Metro Park Expanding on Many Fronts

In recent years, Metro Parks has periodically added acreage to Battelle-Darby park, which stretches along Big Darby Creek in western Franklin County. The additions have extended the park both upstream and downstream along Big Darby.

Now, the park has taken a dramatic turn up Little Darby Creek.   (Photos of Little Darby Creek)

For years the park district has held a small plot along Little Darby, just above that tributary's confluence with Big Darby at Georgesville. The Little Darby access, which features an unimproved cross country skiing trail, is considered one of the most wild and remote sections of Battelle-Darby.

In September, the Columbus Dispatch reported that the park district has agreed to purchase two large farms upstream of its Little Darby holding. It was also revealed that the district had already purchased an adjacent sod farm along Gardner Road. The additions total 913 acres, and cover 2.25 miles of Little Darby stream front.

The land includes a wide, largely vegetated valley and rolling terraces overlooking the creek. Part of the sod farm also includes the upland plateau along the Darby "peninsula" above the confluence of Big and Little Darby.

Little Darby Creek is a critical tributary in the Darby ecosystem. It currently harbors populations of several rare fish and mussels that are no longer found in Big Darby. In addition, Little Darby's water quality is superior, as is evident after major rains, when its flow at the confluence is always less muddy than the coffee-colored Big Darby.

The purchases represent a major commitment by Metro Parks to the protection of Little Darby. Little Darby is under intense development pressure in and around West Jefferson. The Metro Parks purchases will prevent a large swath of highly desirable land from being turned into residential housing.

Some of the money used for the purchases came from special funds appropriated by the U.S. Congress for Darby protection. Ohio Senator Mike DeWine sponsored the allocation. DeWine has been an avid supporter of Darby preservation, and sought the money as an alternative to the failed wildlife refuge.

In addition to its Little Darby acquisitions, the park district has recently acquired a quarry along the Franklin County-Pickaway County border. The quarry had been a source of tension in recent years as the owner sought to expand operations along Big Darby. This marks the first time Battelle-Darby has extended south into Pickaway County.

With these additions, Battelle-Darby has grown to over 5,000 acres, and it is far-and-away the largest natural feature in central Ohio. In addition, Metro Parks owns over 1,400 acres at its Prairie Oaks park several miles upstream.

Darby is fortunate to have such commitment and stewardship by Metro Parks.