|
But Ohio’s natural bounty is not
endless, and its natural legacy is not timeless. Pioneers
significantly altered the original Ohio that they came upon
several hundred years ago. Virgin forests were felled. The
Great Black Swamp was drained. Tall-grass prairies were
tamed and tilled. Many lakes and rivers were over-fished
and open spaces over-hunted. This modern development helped
to build a new nation and enrich the lives of many. It also
has taken a mighty toll on the natural Ohio.
Today, only a few tiny pockets of the
original virgin forest remain. Acre-sized pioneer cemeteries
are all that remain of the original tall grass prairie that
stretched from the Great Plains into parts of Ohio. The
sturgeon and lake trout were all but fished out, as the
snowshoe hare and bald eagle also nearly disappeared. Despite
these vast changes, unique natural areas and biologically
rich areas remain, including bogs and fens, glacial grooves
and natural rock formations, and even remnants of the prairie
land and virgin forests. Some of the most prominent remaining
natural areas are now protected as parks and nature preserves.
Prominent examples include Cedar Bog in Champaign County,
a remnant of the Ice Age and one of the most biologically
diverse areas in America; the twisting Glacial Grooves,
carved by the last glacier into the exposed limestone bedrock
on Kelleys Island in Lake Erie; and Dysart Woods, Ohio’s
largest contiguous virgin forest in Belmont County, to name
just a few.
Many ecologically and geologically unique
areas have yet to be catalogued. Should such an area be
drained, filled, bulldozed, mined, or otherwise destroyed,
its unique features and biological diversity will forever
be altered. Ohio must find a way to grow our economy while
at the same time identifying and protecting our most irreplaceable
natural assets.
Recommendation:
Ohio needs a comprehensive Natural Features
Inventory—a complete, county-by-county biological
and geological survey of the flora, fauna, and landscape
of Ohio to:
- Identify the most critical and irreplaceable
natural features and most valuable and vulnerable flora
and fauna, including wetlands, forests, and prairies;
unique geologic formations; and rare, threatened, and
endangered species
- Establish protection priorities for
these irreplaceable natural assets
- Guide smart growth priorities that
will enable development projects to co-exist in harmony
with Ohio’s natural heritage.
A natural features inventory includes
an initial review of existing satellite imagery, aerial
photos, land surveys, and relevant reports and literature
to identify potential areas of interest. After this initial
review of information, on-the-ground field surveys are conducted
to better identify special features and to collect samples.
Indiana, Minnesota, and Missouri have conducted initial
inventories. Illinois has conducted the most comprehensive
survey, including field surveys of priority areas, completing
a comprehensive inventory of the whole state in a continuous
project. Other states are going piece by piece as funding
and personnel allow, but this may take decades to complete.
DNR officials in other states concur that the best option
is a comprehensive, county-by-county evaluation with consistent
funding and personnel.
A natural features inventory offers many benefits.
It can:
- Help to identify the flora, fauna,
and land features unknown to exist in an area
- Enable Ohio to complete the Natural
Heritage Database, the state’s official record of
flora and fauna
- Guide the protection or the de-listing
of rare, threatened, and endangered species
- Help identify land suitable for development
alongside of lands suitable for preservation
This comprehensive inventory can be a
benefit to all. It would help assure that ecologically significant
features and rare, threatened, and endangered plant and
animal species are given proper management; help landowners
and preservationists to make informed decisions about whether
to sell or act as stewards of identified lands; and even
assist developers choose sites for development that will
pose the least impact on the environment.
Without a comprehensive inventory, less
thoughtful development may well bulldoze, drain, fill, or
pave many unique and significant natural features out of
existence. Once these finite features are lost, they can
never be replaced.
Contact:
Jack Shaner
Ohio Environmental Council
1207 Grandview Ave. Suite 201
Columbus, Ohio 43212
Jack@theOEC.org
614-487-7506
Printer
friendly PDF version of the Natural Features Inventory Issue
Briefing (PDF)
|
