Stewardship of Yellow Creek Can Preserve This Community
Asset
By Jody Miller
The pristine, unmatched beauty of Yellow Creek … never has a picture been
able to say more than all the words anyone could ever write!
Among the myriad treasures in the Bath community, the Yellow Creek is
unarguably one of the most unique. The creeks and the streams flowing into
it — and comprising the Yellow Creek Watershed — meander through the
community. The creek itself is most visible along Granger and Yellow Creek
roads, flowing northeast to the national park and the Cuyahoga River.
Its scenic and ecological value is immeasurable; its force — when rains
unleash its destructive and frightening turbulence — reminds us of the
helter-skelter impact possible with Mother Nature. Few other natural,
environmental features in Bath speak so clearly of the rural heart of the
township.
For much of the past 10 years, Bath Township officials have been vigilant in
their efforts to preserve the rural-residential nature of the township. The
Comprehensive Plan (a guide to growth and development in the township) the
Bath Zoning Code and numerous citizen-led committees, among them Scenic
Byways and Trails and Greenways, have been instrumental in ensuring the
preservation of the geographical integrity and character of the township.
Key among those efforts has always been environmental protections of
township waterways and water quality through riparian setbacks and steep
slopes restrictions, as well as open-space and wetlands protections. Many of
those efforts have been guided because of the pristine water quality of the
Yellow Creek — it has been, along with Furnace Run, the cleanest of the
streams flowing into the Cuyahoga River and onto the Lake Erie Water Basin.
Last year, the Yellow Creek Watershed Action Plan was released by the
Northeast Ohio Four County Regional Planning and Development Organization (NEFCO).
That has spurred even greater efforts to protect and improve the water
quality of the entire watershed among the nine jurisdictions in that
watershed. And this is where Bath has stepped to the forefront.
According to Trustee Don Jenkins, Bath has prime jurisdiction in the Yellow
Creek Watershed among the nine entities. And the township’s land-use
planning and environmental protection efforts are in concert with plans for
a committee to take stewardship responsibility of the watershed.
“Somebody needs to pick this up and work with it,” Jenkins said, of the
committee which will look into surface and ground water issues and the
biodiversity amid the watershed with a goal of best protecting what we have.
“We are the leading player, and we have a pretty good track record on
environmental matters. We want to ensure the protection of this watershed.”
To that end, the township is looking for community members willing to serve
on the Yellow Creek Watershed Committee.
“We would like a scenic byway plan for the river,” said Jenkins. “We are
looking for someone, some group, to be stewards of the river; to be the
driving force behind the project.”
Much of what Bath has been able to accomplish in the recent past has been
because of the time, talents and efforts of its citizens, who serve on
various committees, say trustees. This will be another such group.
“We are looking for people who live near Yellow Creek; they are most
affected,” said Trustee Elaina Goodrich. “We are looking for homegrown
people with a stake in this for themselves.”
If you have an interest in being part of this effort to preserve one of
Bath’s greatest natural resources, contact Jenkins at 330-666-4007, Ext.
230.
From the June 2005 issue of the Bath Country Journal.
Reprinted with permission of the Bath Country Journal.