors: better sewage treatment in Columbus, and the presence of a diverse fish fauna in neighboring Big Darby Creek.

Beginning in the late 1980's, dramatic improvement in the Scioto's fish fauna was noted by EPA surveys following a major sewage treatment upgrade in Columbus. At this time a number of rare darters and other species began to migrate out of Darby into the Scioto. After consistently scoring high in the EPA's rating system, the agency decided to officially redesignate a stretch above and below Darby's mouth. The new designation should give the Scioto added protection under state law.