April 18, 2024 – The National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials (NACPRO) awarded their Class-III 2024 Trails and Corridors Award to MetroParks for the Sycamore Grove Trail and Dry Fork Whitewater River Streambank Restoration project at Governor Bebb MetroPark in Okeana. MetroParks previously received a NACPRO Trails and Corridors Award in 2023 for the Miami 2 Miami Trail extension at Gilmore MetroPark. "We are honored to be recognized by NACPRO as a national leader in trail development again this year" said MetroParks' Executive Director Jackie O'Connell.  

The goal of the Governor Bebb MetroPark project was twofold: open 60 acres of inaccessible greenspace across the Dry Fork Whitewater River to the public and mitigate the quickly eroding banks of the same river which threatened a park roadway and contributed to decreased water quality and downstream nutrient loading. Project costs totaled $1.3 million and were funded via a $488,000 Ohio Department of Natural Resources H2Ohio grant and a $355,000 Land and Water Conservation Fund grant with MetroParks covering the remaining project costs.

The bridge and pedestrian trail opened in the fall of 2023 and feature a 30-foot steel truss bridge which provides access to an 1,800-foot crushed stone, ADA-accessible trail connected to an additional 2,800 feet of primitive trail. The Dry Fork Whitewater River streambank stabilization was achieved using live branch layering, three instream energy-deflecting structures, invasives plant removal and the installation of a bioswale pretreatment area for surface runoff.  

The bridge, trail and Dry Fork streambank are easily accessible from Governor Bebb MetroParks’ Dry Fork Campground and provide opportunities for hikers, campers, school groups and more hike the park’s scenic western boundary and learn more about the importance of local water quality. For more information click here.