Age is just a number, right? 55 is the new 35, or so I am told. We hear these axioms all the time and it made me think about age in a different way. MWCD is turning 90 years old this year and if we think about this in terms of business survival, that is excellent! The prevailing theory, though unconfirmed, is that only about a half a percent (0.5%) of all companies have what it takes to last 100 years. This means that centennial firms—and MWCD is getting close—truly do have a lot to celebrate. In our case, turning 90 is unique from a business longevity perspective, but we see it as “just a number.” While we make time to honor and celebrate our past, we as stewards of MWCD, are looking forward and making plans for MWCD to be active, healthy, and a positive influence in the region for decades to come.
Speaking about honoring our past, immediate past Executive Director, John Hoopingarner took to the pen in 1993 to mark the 60th birthday of the MWCD. He eloquently reminded us of the will and foresight of strong leaders instrumental in our founding and success, none more-so than Bryce Browning, and predecessor of John, have laid and protected a strong foundation for which the modern-day MWCD is built. All of us in the Muskingum Valley and Ohio should be thankful for them and what they did.
Moving forward 30 years and we are just finishing a new strategic plan that will guide our actions, investments, and direction for the next five years, while also looking out 20 years. If you have ever gone through a robust planning process like this, it can be both rewarding and difficult. Difficult in the sense you are trying to juggle the day-to-day activities of running the business, while at the same time coming together with your staff and stakeholders to plan for the future. The result of this, not surprisingly, has MWCD continuing its excellent mission and work reducing the threat of flooding across the entire district while supporting conservation efforts and offering recreational opportunities – our three core pillars. However, we are contemplating how to do this differently, such as working with communities on issues like stormwater management and using green infrastructure to slow these waters before they enter our lakes. Likewise, we are putting a spin on our other long-successful pillar, recreation. Our last several strategic plans had MWCD focus squarely on investing in replacing infrastructure and building new recreational – camping – assets at our parks. While we will continue to work on areas still needing some TLC, we are looking forward to what our recreation mission will look like in the future. You will hear us talk about “reimagining recreation” and working to define what this means. Lastly, and somewhat new to the MWCD, is a large focus on conservation. This means many things. From improving our own sustainability and environmental performance, to planning for major investments of time and resources in the watershed to help improve water quality with our partners like the Department of Agriculture, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, farmers, and many others. So, as you can see, we are charting a new course, looking forward to new opportunities, but respecting our past traditions and continuing to support our mission and values.
In thinking how to close this editorial, I couldn’t find any better way than how John closed in his 1993 version…“our presence in the Muskingum Valley has enhanced our lives with countless benefits: jobs, commerce, industry, recreation, conservation, flood control, and on and on. Proud? Yes…and if you’d like to learn more about the district, give me a call. I never tire of telling the story.” I too, never get tired of telling our story. Happy 90th birthday, MWCD! You look great!
Craig Butler Executive Director
This article was featured in MWCD’s quarterly newsletter, LakeViews. To join our LakeViews mailing list, call 330-343-6647 or visit MWCD.org
