2009 Scenic Ohio Awards
Scenic Ohio honors communities, organizations, and other agencies who work to conserve, improve, and protect their visual resources. these awards recognize community and government agencies, organizations, and individuals who have taken positive measures to protect and enhance Ohio's scenic resources.
For outstanding contributions to the visual and quality of life in Ohio; Scenic Ohio presents its 2009 Scenic Awards to:
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The Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor, Inc.
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I-670 Cap Project
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Little Miami Incorporated
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I-280 Bridge / Veterans Glass City Skyway
Following the 2009 Scenic Ohio Awards was the 2009 Green Halloween Event.
This is a family day event focusing upon environmental stewardship, education and pumpkins.
Some of the activities at the event included:
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Free food presented Ohio Bison Burgers
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Paint your pumpkin
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Educational demonstrations on electric bikes, and alternative energy from green power Alternative Demonstrator.
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Guided Heritage Garden tours
Award Recipients & Pictures
The Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor, Inc.
This non-profit organization founded in 1992-3, is located in Northwest Ohio and spans the state line with Indiana along the Maumee River corridor. It is dedicated to cultural preservation, heritage interpretation and sustainable economic development in the Maumee River Valley.
The Maumee River is 150 miles long and the largest river flowing into the Great Lakes. MVHC's mission is to identify historic, natural, cultural, scenic and recreational resources and help protect them as necessary. The MVHC has initiated studies with the NPS that have led to Congressional designation of Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Fort Miami as units of the NPS. They prepared a Stewardship Plan to guide development in the valley. They have advanced the designation of 60 miles along the Maumee as Scenic Byways.
I-670 Cap Project
This project is located in Columbus on High Street - Short North District and is a creative use of air rights above an interstate highway (Ruth's neighborhood) The street corridor with shops and expanded walks, streetscape bridges I-670. This was a partnership between ODOT, City of Columbus, Developer, Neighborhood(s). This is one of the few "air rights" utilization projects implemented in Ohio. Air rights capture is one of the many concepts advanced through Context Sensitive Design and Context Sensitive Solutions the new horizon in transportation planning.
Little Miami Incorporated
The Little Miami River is a long-standing non-profit dedicated to the preservation and conservation of the Little Miami Scenic River and watershed. Length of river 105.5 miles, watershed 1757 sq. miles. Founded in 1967 LMI has advanced preservation conservation and wise planning of the river and its tributaries. LMI has been instrumental in initial watershed planning and advancing both visual, water quality, and wildlife corridor issues throughout the entire watershed.
Their conservation and preservation efforts led to the Scenic River state and national designations. Pristine sections of the river are designated Ohio Scenic and National Scenic. The northernmost section is designated "Ohio Scenic". Other sections located closer to impacts are designated Ohio Scenic and National Recreational. The Scenic designated portions of the river span 5 counties. Over 70% of the river is now owned, or protected through conservation easements or buffers. Over 50% is protected through ownership. Generally, LMI has worked successfully to advance agreements with developers and jurisdictions to minimize impacts and advance expanded stream and river corridors.
I-280 Bridge / Veterans Glass City Skyway
This is located in Toledo and is one of Ohio's new generation of highway bridges that has incorporated intensive community planning and design input. The structure is cable stayed and an artful crossing of the Maumee River that also includes in it's design "glass art" and over 380 LED lights creating a special light show. This involved a 10+ year process and is the most expensive project ever undertaken by ODOT. Greenspace conservation and mitigation were key elements of this monumental bridge implementation project. ODOT is forwarding information on this.
