Metro Parks showcases Big Darby

Media Credit: Everdeen Mason Mac Albin, aquatic ecologist for Franklin County Metro Parks, talks to tour participants about the 40 species of mussels at Big Darby Creek.

People giggled at the sight. Grown men and women were splashing and wading into the Darby Creek River in giant rubber overalls, trying to catch mussels.

"This is like an Easter egg hunt, it's great fun," said Mac Albin, aquatic ecologist with Franklin County Metro Parks.

This was one of many activities and demonstrations during the bus tour of the Big Darby Creek Watershed. The tour was part of the 16th National Non-point Source Monitoring Workshop, hosted by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and Ohio State.

The guests of the tour, which included water quality professionals, environmental groups and local watershed organizations, were shown Ohio's Scenic rivers, culminating the tour at on of the nation's most pristine rivers, the Big Darby. "It's an exceptional habitat, unusual for something so close to a major metro area," said Erin Strouse, media spokesperson of the Ohio EPA. The river remains a source of life for many animals, despite the prevalence of non-point source pollution.

"Ohio has a great reputation for non-point pollution research," Strouse said. "We're sharing a lot of our successes."

Non-point source pollution is pollution that is carried from dams, reservoirs and run-off from construction and fertilization, and is difficult to track, Strouse said. The Ohio EPA and Franklin County Metro Parks fund many programs that combat non-point source pollution.

"Ohio EPA is giving millions of dollars to community watershed programs," she said. Since 2001, they have given $30 million dollars for projects like dam removals and restorations, according to an Ohio EPA press release. They have also paid $92 million dollars to acquire land to preserve habitats and high-quality streams such as the Big Darby.

The Big Darby is a ripe research site, with 40 different species of mussels and 100 species of fish, some of which are rare and endangered.

"Darby has and almost completely intact fish fauna compared to the historical list," said Chuck Boucher of Metro parks. "You can't have mussels without great fish."

Fish and mussels, as well as the bugs in the area, can be used to research water quality.

"Their ecological assessment is one of the best in the nation," Strouse said. "They don't just look at the water, but at the biological component, bugs, fish, etc. That's why it was chosen to host this event."

Mike Gallaway, the division surface water program manager in the Ohio EPA, said the Big Darby is a great illustration of what happens when researchers and the community work together. "It's a community resource. We have a close to pristine park," he said. "Folks in local townships have recognized that we have an important resource here."

Cooperation between local and city government has lead to the creation of the Darby Accord, a multi-jurisdictional land-use effort to protect and preserve Darby Creek and it's tributaries. "People think, 'This is such an important thing. I don't want to see it broken on my watch.' "

OSU student Vinayak Shedekar, a graduate student in agricultural engineering and water management who is from India, said this cooperation offers a message to the global community.

"This focuses on the ties between the research and the community involved," Vinayak said. "Being an international student, I wanted to see how they interact." He said in India, it is very difficult to find synergy between business, research and the community.

"This is a great example for developing countries, he said. "You can learn a lot."

Everdeen Mason can be reached at mason.388@osu.edu.