ODNR Scenic Rivers program explains designation process as Lorain County residents raise Vermilion River concerns

Jeffrey, with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Scenic Rivers program in the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, described the agency’s designation process and protections for scenic rivers at a Lorain County meeting; residents used the session to press concerns about the Vermilion River and the program’s potential effects on private property.

Jeffrey said the program’s “mission is to work cooperatively with local governments, businesses, landowners, nonprofit organizations, and other state and federal agencies to protect the aquatic resources and terrestrial communities dependent on healthy riparian habitats.” He summarized the program’s history (created in 1968), the statutory categories of wild, scenic and recreational rivers under the Ohio Revised Code, and the steps to designation: a local request, a designation study, a director’s notice of intent, a 60-day public comment period and a formal entry in the director’s journal if criteria are met.

The presenter…