ODNR Awards
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) on December 9 awarded its highest honor to five individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the protection and enjoyment of the state's natural resources. Inducted into the ODNR Hall of Fame were Carl Anderson (posthumous) of Ashtabula, Richard J. Kotis of Kent, Samuel W. Speck of Worthington, Dr. Ronald L. Stuckey of Columbus and Dr. Stanley M. Totten of Hanover, Indiana.
The agency also presented its annual Cardinal Award for conservation achievement to Howard Calhoun of Akron, the Friends of Buck Creek from Springfield, the Ohio Leave No Child Inside Collaborative, Lisa Kutschbach-Brohl of Put-In-Bay and John Ross of Columbus.
The awards to Carl Anderson and The Friends of Buck Creek Recreation Corridor hold special meaning for Ohio's boaters.
| Carl Anderson (Hall of Fame Award, In Memoriam): A tireless volunteer, the late Carl Anderson spent 62 years as a pillar of support for boating safety and water quality restoration on the Ashtabula River. His boating experience, which included service in the U.S. Navy during World War II, drew him to the importance of restoring and protecting the water quality of Lake Erie and the Ashtabula River. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Anderson joined with other local boaters to clean up the Ashtabula Harbor, which had become polluted by factory discharges. In 1988, he helped form the Ashtabula River Remedial Action Plan (RAP) and as co-chair of this committee, he worked to obtain funding to clean up the river. As a RAP member, Anderson gave numerous presentations about the contaminated sediments in the river, water quality and efforts to clean up the river. The Ashtabula River in 2005 was designated to receive $50 million from the Great Lakes Legacy Act for dredging and removal of contaminated sediments from Ashtabula Harbor. In 2007, Anderson became a member of the Ashtabula River Watershed Steering Committee, assisting with gathering data and promoting the Ashtabula State Scenic River designation, which occurred in 2008. Anderson continued to work with the Steering Committee to protect water quality in the Ashtabula River watershed. Displaying his commitment to boating safety, he remained involved with several organizations including the U.S. Power Squadrons, Sea Scouts and Spirit of America. Anderson passed away on October 25, 2010. |
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Mrs. Carl Anderson accepts her late husband’s Hall of Fame recognition from ODNR Director Logan |
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Friends of Buck Creek Recreation Corridor (Cardinal Award): The Friends of Buck Creek Recreation Corridor developed a project to mitigate and modify existing lowhead dams along Buck Creek and Beaver Creek in western Ohio with the purpose of eliminating the dangerous hydraulics associated with lowhead dams and to improve recreational boating opportunities from Buck Creek Dam to Snyder Park in Springfield. Through this project, a previously unusable 5-mile segment of Buck and Beaver creeks was developed into a usable waterway. The project improved water quality, aquatic habitat and added aesthetic value to the facilities within the Springfield park system. The group created an innovative funding plan using no state funding, but instead utilized other funding sources for project development and construction. The group also created a close working partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a water release schedule to enhance kayaking and other recreational paddling opportunities. This corridor has already seen an increase in use, not only from local paddlers, but from paddlers outside the region. The development of this waterway corridor will continue to make a positive economic impact in the greater Springfield area.
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Mr. John Loftis accepts the ODNR Cardinal Award from Director Logan |
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