Why Not Ohio

back

2010-02-05T13:15:00.000-05:00

Havn't been on in a while, too much work and school.

Heading out to a cabin for the weekend. I'll get some good pics.

Lake Hope

2009-05-05T20:49:00.000-04:00

Stayed at Lake Hope State Park this past weekend, did some hiking and enjoyed my time unplugged...

Watched the world slow down around me.

and stopped to smell the roses flowers.

Did get to to see a fox and her two pups, they were adorable! Sadly my camera was dead, so this picture is not mine.

Pickerington Pond

2009-04-29T20:55:00.000-04:00

So a lot has happened. my site went down for a while.

Went to Vegas.

Went to Mt. Zion National Park in Utahs

Went to the family farm. Now back home.

I'll be heading to Lake Hope in Vinton County this weekend. Then to the Smokey Mountains next for my big 30.

I'll update again soon.

State reviving Depression-era parks program

2009-04-29T18:52:00.002-04:00

State reviving Depression-era parks program
Saturday, April 25, 2009 3:04 AM
By Suzanne Hoholik

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Civilian Conservation Corps workers cut dead wood in Sequoia National Park, California, in 1933. Similar work awaits those in a new Ohio conservation program.
During the Great Depression, the federal government created the Civilian Conservation Corps to put unemployed men to work.

The workers improved parks, built roads, fought forest fires and planted billions of trees.

Ohio officials are using federal stimulus money to resurrect the idea and create the Recovery Conservation Corps, a program that aims to put 16- to 24-year-olds to work at state parks this summer.

"We have 752,000 man-hours of work that's shovel-ready within parks, preserves and wildlife areas," said Sean D. Logan, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

The program, expected to create 20,000 jobs, will be funded with $47 million in federal stimulus money.

The plan includes landscaping at Alum Creek State Park in Delaware County, trail repairs at Shallenberger Nature Preserve in Fairfield County and boardwalk work at Cranberry Bog Nature Preserve in Licking County.

Also on the to-do list: pick up litter, repair buildings and remove invasive plants.

"We will have more by the time those projects are over," Logan said.

The state is using an additional $2 million in stimulus money to take workers to job sites.

So, if you like being outside and think you can handle the work, go to your county One-Stop career location to see whether you're eligible.

The program is for low-income and disadvantaged people (dropouts, the homeless, those living with a disability).

Most of the jobs will run from June to September, but some could go longer, said Susan Crotty, deputy director of work-force development with the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services.

Several other states are creating similar programs.

To find the One-Stop location in your area, call 1-888-296-7541 and select option 2. Online, go to http://jfs.ohio.gov/workforce/jobseekers/onestopmap.stm. For more information about the work projects, go to http://ohiodnr.com/tabid/21629/Default.aspx.

shoholik@dispatch.com

updates

2009-03-16T21:38:00.001-04:00

In the procces up uploading a picture gallery for whynotohio.com, never did it before but figured I would give it a try. Let me know what you think.

sorry

2009-03-05T23:20:00.001-05:00

Yeah, I haven't updated in a while. Been busy with school and work. Now I can't seem to shake this cold. Hopefully I can get better and get out this weekend to get some good shoots...

ICY OHIO

2009-01-28T16:35:00.003-05:00

So i enjoyed the icy storm, took my time getting home and stopping by a few parks. Loved it. Check out my updates on Pickington Ponds and Rising Parks.

I also added a CCC page to give more information...

trying to encourage

2009-01-25T20:37:00.001-05:00

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Why_Not_Ohio

I have the cause posted on Wikipidia. I will add some pictures to it soon. This is I think a good way to teach people more of the cause!

Environmental News Network -- Know Your Environment

2009-01-25T16:03:00.002-05:00

Environmental News Network -- Know Your Environment

From: John Griffith Published January 14, 2009 01:15 PM
Governator Targets the California Conservation Corps: To get the budget out of the red, he wants to expel youth from green jobs
RELATED ARTICLES
Jane Goodall passes activist torch to world's youth
Staples, Earth Force Aim to Empower Young Environmental Citizens
Study: caring for foster youth past 18 improves transition to adulthood
California Business, Environmental and Government Leaders Forge Action Plan to Protect Habitat and Guide Growth
If you ever wanted to speak up for at-risk youth and/or endangered species, right now is the time. A time-tested and highly productive program called the California Conservation Corps (CCC) is threatened by Gov Schwarzenegger’s budget axe. The 32-year-old environmental restoration and youth development program has been responsible for countless trail, habitat restoration and emergency response projects. This month the California legislature is wrestling with an unprecedented deficit and deciding who and what will be cut to balance the budget. The governor has already proposed to the legislature that the CCC be among the programs to be de-funded. So speak up now--waiting to get involved could result in the elimination of a program that puts youth to work to restore the habitats of endangered wildlife, including salmon and dozens of other species of endangered, threatened, and rare plants and animals. There is no trained workforce that could mobilize to fill the void created by cutting the CCC. And many endangered species may not survive the wait.
Unfortunately, some people don’t get motivated to support government programs. To them they are mysterious money wasters—defined by stacks of white paper scribed in lawyer-speak. But to really understand the California Conservation Corps, all you have to do is pick the right time to hike into one of the Golden State’s coastal forests and listen. Between bird songs and the sound of wind weaving through branches you would hear logs being hoisted into a river, shovels slicing into earth, and the excitement of urban youth making their first nature discoveries. The endangered coho salmon’s habitat is being restored.
The California Conservation Corps is a state-program based on the Civilian Conservation Corps—a federal program created during the Great Depression to provide jobs for jobless men and hope for hopeless families. California’s CCC was launched in 1976 for young men as well as women between the ages of 18 and 25. They are
encouraged to join to meet modern challenges like preventing species extinctions, protecting millions of people from major disasters, and restoring ecosystems denuded after a century of destructive land management practices.
For the first time since its creation, the youth of the CCC aren’t only swinging axes to help California—they’re trying to dodge the ax being swung at them by California’s governor. In his efforts to close the state’s $43 billion budget gap, Governor Schwarzenegger is proposing to eliminate this oldest and largest youth conservation corps, even though the CCC earns enough money from work projects to support 40% of its own budget. Using the cliché that the CCC’s budget isn’t even a drop in the state’s deficit bucket would be an understatement. The CCC’s budget would be less than a drop; it would be as tiny as the mist particles shooting from the clenched teeth of those of us who are growling over the governor’s short-sighted proposal.
Youth and the environment may not be a priority to Arnold, but they are to everyone who was encouraged by his rhetoric about creating green jobs and preserving our public trust (nature). The CCC was, is, and will be one of California’s best investments—not only for its youth, fiscal growth, and ecological sustainability—but for its communities’ protection as well. The CCC is one of California’s premier emergency response forces, with more than 9.3 million hours of emergency response since 1976. The CCC has been called out to nearly every major natural disaster since that time—fires, floods, earthquakes, pest infestations, oil spills, search and rescues, and more. CCC crews can be dispatched within hours to anywhere in the state—or in the nation, as they were during Louisiana’s Katrina crisis. A trained youth workforce saves money and lives. If the CCC’s 500,000 corps member hours provided to fire agencies in 2008 were replaced by fire personnel, the cost to the state would have been $20 million.
While many of us in disaster-prone California appreciate those kinds of statistics, people all over the world can appreciate that the CCC employs 3,300 youth (corps members) each year to restore the habitats of imperiled species. Who better to restore the environment than those who will inherit it? While doing this essential work, these young people spend evenings working toward acquiring diplomas and driver’s licenses (if they
don’t already have them). On many of their weekends, they volunteer in the communities where they live. Last year corps members gave California’s communities 23,000 volunteer hours. Upon graduation from the program, they’ve earned a $4,725 federal AmeriCorps scholarship and another $2,000 state scholarship for college or trade school.
The CCC does far more than respond to emergencies, provide educational opportunities, and restore wild habitats—it restores self-worth in those youth who joined to escape toxic patterns and neglected neighborhoods. It gives them the satisfaction of working on a multi-cultural team and sharing in that team’s sense of accomplishment. The CCC restores connections to nature. The current technologically nursed generation needs this more than any previous generation. Through environmental education, wilderness therapy, and months living in landscapes that even the best video game graphics could never create, the CCC is guiding the millennial generation through a rite of passage defined by their motto: hard work, low pay, and miserable conditions. The wilderness may be the only witness to this transformation, but families and society reap the benefits.
California’s legislators won’t have time to hike out to where the sounds of youth at work in the wilderness can be heard. But they can hear the sounds that you make for those youth. Go to http://www.legislature.ca.gov/ and follow links to find these legislators’ addresses. Write a letter. And do it soon. California’s budget is being crafted now. Tell them the future of our youth and the health of our natural environments are nonnegotiable. Remind them that the wisdom of creating green jobs is as relevant for today’s depression as it was during the Great Depression. In fact, ask them to expand the CCC to offset the unemployment and environmental crises.
Our youth don’t need to be hopeless, unemployed, and with idle hands on our streets, they need to be engaged in the nation’s economic and ecological recovery. They need to be trained and on-hand to protect our communities. We need their labor for vital projects that benefit everyone. And we all need you to help make sure this happens.
For more information about the CCC (or how to join) go to http://www.ccc.ca.gov/
Contact Info: John GriffithTheNatureNut@aol.com
Posted using ShareThis

WHY NOT IN OHIO!!

join the cause. Bring back the CCC!

2009-01-12T18:09:00.001-05:00

We have almost 300 signatures!!!
We need more!!!

Sign the petition!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/national-petition-for-the-reactivation-of-the-us-civilian-conservation-corps

Join the group!
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/186392?recruiter_id=38594741

Return of the CCC in now on Congress.org!

2009-01-07T21:32:00.004-05:00

Thanks to J. Alexander of http://www.wecantakeit.org/ have got our cause on congress's website. This is a limited time.

By clicking the link (http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/alert/?alertid=12390916&content_dir=ua_congressorgclick )anyone in the US to send a letter to their Members of Congress

By typing your zip code in the box at the bottom you are automatically able to email or even send a real letter to your congressmen.

Just place this in subject box "Reactivate the US CCC"

Then for your convenience copy and past the paragraph below to send it to your congressmen!

"I ask you to sponsor a bi-partisan bill to reactivate the United States Civilian Conservation Corps as a stand alone bill or as part of the economic stimulus package that our new President will soon sign into law.- The time is right to reactivate the US Civilian Conservation Corps to be the proper workforce to perform public works projects on our 711 million acres of our own "Public Lands." -The US Civilian Conservation Corps over the years would enroll millions of young men, women and veterans.They would all benefit the nation and would travel, earn and learn green job skills, and save our lives in times of disaster. This program would be of the people, by the people and for the people.- Look at the website www.wecantakeit.org for more information."

Together we can do it!

Jeremy Paskins

www.whynotohio.com

Bring back the CCC!!!

2009-01-05T19:53:00.001-05:00

Thank you Kevin. The late great environmental activist writer Edward Abbey once wrote, "Godbless America!Lets save some of it!" The US Congress is now working on a $250 billion to $1 trillion dollar stimulus package for Obama to sign into law. Is there talk of stimulus money for our 711 million acres of public lands? Not yet! See www.wecatakeit.org phone script to call your AZ policy makers and Obama's transition team in Washington. Ask them to give stimulus money for the repair of the environmet and infrastructure work backlogs on our federal,state and local public lands. Tell them a no brainer to reactivate a government public sector program that worked the US Civilain Conservation Corps. Those who enroll would travel and earn with other Americans and veterans to work on needed public works projects on our neglected public lands and learn the work and conservation ethic. You would also have a ready force in disaster relief in AZ and elsewhere in the Nation.

For contacts see:http://www.wecantakeit.org/id11.html

CCC

2008-12-27T18:14:00.001-05:00

National Petition for the Reactivation of the US Civilian Conservation Corps
Target:
Elected Federal Officials in Washington, DC
Sponsored by:
Jay Alexander Organizer for the Grassroots Campaign of the reactivation

We the undersigned urge the Legislative and Executive Branches of the United States Government to reactivate refund and revamp FDR's popular New Deal program the United States Civilian Conservation Corps(1933-1942). Reactivation, refunding and revamping United States Civilian Conservation Corps(CCC) will give us a proven program with more bang for the buck! The reactivation, refunding and revamping of the CCC would again be under the direct control of the government and will not be privatized. The CCC would utilize federal agencies such as Labor, Agriculture, Interior, Veterans Affairs and the DOD. The CCC would receive proper appropriations from Congress to perform its duties as required. For the CCC to achieve accountability and to prevent overlap and fraud the federal government would stop all funding to similar federal, state and municipal programs and their personnel would be absorbed back into the CCC.
The CCC would work in the construction, maintenance and carrying on of works in a public nature in the connection of public lands that belong to the United States. States, Native lands and US Territories that are suitable for such cooperative work on their agricultural, park, watershed, and forest lands in forest protection, flood control, erosion control, wildfire suppression, park improvements, park development, wildlife protection, historical restoration, ranch and farmland erosion control, grazing erosion control, disaster relief with agreements with the American Red Cross to help those in distress, clean-up pollution, rebuild housing and infrastructure, and repair damage to the environment, and other services needed that would benefit the United States of America in our public domain. The CCC would be engaged in fighting global warming by planting millions of trees and have the best opportunities to qualify for future green job careers. The reactivation, refunding and revamping of the CCC would now enroll fit single women and men from eighteen to twenty-five who are US Citizens. The CCC would be considered a national service agency as the Peace Corps without a college degree. The CCC would be an alternative national service for those who do not wish to serve in the military but would rather serve their country on our own soil. The CCC would enroll fit war veterans of any age. The CCC could also consider enrolling US Citizens and war veterans on a case by case basis for those who have non-violent criminal record who have served their time or are on probation and need employment and a second start. Enrollments would last for six months and can be extended up to two years. The enrollees would also be considered - Government Issue- GIs. The CCC would provide our GIs with a living wage, free medical, dental, clothing, room (barracks) and board and after hours, they would have optional time for vocational training and education. Most enrollees would have to adapt to being far away from home. Our GIs would all have a valuable work experience, make new friends, and have real fun, travel, and adventure. Our GIs could receive time in government service and have access to the GI Bill for post secondary college and vocational education. Finally, the United States Civilian Conservation Corps would enable the United States with a more confident, competent and reliable workforce ready for employment. As FDR wrote in 1933, "More important than the material gains from their labors will be the moral and spiritual value of such work."
Observations from two famous American Authors and Historians:
James A. Michner wrote in his book - This Noble Land, "I was favorably impressed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, which had, so far as I could see, a faultless program in which young people could do constructive work for their communities while earning a modest salary. I would have hopes for such a program, were one to be reinstituted now."
Howard Zinn wrote, "The CCC was not only one of the greatest innovations of the New Deal, but it provides a model for us today. It is the answer to the double problem of unemployed youth (who turn to drugs, who end up in prison) and the persistence of war, with its enormous drain on the national wealth. The young, instead of being recruited to kill and be killed, or to come home maimed in body or in mind, could be put to work in government programs like the CCC, doing all sorts of constructive things to make our environment cleaner and safer. Such work would have the opposite effect of military action -- that is, it would foster healthy bodies and healthy minds as these young people make a great contribution to the nation. The situation today, with a trillion dollars wasted on war, with young men and women coming home damaged, with a crumbling infrastructure making us vulnerable to more Katrina's, and more human disasters, cries out for such a solution."

Buy American Made and the return of the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps.)

2008-12-10T20:01:00.002-05:00

I completely love Ohio, I grew up in Lancaster Ohio and spending a lot of time on my grandparents farm in hocking county. Just a stones throw away from the Hocking Hills, Lake Logan and Lake Hope. I hiked the trails of Old Man's cave more times than I can remember. In the snow, in the heat, and even in the rain. While my parents moved to Vinton County to get closer to the country, I graduated and started college while working for the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps part of the Dept. of Forestry). Building
bridges, maintaining trails, and even performing first aid and doing some emergency work like carrying a wounded man out of the caves on a gurney. I even participated in the 1998 flood relief in Athens. Even though I decided to work elsewhere and further my education, I never forgot. I am trying to get the CCC brought back as I think it will really help the economy. I hate to push my opinion on anyone however I am going to use my website as a spring board on a little political idea that I am trying to get running. If you don't want to read you don't have to. If you do click the link.
"Buy American Made" and Return of the CCC
~ Jeremy Paskins

Lake hope light trail

2008-12-02T18:00:00.002-05:00

wanted tp get people aware of the light trail at lake hope. I will be posting some pictures this weekend. Seeing lights up in the forrest in area where you can still see the stars is amazing.

The pictures will be great, the walk will be better.
http://www.1800hocking.com/whattodo/holiday_trail_of_lights_at_lake_hope_state_park

2008-11-27T11:52:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving

Winter Morning

2008-11-17T19:08:00.004-05:00

So after last night posting I woke up to a nicely blanketed land. Sadly I did not have time to get to the park and get some good shoots. This is my back yard that I used my Tilt PPC to get.

By lunch time I did get out to one of the Pickerington Ponds in Canal. The snow had melted but did get some hail coming down. Made me get ready for some nice fun winter!

After a long day of work, I finally got home. Yeah, grilling. No matter how hot or how cold, grilling is better. Last year winter a buddy of mine moved back from California in the winter, made me promise to have people over and a have a fire in my pit. I agreed. Little did I know that it was the little "Blizzard" last year in March of all times? That is Ohio. Still had a fire, just had to get some other friends to help dig out my stone fire pit from about two feet of snow.

Change in the season

2008-11-16T21:47:00.004-05:00

Winter is trully here. I know I havn't posted lately, I have been tied up doing school work and real work. Tonight I was finally finshed with some of it, I step out side for a breath of fresh air. Snow. Just small light flakes barely comming down. I am excited, I love the snow. I have new tires for my Jeep this year and am ready to try them out. Once the snow trully hits I will get up nice and early, grab some coffee and take the long way to work. Keeping my towing straps just in case I run into someone on the side of the road. Now I know there are those that do not like the snow. All I can say is I am sorry, you will get through it or you can sleep through the winter just like Cali...

Issue No 2 for the parks of Ohio Passed!

2008-11-04T21:03:00.001-05:00

Thank you ohio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

www.cleanohio.org

Across the state, Clean Ohio is protecting clean drinking water & wildlife habitat, creating jobs...
and improving the quality of life for all Ohioans.

Keep our state's drinking water clean
Clean up and redevelop polluted abandoned sites
Protect our lakes, rivers and streams
Protect wildlife habitat and preserve working farms
Expand outdoor recreational opportunities
Create new jobs and economic development

Hocking Hills and Lake Hope

2008-11-02T19:22:00.000-05:00

Just did an update on my day trip to Lake hope and the Hocking Hills.
check it out. I'll update more this week.

www.whynotohio.com

Columbus Night Life

2008-11-01T14:23:00.003-04:00

the Halloween high ball was the place to be last night on high street. Not really a nature thing, but with people dressing up and going all out it was quite fun. We his two of my favorite pubs while there. Bodegas cafe and Char Bar. Both on High street and both a unique atmosphere. A mix of people from everywhere with a nice tall pint of Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout.

Weekend is almost here.

2008-10-29T20:56:00.002-04:00

Should be down at the Hocking Hills or Lake Hope this weekend. Hope to get some great shots that I will be loading here and on the www.whynotohio.com

Took this of Lake Logan this last weekend. forgot to post it.

Snow?

2008-10-27T19:44:00.003-04:00

Snow already forested in Ohio!!! OK, well not as much as I'd like but it is a start. The frosty air is out there and I can't wait to put on some boots and go hiking. Stopping out in a dense wooded area and just listening to a million snow flakes fall so soft that each whisper sounds like a chorus.

Website is up

2008-10-26T22:53:00.001-04:00

Just to give a heads up. My website is up and running again.

2008-10-26T18:38:00.001-04:00

Already missing summer, the fall air is creeping to winters soon to be here.
Take a moment out side still, start a fire, walk in the woods. Smell the cool sweet air.