The regular monthly
meeting of the Friends of Big Walnut and Tributaries will be
held at 6:30 PM March 16th, 2010 in the Community Room at
Donatos Pizza, 1391 Johnstown Rd, New Albany, OH (across from
Hoggy's)
Take a look at the
"Ok What is This? picture. Any ideas?
See the new video at
Gahanna Friendship Park on this page.
Using Bioswales and
Wetlands to
cleanse parking lot runoff is finding increased use and good
results. Look for continuing articles on this innovative practice
on this page.
The
Watershed Action Plan can be found by clicking on the "Action
Plan" at the top of this page. Enjoy all 183 pages of everything
you ever wanted to know about our watershed.
Welcome to the Friends of Big Walnut Creek & Tributaries website.
The Watersheds served from below Hoover Dam to the Scioto Confluence are Big Walnut Creek, Rocky Fork Creek and Blacklick
Creek. We hope
you share our enthusiasm for this natural wonder right in our own
back yard.
Our Mission Statement is as follows:
Our goal is to protect, preserve and restore Big Walnut ,
Rocky Fork and Blacklick Creek for the benefit of their urban
communities as well as their fauna and flora who jointly depend on
the well-being of their watershed.
Renowned Mussel Expert to Speak at April Big
Walnut Meeting
Dr. Michael A. Hoggarth, Professor
in the Department of Life and Earth Sciences at Otterbein
College will present a talk entitled, The
Mussels and Other Animals of Big Walnut Creek - The Eastern
Gem of the the Scioto. DR. Hoggarth's presentation
will be given at the Annual Membership Meeting of the
Friends of Big Walnut Creek and Tributaries on April 22nd at
6:30 PM at the New Albany High School Campus, Building E,
Room 217 and is free and open to the public.
Michael A. Hoggarth is currently
Professor in the Department of Life and Earth Sciences at
Otterbein College, an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the
Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology at
The Ohio State University, Associate Curator at The Ohio
State University Museum of Biological Diversity, and
Visiting Instructor at F.T. Stone Laboratory, The Ohio State
University. He has performed biological assessment of
rivers using IBI, ICI and QHEI and wetland delineations
since 1987 when he was first employed as an Environmental
Scientist for the Ohio Department of Transportation.
Since then he has performed numerous ecological assessments
of aquatic habitats as a consultant and he has taught the
methods required to do these analyses to his students at
Otterbein College. His major publications have been in
the areas of mollusk conservation and ecology; however his
research also examines fish community structure and water
quality issues as well. He is co-author of The
Freshwater Mussels of Ohio, The Ohio State University Press,
which was published in 2009.
Its sunny
and 20 degrees at Friendship Park but you can still sit back turn up
the sound watch and listen to the waterfall, some mid rapids and
light rapids. Enjoy!
Ok What is This?
(see picture below) This picture was taken recently near the Columbus, OH
Dublin Road Water Plant. It is a curious application of a
somewhat common product.
New Albany School Treats
Parking Lot Runoff "Naturally"
New
Albany's K-1 Elementary School on Swickard Woods Blvd. found
treating parking lot runoff in wetland swales can reduce initial
construction costs and long term maintenance. It can also greatly
improve the quality of the water leaving the site and entering the
nearby streams and waterways.
The New Albany, OH project has become a demonstration model to illustrate to
other school districts the advantages of this contemporary water
management practice.
If past practices are an indicator, destroyed wetlands are much
more easily mitigated at far away wetland banks. Such is not the
case for a recent wetland mitigation site on Olde Ridenour Road in
Gahanna, Ohio. Thanks to the efforts of the Friends of Big Walnut
Creek and Tributaries, the Columbus International Airport , Parks
and Recreation, Williams Creek and many other concerned groups
and individuals a destroyed wetland rose again in an area that
drains into Big Walnut Creek.
Mitigation is
required for impacts to wetlands. According to Vinnie Tremonte of
Williams Creek Consulting who designed the project, "The airport in
their desire to be good stewards of the land, wanted to provide
local in-watershed mitigation. The site was chosen in coordination
with Gahanna Parks and Recreation. The existing grading of the site
was such that there was always standing water in the parking lot
whenever it rained. So the project eliminates a water problem for
the city and provides mitigation for the Airport. The site also
indirectly receives storm water runoff from the development up the
hill that was also contributing to the flooding problem in the
parking lot."
Keeping a watershed mitigation
in the local area has obvious advantages to the water quality and
beauty of the local watershed. It's a recent trend that could
continue if these in-watershed sites meet EPA and local
expectations.
These pictures were taken on a foggy morning on
Olde Ridenour Rd in Gahanna, OH ...
