ODNR presents Conserve Ohio sustainability tools to Lorain County planners and park leaders

At a Lorain County strategic-planning workshop, Heather Bachman, Sustainability Coordinator for the Division of Parks and Watercraft at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, outlined the agency's Conserve Ohio sustainability initiative and invited county staff and local park partners to collaborate on green infrastructure, habitat restoration and visitor education.

Bachman said Conserve Ohio—described in the Ohio State Parks Sustainability Plan and available through ODNR—focuses on seven pillars including energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management, transportation, maintenance and engineering, habitat and resource protection, and education and outreach. "Sustainability is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising future generations," Bachman said, defining the program's purpose and the systems approach the agency is promoting.

The presentation emphasized practical, incremental actions. Bachman described a sustainability reporting guidebook for park staff with about 57 baseline actions, an annual scoring system that awards bronze, silver, gold or platinum Conserva Ohio certification, and a statewide utility-tracking tool (J Track) being onboarded so managers can spot abnormal consumption quickly. She noted an example capital project, the Salt Fork Eco Discovery Center, as a model that includes solar panels, a green roof and interpretive exhibits; Bachman said the center will open on April 22 (Earth Day) and be used as an educational example for green building elements.

Lorain County and local park leaders discussed local examples and next steps. Dave Brinkman, a county special-projects staff member who helped organize the event, said the county is convening agencies and community groups to connect them with state programs: "We're gonna put you in contact with various organizations that can provide resources to you if you choose to accept them." Will Armstrong, an ODNR representative and native of Lorain County who helped introduce the session, said multiple ODNR staff traveled from Columbus and other regions to present resources and take questions.

Jim Sebnick, director of Lorain County Metro Parks, described local outreach and material-reduction efforts and urged cooperation on a documentary screening and other initiatives. "This is an amazing movie and amazing touch point about plastics," Sebnick said of the documentary Ripples of Plastic; he said Metro Parks is exploring screenings and education and has switched on-site bottled-water sales to paper cartons as part of a plastic-reduction campaign.

Audience questions addressed costs and implementation. Bachman said the monetary cost to plant trees varies and that ODNR staff presenting later in the day would discuss concrete funding and partnership options. On recycling, she explained that whether recyclables are actually recycled depends on the local hauler and contamination levels; to reduce landfill-bound waste, parks are experimenting with placing recycling in controlled areas and engaging volunteers or friends groups to sort materials. On renewable energy and building electrification, Bachman said parks have substantial solar for lighting and some geothermal systems in a small number of historic buildings (Malabar Farm State Park was cited) but that larger building-scale solar and full electrification remain limited by planning timelines and costs.

Bachman urged local governments and park partners to adopt scalable measures and collaborate on pilot projects such as rain gardens, reforestation, wetland restoration and green infrastructure that can reduce stormwater runoff and improve water quality. She also encouraged Lorain County planners to use ODNR expertise and programs (including H2Ohio and habitat restoration initiatives) for pilot projects and public workshops.

No formal county actions or votes were recorded at the session; the meeting consisted of a state presentation followed by questions and discussion with county and Metro Parks staff. Several participants offered to follow up on specific pilot projects, educational events and supplier contacts for alternatives to single-use plastics.

For contact and follow-up, Bachman offered ODNR materials and a reporting guidebook and said staff are available to help connect local projects to state programs and technical expertise.