Expanding the National Parks System -#35- Ohio

This is the thirty-fifth diary in the Expanding the National Parks series, and the first under the new DK5 diary system.. Prior diaries are linked and located at the bottom of the diary. this time, I’m in Ohio, the Buckeye state. Like most states east of the Mississippi River, Ohio has very little land protected at the federal level; at 1.7% of its territory, Ohio ranks 42^nd in that measure, just ahead of Alabama, and just behind Illinois. Currently, Ohio has 1 national park, 1 national monument, 1 national forest, 3 wildlife refuges and 8 historic sites and other NPS units. I will propose adding 3 monuments to Ohio’s tally.

Ohio

Total Area 44 826 sq miles

Land Area 40 861 sq miles

Water Area 3 965 sq miles

Coastline 312 miles

Additional Monuments -3

ADDITIONAL MONUMENTS-3

* Great Lakes Marine Proposed Area 39,000,000 acres or 61000 sq miles(In MN, WI, MI, IL, IN, OH PA and NY)
https://sp1.yimg.com/....
The Lakes are shown above in a photo
Would Set aside the portions of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron Erie and Ontario within the borders of the Great Lake States (including Ohio) as a marine Monument, protecting the lakes from being drawn off by thirsty states outside of the watersheds, and preventing drilling in the lakes themselves. this action will not apply to the Canadian portions of Superior, Huron, Ontario and Erie, as US monument designations only apply to areas owned by the US.

* Ohio Presidents Proposed area 55.5 acres

Would conserve sites connected to all 7 of Ohio’s presidents- William Henry Harrison (W H Harrison State Memorial in North Bend -14 acres) and Benjamin Harrison, Rutherford B Hayes — Spiegel Grove State Park in Fremont- 25 acres), James Garfield (Garfield Memorial in Cleveland- 0.5 acres and Garfield NHS in Mentor-5 Acres), William McKinley- McKinley Memorial and Presidential Library in Canton-5 acres, and Birthplace in Niles-1 acre), William Howard Taft (Taft NHS in Cincinnati- 3 acres), and Warren G Harding (Harding Memorial in Marion- 2 acres) as monuments to the important role Ohio has played in the union and the men she has sent to the Oval Office. each site would be called a unit- (Taft Unit, McKinley Unit, etc).

* Dayton Aviation Proposed Area 100 acres

Would upgrading the existing historic park to a monument status and incorporate areas that are currently in private hands such as Hawthorn Hill, the home of Orville Wright until his death in 1948. the monument would honor the Wright brothers contributions to aviation, and Dayton Ohio’s role in producing the first planes capable of sustained flight.

EXISTING AREAS

NATIONAL PARKS-1

* Cuyahoga Valley Established 2000 Covers 32 832 acres

First established as a recreational area in 1974, Cuyahoga Valley became the first RA to become a national park in 2000 when Congress upgraded it. the area includes parts of the Ohio and Erie Canal, which helped transport goods from Ohio to the Great Lakes, and spurred development of the state. other parts of the canal are preserved as an historic district or by the state. Nearly 2.2 million people visited the park in 2014, making it one of the more-visited parks in the system.

NATIONAL MONUMENTS-1

* Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers Established 2013 Covers 60 acres

The first monument established in Ohio since 1936 (when FDR designated Perry’s Victory as a monument), Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers was one of five monuments created by President Obama in March 2013. Charles Young was the third black man ever to graduate from West Point when he graduated in 1889, and it would be nearly 50 years before the next black man — Benjamin O Davis Jr- would graduate from West Point( Davis graduated in 1936). Young saw action in the Spanish-American War and led the 9^th and 10^th Calvary, which were made up of black men and had the nickname of “ Buffalo Soldiers’. Young spent most of his career with black men under his command and was forcibly retired in 1917 after white officers complained in order to avoid having Young outrank them. Young was the first black superintendent in the park system, being given the management of Sequoia and General Grant national parks in 1903( The parks were managed by the War Department until 1916 when the Park Service was created, General Grant NP would be merged into Kings Canyon National Park in 1940). Young oversaw construction of roads in the parks which improved access by visitors and increased visitation to the parks.

NATIONAL FORESTS-1

* Wayne Established 1992 Covers 240 101 acres

The youngest national forest in the system, Wayne was established in 1992. To date , only about a quarter of the land within its proclaimed boundary (about 832000 acres) is owned by the Forest Service, although land purchases by the FS are ongoing. the forest is split into three units- Athens — which covers about 67000 acres, Ironton- which covers 99000 acres, and Marieta , which covers about 63000 acres. the lands that would become the Wayne forest was cleared in the 1700s and 1800s, but poor timbering and soil practices left the area in a degraded condition by the time of the Depression. While talks between Ohio and Forest Service about creating a national forest in Ohio had started in 1919, it wasnt until 1934 that one was finally created- what were initially called the Wayne Purchase Units ( there were 5 originally)- were set aside by Congress in November 1934, gradually the forest was expanded in size and managed alongside Hoosier NF in Indiana, in 1951, Wayne was bumped up to national forest status, although it was managed alongside Hoosier until 1992 when it officially split.

WILDLIFE REFUGES-3

* Cedar Point Established 1964 Covers 2445 acres

Created from a donation by the Cedar Point Shooting Club in 1964, Cedar Point Currently covers over 2400 acres. Most of the refuge is closed to the public to protect the birds and their habitat. the refuge is managed from the larger Ottawa WR.

* Ottawa Established 1961 Covers 6704 acres

The largest of Ohio’s refuges, Ottawa protects portions of the Great Black Swamp which covered 1500 sq miles and stretched from Lake Erie to Fort Wayne Indiana.The Swamp was drained late in the 19^th century and converted to farmland and industrial use. the establishment of Ottawa WR was an attempt to restore some of the former swamp to its prior state. the refuge was named an Important Bird Area by the American bird conservancy, and the refuge manages the other two refuges.

* West Sister Island Established 1937 Covers 80 acres

The oldest and smallest of Ohio’s 3 refuges, West Sister Island was set aide in 1937 by FDR and was upgraded to wilderness status in 1975 by Congress, visitation to the island to limited to research. West Sister is the only wilderness area in the state and was recognized as a Globally Important Bird area in 2000. it is managed from Ottawa WR.

HISTORIC SITES AND OTHER NPS UNITS-8

* David Berger NM Established 1980 Covers 1 acre

Established in 1980 in memory of David Mark Berger- a US-born Olympic athlete that was one of 11 lsreali athletes who were killed at the 1972 Olympics by Palestinians terrorists. the sculpture is managed by Cuyahoga Valley NP and maintained by the Mandel Jewish Community Center.

* Dayton Aviation Heritage NHP Established 1992 Covers 86 acres

Set aside to conserve buildings and property connected to the Wright Brothers, including the 4^th and sole surviving bicycle shop they owned, and the site also conserves the home of Paul Laurence Dunbar who was a lifelong friend and neighbor of the Wrights, who became one of the first African American poets to achieve international fame, he wrote the lyrics for the 1903 Broadway play Dahomey which was the first Broadway musical to have an all-black cast. Almost 70000 people visited the park in 2011.

* First Ladies NHS Established 2000 Covers 12 acres

Set aside to commemorate the First Ladies of the country dating from Martha Washington, the site consists of two buildings, one of which is the former home of Ida McKinley, the wife 25^th president William McKinley, the other contains the First Ladies library which mimics the collection started by Abigail Fillmore, wife of 13^th President Millard Fillmore. the site is managed by Cuyahoga Valley NP.

* Hopewell Culture NHP Established 1923 Covers 1170 acres

First set aside in 1923 as Mound City National Monument, the historic park conserves mounds that date back between 200BC and 500 AD. much of what became the monument was used during WWI by the military as an training base, and many of the mounds were damaged or destroyed and had to be rebuilt. the mounds contains the cremated remains of the Hopewell people, named after the owner of the land which became the monument. Congress renamed the area as an historic park in 1992. More than 30000 people visited the park in 2011.

* James Garfield NHS Established 1980 Covers 5 acres

Conserves the home of 20^th President James Garfield, nicknamed Lawnfield. Garfield lived in the house from 1876-81 when he became President. His widow Lucretia lived in the house until her death in 1918 and garfields children donated the house for a museum in 1936. Congress designated the house as an historic site and the house underwent renovations in the 1990s to restore it to an 1880s appearance . the park Srvice took over full operations of the site in 2008. Over 15000 people visited the site in 2005.

* Old Woman Creek ERR Established 1980 Covers 573 acres

The smallest ERR in the system, Old Woman Creek protects freshwater marshes, swamp forests and upland forests near Lake Erie. it is one of two ERRs in the Great Lakes, the other being the 16000 acre Lake Superior ERR in Wisconsin.

Perry’s Victory IM Established 1936 Covers 25 acres

First set aside as Perry’s Victory National Monument, the monument commemorates the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813, one of the most significant naval battles in the War of 1812, which result.ed in an American victory-one of the few victories by the American side during the war. the monument is is tribute to Oliver Hazard Perry who was the commanding officer on the American side and who died of yellow fever in 1819. at 352 feet, the monument is 47 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty, and is the 4^th tallest monument in the country (only the Gateway Arch in St Louis at 630 feet, San Jacinto Monument near Houston at 567 feet, and the Washington Monument in DC at 555 feet are taller). 200,000 people visit the memorial each year.

* William Howard Taft NHS Established 1969 Covers 3 acres

Conserving the birthplace of 27^th President William Howard Taft, the site was declared a landmark in 1966 then an historic site in 1970. The site was slightly expanded in size in October 2015. Over 14000 people visited the site in 2005

This concludes my virtual visit to Ohio. Next time, I'll be in Oklahoma, and yes I will be singing the tune from the play

Prior Diaries

1.Alabama http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/02/1243412/--Expanding-National-Park-System-1-Alabama

2 Alaska http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/09/1245427/-Expanding-the-National-Park-System-2-Alaska

3 Arizona http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/23/1247503/-Expanding-the-National-Park-System-3-Arizona

4 Arkansas http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/30/1251319/-Expandng-the-National-Park-System-4-Arkansas 5 California http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/13/1253027/-Expanding-the-National-Park-System-5-California 6 Colorado http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/20/1255469/-Expanding-the-National-Park-System-6-Colorado 7 Connecticut http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/12/04/1259648/-Expanding-the-National-Parks-System-7-Connecticut

8 Delaware http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/12/11/1261227/-Expanding-the-National-Park-System-8-Delaware 9 Florida http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/12/24/1263220/-Expanding-the-National-Park-System-9-Florida

10 Georgia http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/01/14/1267376/-Expanding-the-National-Park-System-10-Georgia 11 Hawaii http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/02/07/1272832/-Expanding-the-National-Parks-System-11-Hawaii 12 Idaho http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/09/1280257/-Expanding-the-National-Parks-System-12-Idaho

13 Illinois http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/13/1280256/-Expanding-the-National-Parks-System-13-Illinois 14 Indiana http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/19/1285004/-Expanding-the-National-Parks-System-14-Indiana 15 Iowa http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/27/1286741/-Expanding-the-National-Parks-System-15-Iowa

16 Kansas http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/31/1288153/-Expanding-the-National-Parks-System-16-Kansas 17 Kentucky http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/04/11/1289523/--Expanding-the-National-Parks-System-17-Kentucky

18 Louisiana http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/04/23/1293116/-Expanding-the-National-Park-System-18-Louisiana

19 Maine http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/05/21/1294652/-Expanding-the-National-Park-System-19-Maine