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Natural Resources - Conservation
OEC
Awards 2005 Conservation Achievement Award to Tecumseh Land
Trust, Yellow Springs, Ohio
 Bit by bit, Ohio’s farmland and rural character are
slipping away. Monotonous housing subdivisions and big-box
stores now sit where fertile fields and wide-open vistas once
occupied the landscape.
But in Greene and Clark counties, the
Tecumseh Land Trust is leading the way to preserve our rural
heritage through voluntary conservation easements negotiated
with landowners and their heirs. In just 15 years, this
dynamic organization has successfully protected more than
8,000 acres of agricultural land and open space as well
as numerous historic structures.
| OEC Recognizes
Public Servants’ Efforts to Conserve Whiskey Island |
To
many, Cleveland’s Whiskey Island was just another
strip of urban no man’s land: 20 acres of undeveloped
waterfront wedged between a marina and a railroad track.
 The port authority wanted to strip it bare and turn
it into a bulk loading facility. But in a stirring triumph
of the public trust over thoughtless development,a trio
of visionary county leaders dug in and stood by the citizenry. Because of Cuyahoga County government officials Jimmy Dimora, Tim McCormack, and Paul Alsenas, the dream of Whiskey Island as a gateway public park has come true.
In November of 2000, Ohio voters approved
Issue 1, the Clean Ohio Fund, with over 57% in favor. This
bond measure would allow the state to spend $400 million
on a variety of environmental projects. In the spring of
2001, the state legislature passed House Bill 3, which enacted
the Clean Ohio program. House Bill 3 established a funding
structure that administered authorities to separate state
agencies:
- Revitalization Fund: $200 million -
Department of Development
- Conservation Fund: $150 million -
Public Works Commission
- Farmland Preservation Fund: $25 million
- Department of Agriculture
- Recreational Trails Fund: $25 million
- Department of Natural Resources
Ohio's support for the Clean Ohio
Fund demonstrates the commitment by its residents to have
livable communities with clean water, recreational opportunities,
and to protect our natural heritage and way of life. Read
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