The Big Darby Accord, 20 Years Later: Incorporating Conservation in Regional Growth

Описание: Twenty years ago, the Big Darby Accord marked a groundbreaking commitment to protect one of Ohio’s most ecologically significant waterways while guiding responsible regional growth. The Big Darby Creek, a Scenic River that is home to extraordinary fish and mussel diversity despite covering just one percent of the state’s land area, has long been a symbol of what collaboration can achieve. Today, as development pressures rise and new faces enter the planning process, much of the original inspiration and hard-earned lessons risk being forgotten.

This Environmental Professionals Network program is about more than policy. It is about reconnecting with the stories, values, and vision that shaped the Accord. Our panel will share firsthand experiences from those who helped craft the original agreement, revealing how scientists, planners, homebuilders, and conservationists worked together to balance competing interests. We will revisit pivotal moments—from early biodiversity discoveries to the tensions surrounding a failed proposal to make the Big Darby a National Wildlife Refuge—and explore why collaboration remains essential today.

9:30 a.m. Livestreaming service begins for virtual attendees. Tim Haab, PhD, Director, OSU School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR), provides welcome remarks.

9:35 a.m. Event moderator Kristy Meyer, CEO & Founder, Upriver Consulting, outlines program themes, including a note on the significant social and ecological complexities that underly management decisions in the Big Darby Creek watershed.

9:40 a.m. Anthony Sasson and John Tetzloff, Darby Creek Association, detail the ecological significance of the Big Darby Creek and a variety of management approaches over the years to protect the watershed.

10:05 a.m. Chris Hermann, Principal, MKSK Studios, outlines the main components of the 2006 Big Darby Accord, identifying future strategies for cross-sector collaboration based on lessons learned in the implementation of the original Accord.

10:20 a.m. Robert Gable, Assistant Chief and Scenic Rivers Program Manager and Heather Doherty, Central Ohio Scenic Rivers Manager, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, showcase preliminary results of the Integrated Prioritization System project, which intends to establish thresholds for 100 potential stressors, including development in the Darby Watershed (Note: thresholds signify the amount of stress the river can accommodate before experiencing ecological damage).

10:45 a.m. Moderated discussion with panelists. Moderated by Kristy Meyer.

11:00 a.m. Audience in-person and virtual question and answer session.

11:15 a.m. Harrison Fried, EPN Program Director, concludes the panel component. Livestreaming service concludes for virtual attendees.

To learn more about this hybrid program please contact Hallie Stelzle ([email protected])