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ABOUT THE NCRCPD
North Coast Regional Council of Park Districts In 1998, a once in a lifetime opportunity was presented to park districts in northern Ohio - Penn Central abandoned a railroad right-of-way in Huron County that could become the central backbone of a trail system stretching across 12 counties. But, at that time, no local park district within the county existed that could facilitate the land purchase. Seeing that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and would benefit all the park districts in the long term, 5 independent districts pulled their money together and purchased the land. As an outcome of this land purchase, the park districts learned some valuable lessons. Because five independent park districts entered into an agreement to purchase the land, the deed now reflects all five owners (the Ohio Revised Code makes it very difficult to transfer ownership). This created difficulties in management and law enforcement of the land. The directors learned that if they had created a council, they would have greatly enhanced the ability to purchase and manage this property. A council of park districts would enable the individual parks to operate on a larger regional scale to acquire unique, once in a lifetime properties, enable the districts to create a wetland mitigation banking system, and collectively share personnel and resources. On July 8, 1998, the North Coast Regional Council of Park Districts (NCRCPD) was formed under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 167. Founding members of the NCRCPD included Erie MetroParks, Lorain County Metro Parks, Sandusky County Park District, and Medina County Park District (Medina joined in October 1998). In 2004, Wood County Park District was added as a member. Membership and Bylaws The council's governing body is made up of two representatives from each individual park district - the park director and one citizen park board member. Positions of the Secretary and Treasurer are filled by park district staff, but the other positions, president and vice president, are filled by the citizen board members from the individual park districts. These citizen board members are voluntary and are not paid for their services. An important part of forming the NCRCPD was to share the resources of the individual park districts to the benefit of all. As part of this agreement, the council has no employees. The Lorain County Metro Parks treasurer serves as the council treasurer, at no charge, and the duties of council Board Secretary are rotated among the member park districts and are also performed at no cost to the council. Through a mitigation banking policy decision, the council receives 1% of all mitigation costs as an administrative charge. These monies are used for grant matching funds as well as wetland research and other mutually advantageous support tools. Projects and Accomplishments To date, the council has undertaken four different types of cooperative projects including wetland and stream mitigation, regional planning, land acquisition, and grant writing. These projects parallel the goals and mission of the NCRCPD. In early 1998, northern Ohio was confronted with growing regional demand for wetland mitigation. At that time, mitigation sites were small and cumbersome to administer. The members of NCRCPD decided to plan regionally and create a mitigation banking system, unifying efforts in marketing, consultant selection, construction costs, and monitoring costs. Then in 1999, the NCRCPD filed an 6 site multi-county wetland mitigation plan with the U.S Army Corp of Engineers. Following extensive review by the Mitigation Banking Review Team (MBRT), the council entered into an agreement in 2001 with the MBRT to restore wetlands. Mitigation credits were made available to developers in the same or adjoining watersheds. Four of the first six sites were constructed and sold out three years after first becoming available as mitigation sites. NCRCPD has proposed additional sites under the mitigation banking agreement. These sites are planned to address the new, more stringent monitoring requirements as well as strategic acquisitions in faster developing watersheds. The plan was submitted in June 2004 to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers for approval. Another project facilitated with the formation of the council, has been the submission of 3 construction/acquisition grant opportunities. Through the Ohio EPA's Water Resource Restoration Sponsor Program (WRRSP), the council has been able to purchase land, restore streams and create wetland restoration areas that improve and maintain water quality. Through this grant source, the council has been able to restore 2,000 linear feet of stream and 400 acres of exquisite land containing rare and endangered plants and animals. Furthermore, in late 2003 the council applied for and funded by an ODNR Coastal Restoration grant enabling the council to plan regionally through an internet mapping system. This system will enable the park districts to identify critical resources, enable cooperative acquisitions with other non-profit agencies, and manage resources on a regional level. The first phase of this project is slated for release in early 2005, with future phases potentially funded by additional grant opportunities. In the few years the North Coast Regional Council of Park Districts has been in existence, 958 acres of wetlands and 6,380 linear feet (1.2 miles) of stream have been restored and protected. Within these restoration projects, rare and endangered plants and animals have been maintained or improved in number. Sand Hill Cranes, Bald Eagles, Cricket Frogs, and Woodland Horse Tail have re-entered the area. In the near future, the council hopes to restore an additional 500 acres of wetland and restore many more miles of stream. Through their creative use of sharing resources, personnel, and funding opportunities the council hopes to continue to Think Globally, Act Locally.
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Last Updated 8/7/05 Email webmaster |
North Coast Regional Council of Park Districts |