The Madison County Engineer and the Madison Conservation Foundation worked together to replace the faded signs designating Little Darby Creek as a National Wild and Scenic Rivers Systems at the David Brand Memorial Bridge in West Jefferson, Ohio. The Madison Conservation Foundation is a local nonprofit organization who works with individuals, organizations, and corporations to improve natural areas and increase people’s awareness of their importance. They provided funding for the signs.
“The County Engineers noticed the signs had faded at the rededication ceremony,” said Julia Cumming, Madison Conservation Foundation Executive Director, “We decided it was a worthwhile project to replace the signs as the bridge had a pedestrian walkway, was near a favorite fishing spot, and many people enjoy posting their pictures of the wood covered bridge.”
The significance of having a National Wild and Scenic River system is the protection of the river. People who own land near the river and those who use it voluntarily help take care of it. Regulation and programs of federal, state and local governments also help protect it. The wood covered bridge, for example, was more than aesthetic. It was deliberately designed to span the entire river, removing the harmful piers and returning the stream to its natural condition.
To be a national scenic river, the stream must be free flowing and special in some way. For Big and Little Darby Creeks, it was the biologic diversity of its aquatic community. The river contains 100 species of fish and over 40 species of freshwater mussels, including some that are endangered.
