COLUMBUS, OH - The Franklin Soil & Water Conservation District has been awarded $150,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) to purchase conservation easements along the Hellbranch Run in western Franklin County.
Through the $150,000 ODNR NatureWorks grant, and $200,000 in funds from the Ohio EPA, the district will work with streamside landowners and local watershed groups to establish more than 100 acres of conservation easements and riparian tree plantings in the Hellbranch Run watershed in the next three years. Hellbranch Run is a major tributary to Darby Creek, a state and national scenic river.
Using $300,000 of previous streambanking grants from the ODNR Division of Soil & Water Conservation, the district has to date permanently protected more than 270 acres of riparian lands in eight different watersheds throughout Franklin County.
Through ODNR's partnership with the Franklin SWCD, a riparian corridor plan for the county was developed to guide the use of perpetual conservation easements for long term protection of streamside habitats.
In addition to the purchase and acceptance of donated easements along local streams, the district has planted more than 25,000 trees to enhance the riparian corridor within several of the conservation areas secured under ODNR grants.
Also, through the ODNR program, more than 1,500 feet of eroded streambanks have been protected using conservation techniques that utilize natural, living materials instead of conventional rock riprap to stabilize the banks and provide ecological benefits to streams.
Through the Franklin Soil & Water Conservation Districts leadership in the formation of the Hellbranch Watershed Forum, a consortium of local decision-makers in the Hellbranch Run watershed, the district has begun the process of facilitating development of multi-jurisdictional standards for stormwater management and a comprehensive watershed plan.
NatureWorks, ODNR's statewide capital improvements program, was funded by the $200 million, voter-approved Ohio Parks and Natural Resources Bond Issue in 1993. Through the NatureWorks program, ODNR has distributed nearly $9 million for nonpoint source pollution control and protection of Ohio stream corridors.