HNA column
By Angela Douglas
Earth Defender
Bill Resch helps environmental stewardship thrive in New Albany
Environmental Stewardship
Resch’s influence and leadership has significantly shaped New Albany, and particularly the city center and surrounding areas, including Rose Run Park and the 86-acre nature preserve adjacent to the New Albany-Plain Local Schools (NAPLS) campus. He collaborated with a tapestry of community leaders and organizations to ensure the preservation and use of this land for future generations. The nature preserve hosts 12 outdoor classrooms and provides tremendous opportunities for outdoor learning and nature exploration. The preserve
From left to right: Sandy Reed, Pete Barnes and Molly Scott. In front: Bill Resch.
includes all of the unique habitats in the temperate zone including old growth forest in Swickard Woods, emergent
The 86-acre nature preserve near the NAPLS campus provides ample opportunity for outdoor learning. 42
marsh, vernal pool wetlands, intermittent streams, early grove forest, shrub woods and wildflower meadows. The large wetland serves as an important natural mechanism to cleanse storm water from parking lots and buildings that flows into Rose Run and Sugar Run. The area is used by NAPLS students of all ages. Additionally, high school students from 16 school districts utilize the preserve and take part in the NAPLS environmental science curriculum. It’s also used as a test and research center by The Ohio State University and Columbus State Community College. The nature preserve is an exemplary model that demonstrates it’s possible technologically to preserve nature within an urban environment and make nature available and accessible to residents.
Restoration of Rose Run Park and Waterway
Thirty-five years ago, the area at the heart of the historical village center was an open sewer, uninhabitable except to leeches and black flies. Resch is proud to contribute to the restoration of what is now Rose Run Park. That work helped return the waterway to the condition it existed in 150 years ago. Through the process of soil boring and analysis of historical photographs, the project restored the ecology and hydrology of the area to its original state. Resch says this is one of the “best examples of applying ecological engineering to restore natural areas and watersheds.” Despite these tremendous advances, Resch still worries about waterways, particularly the Rocky Fork and Blacklick Creek watersheds. Resch cites contaminated construction drainage as the No. 1 form of pollution in central Ohio. If unrestricted, muddy runoff flows into streams, killing aquatic life and nesting species, destroying eggs and species reproduction, and clogging the gills of fish and clams. www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com
Photos courtesy of Pete Barnes
Y
ou can’t say the words “environment” and “New Albany” without thinking immediately of octogenarian and self-proclaimed “nature guy” Bill Resch. Resch is a local pioneer and a bit of a community legend. But he’s still working tirelessly on environmental endeavors in New Albany and beyond.
