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The Columbus Dispatch
www.dispatch.com
DeWine seeks deal on Darby refuge
The protective area won't be created unless members of
Congress can reach a compromise, an official said.
Michael Hawthorne
Wednesday, January 10, 2001
A group of Ohio landowners and lawmakers appears to be
winning its fight to scrap the proposed Little Darby National
Wildlife Refuge.
Backers of the project aren't ready to give up. But Bill
Hartwig, regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, said yesterday that the refuge won't be created
unless members of Congress can broker a deal.
The service has indefinitely postponed a final report on
the project until after President-elect Bush takes office.
"We're still very interested in protecting the Little
Darby and know there is a lot of support for the refuge
in the Columbus area,'' Hartwig said. "But there are
a number of factors delaying things out there.''
Under the latest version of the refuge proposal, the service
would purchase 23,000 acres during the next 30 years from
willing sellers in Madison and Union counties. Development
rights would be secured for an additional 26,000 acres to
ensure that the land is kept for farming and not converted
into housing subdivisions or strip malls.
Sen. Mike DeWine and other supporters contend that purchasing
and preserving large tracts of land would be the best method
to protect the Darby, a national and state scenic river
about 25 miles west of Downtown.
A number of landowners, though, have slapped deed restrictions
on 18,000 acres within the proposed boundaries that are
intended to prevent sales to the service.
Last week, DeWine, R-Ohio, met with several fellow Republicans
who oppose the refuge. They are trying to forge a compromise
that ensures protection of the Darby and appeases landowners
who don't want the federal government involved.
Among the alternatives being discussed is enrolling land
along the Darby in a separate federal program that pays
farmers to plant trees and establish buffers between fields
and streams. Local officials and landowners support such
a plan.
DeWine might have gained an advantage this week when he
landed a spot on the influential Senate Appropriations Committee,
which could give him greater leverage to secure money for
the refuge.
Four other Republicans in the Ohio congressional delegation
-- John A. Boehner of West Chester, David L. Hobson of Springfield,
Deborah Pryce of Perry Township and Ralph Regula of Navarre
-- blocked DeWine's attempt last year to obtain $1 million
for land purchases.
Supporters of the service's proposal cite low participation
in existing conservation programs as a reason to create
a refuge.
Opponents want land-use decisions left to local officials.
Farmers whose land the agency covets say their stewardship
has kept the stream healthy.
"We heard Fish and Wildlife might be backing off,''
said Mike Boerger, a Mechanicsburg farmer and leader of
Citizens Against the Refuge Proposal. "But we have
no idea where we're going next on this.''
Although federal officials have emphasized that they would
purchase land at fair market value from willing sellers
only, some opponents also have said they don't think they
would be paid a fair price for their land. Fair market value
for agricultural land in Madison County is estimated to
be about $3,000 an acre. In contrast, Metro Parks bought
233 acres of land in a high-growth area near Pickerington
Ponds last summer for about $12,500 an acre.
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