On Sept. 30, hundreds of nature lovers from across the region traveled to the Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park for Darby Creek Day, an annual event that celebrates the anniversary of the vital watershed’s designation as a Scenic River. For close to three hours, children and adults alike partook in earthen craft activities such as painting with soil found throughout the state and country and trying their hand at ancient hunting and recreational activities such as archery, fly-fishing and spear throwing. In addition to all of the fun and games to be had at the event, there was also an educational component to Darby Creek Day as they had more than a dozen booths set up from animal and environmental advocacy groups and natural resource organizations to share information on conservation and ways the public can get involved with efforts to protect our local watersheds and environment. Among the educational groups that had set up an informational table at the event was the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Freshwater Mussel Conservation and Research Center. Here, Ohio State University graduate student Kaitlyn Ulin showcases a few of the mussels that are tasked with keeping the Darby Creek watershed healthy. The Darby Creek watershed covers an area of nearly 556 square miles through Franklin, Madison, Pickaway and Union counties and is home to over 86 species of fish (five of which are endangered) and 41 species of freshwater mollusk, eight of which are endangered.
