May 11, 2026
The Darby Accord: Saving Vital Streams for the Future
I was recently in Florida for the Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation’s National Partnership Network meetings. There, we visited Tampa Bay Watch, which is dedicated to fostering a healthy Tampa Bay watershed through community-driven restoration projects, educational programs, and outreach initiatives. They have done tremendous work saving and restoring Tampa Bay. They have dolphins.
Our work saving the Big Darby would be easier if we had dolphins. Dolphins are cute, smart mammals that interact and connect with humans. They also make great stuffed animals. They capture a child’s imagination. But the Darby has something as important to our ecosystem as dolphins are to Tampa Bay. We have mussels.
In fact, the Darby has more than 44 different varieties of mussels. They include the Clubshell, Northern Riffleshell, Rabbitsfoot, Snuffbox, and Rayed Bean. If you count the fish and the mussels, 38 species are listed as endangered or rare. And, there is always the salamander.
How do you get people excited about bivalve mollusks? Save the mussel, save the Darby. It starts with education. Before you advocate, you must educate. And just as mussels are key to a healthy ecosystem, they are key to our ability to save the Darby.
The Big and Little Darby Creeks are some of the most important streams not just in Ohio, but in the entire Midwest and the nation. The Darby Watershed is an outstanding natural resource home to a nationally significant assemblage of rare and imperiled aquatic biodiversity. Both the Big and Little Darby Creeks are federally listed as National Scenic Rivers. But their health is declining. And anticipated urban development threatens their futures.
The Darby covers 557 square miles of Central Ohio. It is Central Ohio’s last great place, and it is under tremendous pressure. In 2006, 10 jurisdictions set out to protect the Darby watershed in Franklin County while supporting responsible development. It was quite an achievement. After 20 years and much success, we have learned a lot, and the Great Darby Accord is facing a rewrite.
Now, we are looking at a new Darby Accord. Something we should all support, if done correctly. We do not need to pit development against the environment. We can do both, but we must follow the science, secure buy-in from all parties, and ensure we protect the land that needs protection. We can have it all in Central Ohio; we just need to do so responsibly.
As the Accord faces a rewrite, we have to acknowledge that protecting the Darby is a full-time job. And it requires an entire watershed approach. But it all starts with education and those pesky mollusks.
Join us as we set out on a course that seeks to protect Central Ohio’s last great place. And, while we may not have dolphins, we have you. And together, we can make a difference, protect the Darby, and ensure a healthy future for everyone.
