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The Greenways Initiative would not exist without the continued contributions of Jerry Wager of the Ohio Guyana RPCV Department of Natural Resources
The Greenways Initiative would not exist without the continued contributions of Jerry Wager of the Ohio Guyana RPCV Department of Natural Resources
Acknowledgments
A great many people contributed to the collaborative effort that turned into the Franklin County Greenways Plan. The Greenways Initia- tive would not have been possible without the unfailing leadership of Arlene Shoemaker, Franklin County Commissioner and Chairman of the Franklin County Greenways Steering Committee. Kevin Wheeler of the City of Columbus Planning Department was the person who put together Greenways initially, and deserves sincere thanks as do Beth Clark and Nan Merritt who provided invaluable editorial assis- tance and continuing good ideas. The Greenways Initiative would not exist without the continued contributions of Jerry Wager of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Julie Weatherington-Rice, a supervisor with our Greenway partners, the Soil and Water Conserva- tion District.
Steering Committee members Allen McKnight of the City of Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, Roger Hubbell and Larry Peck of Franklin County Metro Parks and Mike Martin, Tom Russell and Lynn Kelly of the City of Columbus Public Utilities Department all provided financial, editorial and even staff support. Terri Devlin and her co-workers at The Nature Conservancy and the Darby Partners have provided a model for us to follow in river conservation, as have Wib and Lou Smith of the Rocky Force Task Force. The entire Steer- ing Committee has provided invaluable support in the planning process, not least by leading the volunteer survey effort.
Critical technical support for the project included the nationally recognized scholarship of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agencies’ Monitoring and Assessment Section of the Division of Surface Water led by Chris Yoder. Technical Committee members Barb Fair of the Forestry Division of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Julie Hambrook of the U.S. Geological Survey contributed invaluable scholarly assistance and editorial guidance. Vince Mazeika and Larry Antosh of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency also provided expertise. Americorps Team Members and others contributed research to the project, including Leisha Stevens, Jill Bukovic, Adam Goluda, Mike Kowenski, and O.T. Ford. Finally, to all the outstanding Franklin County Greenways volunteers, many, many thanks.
Franklin County’s river and stream corridors comprise an extremely important natural asset. Aestheti- cally, ecologically and economically they offer us countless opportunities for improving the community’s health and enhancing the quality of life. Yet for years they have not been considered from this perspective. The Franklin County Greenways Plan describes a vision and a plan of action for the city of Columbus, Franklin County and the many jurisdictions which make up the Columbus metropolitan area. This plan asks what our streams and rivers mean to us here in central Ohio, and then attempts to forge a better understanding of their mul- tiple uses. The plan assumes that economic development and natural resource preservation are compatible objectives. It suggests that healthy natural systems — used sustainably — will support healthy economies and vibrant communities.