Fate of Ohio's Unique Natural Heritage and Nature Presrves Need Your Voice

The following message from Highlands Sanctuary. It is a fantastic program and a gorgeous place in Ohio, if you have never been there. It is something we can be proud of. Just to note, There is  HUGE difference between "state parks" and natural preserves and I do not even want to think about what would become of these areas if landed in the hands of the division of parks. Just see the photos on the Edgewater Clean-up thread to get an idea. As a general rule of thumb, the advantages of keeping more preserves in the state in rural areas means that much less sprawl and hence turning more focus on developing the cores of our cities.

Anyway, here is the note I am forwarding. Hope some people out there will care enough to help out.

Woodland Sprawl

E-Magazine for the Arc of Appalachia  Preserve System

www.arcofappalachia.org   

Urgent Message -- Ohio's Natural Areas Poised for Demise

    Dear Friends,

We've written to you in the recent past regarding the serious financial situation confronting the state's natural areas. Since we last shared news with you on this topic, the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves has been dismantled as a separately operating Division due to budget shortfalls. The remaining nine full-time staff members administering and overseeing the state's nature preserves (89 of which are open to the public) have been moved into the Division of Parks and Recreation. Funding for the program is scheduled to cease on July 1, 2010, just weeks away.

The Department of Natural Resources has a proposal to find a short-term solution, and is supporting Senate Bill 181, a coal bill which has a rider which would enable the Department to use some of its natural area tax check-off money for natural area operating expenses until December 2011. This step, if approved, will buy valuable time for the ONLY state agency dedicated to natural area protection, and keep valuable staff in place to help facilitate a transitional plan that might serve to save our valuable state nature preserves.

The Arc of Appalachia Preserve System supports the Department with this plan. The bill goes to a vote next week in both the House and the Senate. It is URGENT that you contact your representative and senator immediately, not later than EARLY NEXT WEEK to voice your support. Although tax check-off money was previously earmarked only for land acquisition, if the remaining natural area staff members lose their jobs, there will be no staff left to buy more land, and no staff left to  administer the fine lands already within the system.

To the best of our knowledge, if this bill doesn't pass, on July 1st the last of the natural area staff members will lose their jobs, and the state mission for biodiversity preservation will be functionally moribund.

It imperative to speak out. You can help by

    a) contacting your senator and representative immediately and asking them to support the natural area rider, and Senate Bill 181.

    b) send the attached postcard out to the Governor TODAY

Thank you for your valuable time.