The Whittier Peninsula

The Whittier Peninsula : 

The Whittier Peninsula Bringing nature to Downtown Columbus

Slide 3: 

The Whittier Peninsula is located in Columbus Ohio

Slide 4: 

Columbus is the State Capitol of Ohio and the 15th largest city in America

Slide 5: 

The Whittier Peninsula is located less than one mile from Downtown Columbus

This area next to the Scioto River, and immediately south of Downtown Columbus had been a heavily industrialized areaNow it is being transformed into the Scioto Audubon Metro Park : 

This area next to the Scioto River, and immediately south of Downtown Columbus had been a heavily industrialized areaNow it is being transformed into the Scioto Audubon Metro Park

This new park is a partnership between the City of Columbus, the Metro Parks and the Audubon Society.It will address a major need of Columbus. Currently, all major parks are located 10 miles away from downtown and only within driving distance : 

This new park is a partnership between the City of Columbus, the Metro Parks and the Audubon Society.It will address a major need of Columbus. Currently, all major parks are located 10 miles away from downtown and only within driving distance

But First Let Us Go Back, Way Back. : 

But First Let Us Go Back, Way Back.

In the Beginning : 

In the Beginning

Wait, to far, lets fast forward a bit : 

Wait, to far, lets fast forward a bit

The oldest rocks in Ohio are from 570 million years ago during the Pre Cambrian Period. : 

The oldest rocks in Ohio are from 570 million years ago during the Pre Cambrian Period. The Geologic Timeline of Ohio I don’t think these guys were around then, but maybe.

Pre Cambrian : 

Pre Cambrian During this time period multicellular organisms evolved. Most were soft bodied organisms and did not leave behind fossils. This time period also saw the first evidence of the first animals with shells Ohio is underwater at this time Cloudina, shown above, is the earliest known organism with a CaCO3 shell

The Cambrian Period 570-500 mya : 

The Cambrian Period 570-500 mya The diversity of life exploded. Animals looked very different than from today The fossil record gets much richer because more animals had hard shells which leave better fossils. Ohio is still underwater

The Ordovician 500-440 MYA : 

The Ordovician 500-440 MYA These are the oldest rocks that you can find on the surface in Ohio, especially in the south west corner of the state. Common organisms in Ohio were brachiopods, clams, snails, cephalopods, bryozoans, echinoderms, and trilobites. This trilobite, the Isotelus, became the Ohio’s State Fossil in 1985. Yes, you guess it, Ohio is still underwater.

The Silurian Period 440-416 MYA : 

The Silurian Period 440-416 MYA This time period has similar animals to the Ordovician. They are just larger and more complex. The rising and falling of Ohio’s shallow seas leaves large amounts of salt deposits in the North West corner of the state. Salt miners in Cleveland Ohio.

The Devonian Period 416-359 MYA : 

The Devonian Period 416-359 MYA The Devonian Period is known as the Age of Fishes because of the fish diversity and unique body features The bedrock making up Central Ohio is from this time period The Dunkleosteus is a large fish. Some grew the size of school buses and were The one of the top predators of this time.

Carboniferous Period 359-299 MYA : 

Carboniferous Period 359-299 MYA Ohio is a swampland/ peat bog The plants from this time period make up the large coal deposits that can be found around Ohio Carboniferous refers to coal The modern descendants of reptiles insects, and land plants began to appear

Permian Period 299-251 MYA : 

Permian Period 299-251 MYA Ohio is still swampy During this time additional shale and limestone are laid. Descendants of mammals Begin to appear. Dimetrodon is one of the first descendants of mammals

Post Permian Period : 

Post Permian Period Mass extinction! Ohio starts a hole in its fossil record. There is no evidence of dinosaurs in Ohio because no fossil record exists.

Bedrock of Ohio : 

Bedrock of Ohio This is what the bedrock of Ohio currently looks like. Notice that the bedrocks gets younger as you move east toward the Appalachian Mountains Columbus Ohio and the Whittier Peninsula is located in the Devonian strip of bedrock It is important to note that the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian are shown different periods on this map but I include them in the Carboniferous Period

Ohio Was Also Shaped By Glaciers : 

Ohio Was Also Shaped By Glaciers Over the past 2 million years Ohio has been covered with a series of glaciers The last of these glaciers receded about 14,000 years ago. Columbus Ohio was covered with these glaciers

What Does This Mean? : 

What Does This Mean? Limestone +Glacier = Columbus, Ohio which is flat as a pancake

Modern History of Central Ohio : 

Modern History of Central Ohio Central Ohio was populated by the Shawnee and Mingo Indians. The Native Tribes lost most of their land in Ohio due to the 1785 treaty of Greenville

Initial Settlement Around the Whittier Peninsula : 

Initial Settlement Around the Whittier Peninsula Central Ohio was first settled by Lucas Sulivant in 1797. He founded Franklinton which is immediately on the west side of the Scioto River, directly across from the Whittier Peninsula Columbus Ohio was designated the state capitol of Ohio in 1812. It was officially moved in 1816

Modern Columbus Ohio : 

Modern Columbus Ohio The current population of Columbus Ohio is 733,000 people. This picture is taken from the north end of the Whittier Peninsula

History of the Whittier Peninsula : 

History of the Whittier Peninsula The Whittier Peninsula historically has been an industrialized area This area has been the city dump, a steel foundry, and a railway point In 1947 the Lazarus Cooperation built a large warehouse that was expanded in 1955. Lazarus went bankrupt in 1990 The property was purchased by the City of Columbus in 1999

History Continued : 

History Continued The City of Columbus also has its large city impound lot on the Whittier Peninsula This impound lot will be removed during the construction of the new Scioto Audubon Park.

The Scioto Audubon Park : 

The Scioto Audubon Park Here are the plans: Take out the 2 impound lots Remove 2 of the warehouses Turn what was once industrial wasteland into…

A Park for the People : 

A Park for the People Scioto Audubon Park is currently 71 acres and if the proposed mixed development is not feasible, could expand and additional 160 acres according to park officials Features include: A Wetland Native Ohio Prairie Forested areas A Nature Center Boat Ramp Playground Nature Trails Bike Trails

Why Audubon? : 

Why Audubon? The Whittier Peninsula is on a major flyway for migratory birds Additions of habitat like the prairie and wetland will serve to further entice birds to stop. It’s like a tourist trap for birds

Audubon Nature Center : 

Audubon Nature Center Columbus Audubon is building a multi million dollar nature center at the park Features include: Three classrooms Native plant demonstration gardens Natural playground area Habitat areas---- with its distinctive flora and fauna Library Outdoor amphitheater 200-seat multipurpose room Temporary and permanent exhibits Nature store Outdoor observation deck and terrace, with bird feeders

Building a “Green” Building : 

Building a “Green” Building The Nature Center planned to be LEED Silver Certified. Green Building features include: Building orientation utilizes daylighting Geoexchange heat pumps Low-flow, low water usage plumbing Waterless urinals Dual flush toilets Use locally available materials to reduce impact of transportation Use of recycled materials Use of durable materials Low VOC finishes

Issues facing the Park : 

Issues facing the Park While the Scioto Audubon Park is protected by a levee, it is still within the 100 year flood zone of the Scioto River The northern tip of the park (2 acres) will be taken by the State of Ohio to modify Interstate 70 in 2016

Issues Facing the Park : 

Issues Facing the Park Currently the Whittler Peninsula is the location of a large homeless camp

Current Construction : 

Current Construction Construction on the nature center started in June 2008 It hopes to be completed in 2010

Current construction : 

Current construction The warehouses were demolished in 2008 It is currently undecided if the large Lazarus water tower will be removed

Current Construction : 

Current Construction The artificial Wetlands and ponds were constructed in 2008

Current Construction : 

Current Construction These constructed ponds will be used to treat Columbus’s stormwater. This will help to bring Columbus into compliance with the Clean Water Act and to help clean up the Scioto River Currently Columbus dumps 1.65 billion gallons of sewage/stormwater into the Scioto River each year when large rain events overwhelm the current system. By 2025 Columbus will have reduced that number to 250 million gallons in large part to these ponds

Current Construction : 

Current Construction The City Of Columbus Impound Lot has yet to be moved. It is scheduled to move in 2010

Current Construction : 

Current Construction One small warehouse has been allowed to stay

When Completed : 

When Completed Once this park is completed it will provide natural habitat for a wide variety of animals With such a diverse array of habitat Downtown Columbus will attract a plethora species.

When Completed : 

When Completed The most important impact of this park will be on the citizens of Columbus. A large natural space will serve as a place where people can connect to nature.

Thank You! : 

Thank You!