Salt Fork State Park
September 9, 2009 Print
Thank you for coming to Salt Fork, again. I understand you've been coming here almost 20 years. Welcome back. I'm holding you up as proof that a natural setting is the best place to create lasting personal and business relationships.
I won't keep you long, but since you're here in this park, I want to brag about what we're doing at ODNR. And I have an anecdote to put it in perspective. A year or so after nine-eleven (9-11), the department did a comprehensive study to determine the absolute minimum number of employees necessary to maintain the department in case of a pandemic or major catastrophe. They looked at everything we do and established a bottom line number, the very least number of employees we would need to continue only the most essential public service.
Today, the number of employees in the department is less than that. Significantly less. Let me tell you what we get done.
We now have more green space and more public lands available to more people in more places than ever. We turned two parks into wildlife areas and two wildlife areas into parks. We didn't do it because we had to, we did it because it was wise use of the land, it benefited more Ohioans at less cost and added new services and new acres of public access.
We have new programs for young people, including Explore the Outdoors, archery in the schools and others... youth licenses are up... we want this new generation to put down their gadgets and get outside.
We put stimulus money to work and we did it fast, creating the Recovery Conservation Corp. and the Woodlands Job Corp. We put Ohio's young people to work building trails, improving forests, fixing parks and opening new land to public access. The money came in May, and the first crews went to work in June.
We're pushing the development of wind power and new green energy. Despite often-heavy criticism, we did our job and permitted 5,000 new oil and gas wells in the last two years. We approved the mining of 60 million tons of coal, created jobs and bucked up Ohio's energy infrastructure.
More hunters are coming from out-of-state than ever. The deer herd is healthier, more balanced, better managed and produces more trophy bucks. Last year, we had 215 nesting pairs of eagles, up from 150 in oh-six (06). Where once there were none, now there are breeding pairs of river otters in 55 counties.
And, based on my own experience, Ohio's wild turkeys are sneakier than ever. Walleye, too.
That’s why I'm not shy about bragging. Most of our initiatives start at the staff level. Staff has set new standards for what is possible. The one thing you can’t ask of this department, any more than you would ask it of Ohio or the nation... you can’t ask it to hold still. Finding a better way is the most natural thing we do. We’re moving forward... and with past performance as proof, we always will.
The late Tim Russert had a sign in his Washington office. It said, "Thou shalt not whine." It's a good thought, but it's a reminder we don’t need. Our people are doing their jobs every day... with a smaller budget and fewer staff than was literally even imaginable, just a few years ago... doing our jobs and doing what Ohio needs us to do... getting more people outside, attracting new dollars to Ohio, keeping parks, forests and wild areas open, accessible and free.
So thank you for coming back to Salt Fork. Get outside if you can, and enjoy this beautiful piece of Ohio.