Ohio-Native Plantings Approach a Smart, Eco-Friendly Move

Ohio-native plantings like this stand out for sure

The entrance on the east side of the Aerospace Center was landscaped with only Ohio-native plantings. It's a policy of the Port Authority, and has been for years now, to require all new plantings we maintain on our campus to be exclusively Ohio-native.

That means, only plantings that are native to the Ohio climate zones are able to be planted.

The experts at Dawes Arboretum predicted that the native plants would be a hardier plant and that the maintenance would be lower.  They were right.

The Ohio Native Meadow in 2016

We planted a whole acre under Ohio-native meadow grasses and wildflowers.  We have to mow it once a year and that's an area that used to get moved every week for up to nine months a year before.

We have two landscaping areas that proudly wear the Dawes' Ohio Sustainable Landscape label.

Our Port Authority prides itself on being a government innovator.  We like to set an example for not only our fellow governments, but the private sector too.

Doing things that are both eco-friendly and economic friendly is an easy, smart move.

Maple Syrup Madness

My youngest kids have made Dawes Arboretum's annual Maple Syrup Madness a tradition.

Great fun.  Great tradition.

Green Doesn't Have to Mean Red

Doing something that's ecologically-friendly doesn't have to cost more than it's worth.

The Port Authority's Ohio Native Meadow is one outstanding example. Inspired by Dawes Arboretum and a setting at The Wilds, we converted a one acre section of lawn north of one of our industrial buildings to a meadow in 2012.

The seed cost some money and the time to till and plant it was an expense.

We don't have to mow it, though, and nature provides the setting that construction didn't have to provide.   In time, these will pay off and our green investment will be in the black.

I typed this blog while sitting among the Ohio-native plantings that, just a short 18 months into the experiment, have already brought wildlife with them.

The Family Yardstick: Dawes Arboretum Tower

May 2008

 

March 2009

October 2011
 

May 11, 2013

The Dawes Arboretum tower got hit by the derecho storm in June 2012 so we missed that year.  You can see it was rebuilt with the railing a bit taller too by last Saturday's photo.

A Gift For My Kids' Mom

Even if she's not reading, here's a gift for my kids' mom from her three youngest. 

The kids chose where they wanted to pose at Dawes Arboretum.  They can update these every year or at least every few years at the same spot.  Good idea, right?

At the log cabin

At the Japanese Garden

At the holly garden

Planting Trees at The Tree Museum

It's pretty neat to think you can go to a museum and leave something there that could someday be seen by your descendants.  That's something normally left to famous people.

Today, my kids and I got to plant trees at Dawes Arboretum, a place that is all about trees.

Governor's have planted trees here for ten decades.  It's a tradition.

Today, the Newark Rotary Club joined in the tradition as a service project.

Now, the TriPlatts have too, without having to run for public office even.  And they can bring my grandkids and great-great grandkids to Dawes some day too to see the trees they planted at the tree museum.

Ohio Sustainable Landscapes, by Dawes

Coming soon to a Ohio-native plantings plaza near you is the Ohio Sustainable Landscapes logo.

The Port Authority's partnership with The Dawes Arboretum is taking off.  Now more than a year under our belt, the Horton Building Plaza proved durable during a tough, dry Summer and proved the concept of using only Ohio-native plantings for landscaping on our campus.

We're already planning the next one.  We're encouraging others to take Dawes up on the concept too.

The Ohio-Native Meadow Project: Year One

 

A year ago, the Port Authority began a demonstration project that was the product of a brainstorming session at The Wilds on what basic things we could do to improve the campus setting for our customers' personnel at the Aerospace Center.  We called it the Ohio-Native Meadow project. 

We took about an acre of land that was undevelopable.  It sat too close to the creek and right under a high voltage transmission power line.

Yet we still had to maintain it.  It got mowed weekly, yet it was only seen by security cameras and walkers by.

So we copied what we saw at The Wilds and followed the lead set by The Dawes Arboretum and planted a meadow with a seed mix consistently of only Ohio-native wildflowers and grasses.

From our research, we knew it would take a while.  Most sources said it would take a couple of years to really take.  And that's proven true, especially in a drought year.

But it's already proven to be a good project that we'll probably look to duplicate.

We don't have to mow it, except to cut it down once a year as part of a proper maintenance plan.  That has allowed us to keep lawn maintenance costs flat and spare a few carbon molecules from less fuel consumption.

And it's a nice, quiet setting too.

I've not done this yet, but, in theory, I could go out from my office and conduct business from there.  I can transfer my phone to my iPhone or iPad and be checking e-mail, surfing the web, and taking and making phone calls as if I was right at my desk.

Pretty cool.  See the video for more.

Issue Update: Dawes Arboretum Plaza

In 2011

A year later, in 2012

I'm updating past issues on occasion over the next few days.

Dawes Arboretum has inspired many a column from me, including one about our new plaza.

The tree museum folks at Dawes Arboretum inspired the new plaza at the Aerospace Center as part of their sustainable sites initiative.  A year ago in July 2011, the plaza opened along with the $5.7 million new Horton Building.

It's a chance for Aerospace Center personnel to get the flavor for Dawes at their workplace.  It's unique value proposition is the plantings are 100% Ohio-native from locally-sourced nurseries.



Today, there are no regrets.  None.

It's a fabulous place to enjoy a lunch, hold an outdoor meeting, or just show off to a prospect.

The color this Summer is an unexpected surprise.  I enjoy it thoroughly and I'm not alone.

Dawes Means Spring Lessons

Those eggs became tadpoles and, soon, will be frogs.

My kids have learned these lessons at Dawes Arboretum for years now.

Great lessons are often had there.

Power Plants

Dawes Arboretum must be on to something. My kids wanted to come back and see Dawes' Power Plants exhibit that opened new in 2011.

Soybeans and mustard plants don't tend to draw eight year olds' attentions. What's going on here?

It could be the funny scarecrows, but I think it's due in great part that Dawes has connected things that grow with things that become something. My kids are connecting the dots.

Since that's what was intended, declare success.

"The World is Upside Down"

It's not what you think.  My son remarked on the thick fog today saying, "The World is upside down."

Here's a few fog photos from Dawes Arboretum where we went to enjoy the crisp, fall day with a heavy dose of fog.

Top Ten Dawes Destinations

This is the new Horton Building plaza at the Aerospace Center.  Luke Messinger from Dawes Arboretum made this plaza the first one under Dawes' new sustainable sites initiative.  The plaza plan called for, simply enough, Ohio-native plants from locally-sourced nurseries. 

It's fabulous and has earned rave reviews in its three short months in existence.  The 800+ workers here have an exclusive, though I snuck my kids on here for a lunch picnic one Saturday recently.

As much as I like the plaza and its nearer my office than the Arboretum itself, it's just number 10 on my Top Ten list of Dawes Arboretum destinations.

10. Horton Building Plaza.  We like this new plaza so much that we changed our specs for new plantings on the Aerospace center campus to require Ohio-native plants from locally-sourced nurseries.

9. Dawes Arboretum Hedge.  One can look on any aerial photo showing south central Licking County and that's all you need to find The Dawes.  The use of hedges to spell out such a long name is pretty unique.  My kids have played hide and seek in the R-E-T-U-M.

8. Power Plants. The newest exhibit shows off plantings of agricultural crops that have non-food uses, particularly energy-producing uses.  I love the manufacturing-oriented story behind this exhibit.  Of course, the oil rig, old farm implements, and scarecrows help attract the kids too.

7. The Island.  Much a picnic has been had on the tranquil location--an island in the middle of the lake at Dawes.  What a picturesque setting.

6. The Tower.  I can measure my kids growth not from a growth chart but from the pictures taken from the top of the tower on the southeast side of the Arboretum.

5. The Log Cabin.  My kids' favorite location attracts us almost every February for maple syrup making.  It gets us there, though, every season of the year at least once.

4. Japanese Garden.  Every time we go, my kids hold out hope they'll get to go on the tiny island here.  Though that's never happened, the peacefulness of this place makes even my loud kids want to talk in their church voices while they walk around. 

3. Dutchfork Wetlands.  A more recent addition to the offerings at Dawes', this place has grown up with my kids.  We walked it the first year it opened and have watched the wetlands return to a more and more natural habitat.  It's fascinating to see nature at work before your eyes.

2. Cypress Swamp.  The real treat here, some day, will be to get to see the salamanders migrate in some wet March night.  I haven't seen that yet.  Until then, we visit the tadpoles in the Spring and the bare stumps in the dry Summer months.

1. The Auto Tour.  This tour includes a chance to stop for pictures at Daweswood and always something new.  It's served many a family purpose.  First Communion pictures.  Graduation pictures.  Plus, every out of town visitor is an excuse to take the tour.  Plus, when my triplets were babies, it was a great way to calm restless infants and calm Daddy too.

There's so much to see, learn, and do at the tree museum.  I really think I need a Top 50 list instead.

Great Mix: Licking County and Food

I'm on the second draft of a piece on the food production industry in Licking County being put together as a collective work of the Licking County Chamber's Economic Development Committee .  The conclusion first:  Licking County possesses a wide array of capabilities that support the County as a prime location for the food processing industry.

Licking County is already home to dozens of production facilities ranging from dairy and ice cream production to plant sterols and wholesale beverages.  Combined, the industries employ over 1,000 people.

Central Ohio is also home to a wide array of manufacturers and headquarters too with bakeries, meat processing, cheese production, and beverage production in close proximity.

Raw materials are abundant in the region, including cream from Tamarack Dairy and eggs from Ohio Fresh Eggs. Plus, seven major food distribution centers are within a two-hour radius of Newark, including two Wal Mart food distribution centers.

Ready-to-build sites abound.  The sites boast abudnant water supplies, including a massive aquifer able to supply process water, and rail service on the state-owned Panhandle Line which promises open access for large, rail users.

Here's a few of the key bullet points in the piece:

Part of Major Industry in Ohio

• Ohio saw $25.2 billion in food processing production in 2006
• Ohio is located between the grain belt and populous Eastern markets
• Ohio’s export capabilities are strong due to multi-modal distribution capabilities
• Food processing is an important industry in Ohio, employing over 60,000 workers

Ready-to-Build Sites Suited for Food Processing

• Major underground aquifer for process water
• Capacity for public drinking water sources
• Capacity for BOD-generating facilities
• State-owned rail line provides open access for large rail users

Nearby Major Food Distribution Centers

• Walmart (2), Target, Kroger, GFS, Mattingly Foods, and Meijer DC’s are within a two-hour drive

Nearby Agricultural/Food Industry Research & Development

• HQ for Ohio Department of Agriculture located in Licking County
• Located in proximity to Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Env. Sciences
• Located 66 miles from Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center
• Home to Dawes Arboretum for research, horticulture, and demonstration projects

Robust Local Agriculture Industry

• Significant producer of raw materials
• Significant user of food production byproducts
• 90%+ family-owned farms
• 40,765 acres corn, 67,567 acres soy bean
• 701 acres orchards

A Food-Focused Workforce

• Customized, food-industry focused pre-employment training available from C-TEC, COTC

Proximity to Support Industry

• Packaging: PCA (Newark), International Paper (Newark), Unipac (Hebron), WS Packaging (Heath), Constar (Hebron)
• Industrial Cleaning: MPW Services (Hebron)

A Path to a Better Quality of Life

Both sides won.

A legal battle on property rights meandered the court system, including all the way to the Supreme Court of the State of Ohio, regarding an old rail bed in Central Licking County.

Thanks to the Supreme Court deciding to not hear the case, thus accepting the appellant court and Licking County Common Pleas Court decision to uphold the property rights of the buyer/owner, there's a chance for a path to a better quality of life.

The property rights winner can now build the path it has long-intended to build.  Its the adjacent property owners who will benefit most of all though.

Here on South Fork Road  near the border of the City of Heath and Licking Township is a road shared by trucks and cars as well as (and I've seen these) strollers, walkers of all ages, and bicyclists.

Here's the former B&O Railroad rail line bed that's owned by the TJ Evans Foundation and a section of the property rights that came into dispute. 

It's where a bike path has been proposed to be built with private resources that will later be maintained by a public entity and for public use.  Right now, this rail bed hosts few walkers and, probably, more than a few trespassing ATV's.

Thanks to the Supreme Court action/inaction, there's a chance this path could become a safer way for strollers, bikers, and walkers to use the trail for health, recreation, and commuting to work.

Now, faintly seen in this photo, is where a recreational path can parallel the road.

The path is safer for this neighborhood.  The path is a way to/from work for increasingly more people.  The path is a way to a healthier lifestyle for young and old. 

The path will some day be a way to get to Dawes Aboretum, one of the nation's finest "tree museums." 

Dawes already owns land up to it.

Here's hoping it gets built soon.

The path is a path to a better quality of life for many people.  Everyone wins.

Nerkfest! The O.U. Alternative

Something happened to my now twenty-year-old daughter.  Her Facebook page reads, " . . .working on homework and hanging out with the family the rest of the day."  She's home for the second weekend in a row from college.

What?  No Ohio University 'fest for her?

Ohio University, from my experience gained from her two years there, rolls out street parties every Spring and labels them [INSERT NAME HERE] Fest. 

The photo below is from one such 'fest in 2009. 

It's not exactly a parent's dream to raise their child to be among the horse-hitting, porch-overloading, arsonist-leaning sect.

So, I like this transformation to family-oriented that my until-recently-a-teenager daughter has suddenly made.  When she asks to come home, I'll oblige with 6-7 hours of extra driving on my weekend.

Anything to keep her from another 'fest in Athens.

Instead of beer, we drink orange juice.  Instead of setting fires, we play the Wii.  Instead of joining thousands on the streets, we fill the minivan to capacity and visit the tranquil nature at Dawes Arboretum or some such quiet alternative.

It's the O.U. Alternative in Newark, Ohio.  We'll call it Nerkfest.

Into the Snakehead

There's an area on Port Authority property we call the "Snakehead."  I'll be joining some wetlands experts from Dawes Arboretum and Dave Handley, environmental guru of our staff, for a walk through it today.

I believe the name is attributable to the shape of the wooded area and how it appears on an aerial photo.  I hope I don't find the name has a double meaning.  I really don't like snakes at all.

The Port Authority, as part of a wetlands mitigation plan, has attempted to help Mother Nature expand wetlands in this permanent open space area on our industrial campus.  Admittedly, I've signed a lot of purchase requisitions for work in that area, but I have never taken a deep dive look myself.

So, into the Snakehead we go!

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Update:  A Facebook album has been uploaded with photos with yours truly behind the camera for the trip into the Snakehead.