Just in case anyone in Chillicothe is unaware of the JUNCTION GROUP EARTHWORKS (corner of Plyleys Lane and Belleview Avenue) preservation effort two weeks ago... The email (bottom of the post) has a very big shout-out of THANKS to the folks in Chillicothe who donated to saving this archaeological site. I grew up across from the Junction Group Earthworks in Chillicothe, Ohio but was unaware of the important, ancient Hopewell artifacts under the farm field (seen here in a Jeffrey Wilson/Friends of Serpent Mound aerial photo). My former home is next to the bright orange tree visible in the upper portion of the photo... NONE of the other structures in the upper left triangle were present in the 60s and 70s, just Northern Bobwhites, Barn Swallows, and horses. Im so thankful a coalition of preservation groups BOUGHT this field, and the woodlots partially visible in the right upper corner of the image, at a Ross County auction 12 days ago... Would have been a huge loss if this archaeological site was bulldozed for housing. Its NOT too late to make a pledge for this project. And its time to make good on pledges already made... See the passage below from the ARC OF APPALACHIA. JUNCTION EARTHWORKS Saved on the Auction Block! THE MARCH 18 2014 AUCTION IS OVER and we are delighted to announce that Junction Earthworks has been SAVED!!! Do you realize we only began our web-based campaign just EIGHT days before the action! This is a heady conservation victory for the citizens of Ohio. Its good to know such a grassroots effort on this scale is possible when the chips are down. Go Team! Because of your generosity, we were able to save the entire farm except a 170-acre farm field, which was the lowest of the four tracts on our priority acquisition list. HERES WHAT WE DID SAVE: the 89 acre earthworks tract, two separate tracts of forest (for which we were bidding against developers), and a third tract of river corridor along Paint Creek that was negotiated outside the public auction. The corridor is 1.2 miles long and contains a beautiful mature floodplain forest along the oxbow. Heres some number crunching for you. We bought 102 acres of forest, the earthworks, and a total of 192 acres of land for roughly $1.1 million. Our average per/acre cost was $5751. We raised roughly $375,000 through the generosity of over 900 donors, funds which we will use to leverage a Clean Ohio grant to pay the remaining balance of acquisition funds needed. We will be calling in those pledges soon and will be sending our donors those details by email. On the day before the auction it was brought our attention something we didnt previously know. Beneath the corn stubbles of the earthworks tract are ancient burials. We are honored to realize now that we didnt just save an earthworks site, we preserved an ancient cemetery. May these people now rest in peace. We will have more news within the next few days on our budget and our plans to develop Junction Works into a public park and preserve. Meanwhile we will be continuing to raise funds for the Junction Works for the purpose of land restoration and stewardship, a public hiking trail, and interpretive signs. If you made a pledge, please send your contribution now. We bid on the basis of your generous funds, so now we are calling them in, please be sure to send them by March 29, so we can have them in before we submit the grant paperwork. Please send your check to the Arc of Appalachia, 7660 Cave Road, Bainbridge, OH 45612, or donate online here: arcofappalachia.org/junction-group-pledge.html. All donations are fully tax deductible, and you will receive a receipt by mail. THANKS EVERYONE!! I HOPE YOU TAKE TODAY TO BASK IN THE GLOW OF A JOB WELL DONE. A special thanks to our hardworking Junction Works non-profit partners: Heartland Earthworks Conservancy , Rivers Unlimited, SCOPS, and The Archaeological Conservancy. We also send a wave of gratitude for all the fine people of Chillicothe who took concerted action so that a precious jewel in their midst could be saved, we thank the Stark and Herlihy family members of multiple generations who believed in the vision of preserving their farm, the many neighbors in Chillicothe Ohio Facebook Page who pledged support, and we give a nod of tribute to the Friends of Serpent Mound who were the first of all non-profits in the state to jump on a public email campaign. Sincerely, Nancy Stranahan, Director The Arc of Appalachia Preserve System
Posted on: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 14:43:29 +0000
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