Columbus Zoo Awards Grant

to DCA Corridor Fund
May 2003

The Darby Creek Association is proud to announce that the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has awarded a $5,000 grant to the association’s Corridor Restoration Fund. The grant comes from the Zoo’s Conservation Fund, which has helped finance projects to protect endangered species around the world.

DCA sought the grant to support tree plantings along Big Darby and its tributaries. Riparian buffers are important tools for improving water quality, as they help slow down and filter stormwater runoff. Wooded streamsides also provide excellent wildlife habitat. Within the stream, adjacent trees supply woody debris, which in turn provides food and critical aquatic habitat for fishes and other animals. Riparian vegetation also helps moderate water temperature and control water chemistry.

Winning the grant will allow DCA to partner on Franklin Soil and Water’s Hellbranch Project. FSW currently pays 75 percent of the costs on tree plantings that it offers to landowners in the critical Hellbranch watershed. DCA has pledged to pick up the remaining 25 percent, making projects very attractive to landowners.

In the past, the Zoo has focused on saving rare and endangered species throughout the world. In supporting our grant proposal, Zoo representatives expressed a desire to help local species as well. In committing resources to Darby, the Zoo helps reinforce the creek’s importance as a sanctuary for Ohio’s aquatic biodiversity. The Zoo is also helping to develop a program to raise and reintroduce endangered freshwater mussels into Ohio waters, including Darby, in partnership with OSU. DCA is excited about this partnership with such a prestigious organization!