April 2012 - Parks & Recreation - 43

location, " and Florida Friendly landscaping. " Right
plant, right location " is a philosophy of using plants in
the proper situation, such as grouping plant material
according to their drought tolerance, so they all have
similar watering needs. Florida Friendly landscapes
are certified by the local extension service agency,
which visits the site with a criteria checklist and assigns points on a scale. These types of landscapes
help reduce stormwater runoff, attract wildlife, lower
maintenance costs, and protect the waterfronts.
" We've used these certified sites as an opportunity to preach to the public, because they observe
what we're doing in our rights of way and properties,
to let them know that, yes, you can do some things
that may be considered environmentally protective
but still have a quality of beauty in the landscape as
well, " Kucharski says.
Some of the city's past and current demonstration
projects include a green roof, bioswale plantings at
various city locations, and a non-irrigated median
planting relying only on natural rainwater after establishment. Sarasota is in the process of installing a
low impact development (LID) design for a " sustainability walk " in Bayfront Park to exhibit several different types of LID elements, including a variety of
pervious pavement systems, recycled benches, LED
lights, a bioswale, and a rain garden, along with Florida Friendly landscaping. Kucharski says that this difficult economy has made people more receptive to
such money-saving ideas that in turn also helps the
protect our environment.
" If a community just gives it a try, I think they'll be
pleased by the results, " Kucharski remarks. " And besides being environmental stewards, it won't pinch so
hard on their pocketbooks. "

Give Me a Home
In 1803, the last recorded wild bison in the state of
Ohio was shot and killed. In 2011, bison made their

One of Columbus
Metro Parks' two
prairie habitats

return to central Ohio-not as part of a zoo exhibit,
but as a functional part of the prairie ecosystem of
Battelle Darby Creek Park.
" We've been restoring prairie habitat for 20 years
now, and one of things that anyone who has tried to
restore prairie habitat realizes is that if you don't have
some large herbivore out there, they tend to get overgrown. As they get overgrown, you lose a lot of the
small mammals and birds that nest on or near the

" Seniors reconnect with nature
through senior summer camp,
where they enjoy fishing, crafts,
games, nature walks, and
live animal programs. "
ground. So if you're really trying to create habitat
that is of value to all the native species, you have to
have a large herbivore to clear it that opens up and
makes it more usable for other species, " explains
John O'Meara, director of Columbus Metro Parks.
O'Meara adds that the grazing bison open up the
landscape for other smaller species. But beyond its
basis in science, the arrival of the bison also had an
educational component. More than 40,000 people
have come to see the six bison, kept in two large winter and summer habitat enclosures.
" If you take kids out to the prairie, it's a little too far
removed from their experience if they're a city kid.
They don't really appreciate it, " O'Meara says. " But if
you put bison out there, you get their attention....All of
a sudden you've got something that's exciting, that's
interesting, that's different. "
Despite budget setbacks, Metro Parks recently
added more than 1,000 acres and five new major
parks to its roster, as well as working to restore more
than 1,000 acres of forest, wetland, and prairie habitat

" More than 40,000 people have come to see the six bison,
kept in two large winter and summer habitat enclosures. "

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