Several local environmentalists and community leaders have joined with The Dayton Foundation to establish The Greater Dayton Conservation Fund. This new, permanent endowment will support environmental preservation in the Greater Dayton Region for today and for future generations.

“The Greater Dayton area has tremendous natural assets,” said Bob Jurick, executive director of the B-W Greenway Community Land Trust Fund and member of the steering committee of The Greater Dayton Conservation Fund of The Dayton Foundation. “For example, the Greater Miami River aquifer is one of the largest underground sources of fresh water east of the Mississippi and serves as the sole or principal source of drinking water for 1.6 million people in Southwest Ohio.”

However, as Jurick is quick to note, development rapidly is changing the region’s landscape from agricultural to residential and urban, even though the population has experienced only modest growth.

“Without proper land management, we will lose significant agricultural resources and wildlife habitats, while adding to our communities’ costs for infrastructures and creating competition for water resources,” Jurick said. “Our challenge is to get people in touch with the land and to educate them about what can and should be done now before our natural treasures are lost.”

Said Dayton Foundation President Michael M. Parks, “Today more than ever, we need to plan for and help educate people about what they can do to aid the preservation of the natural environment with which our region is so abundantly blessed. This new fund will help to support these important actions.”

Grants from this new fund will be awarded to support organizations or programs that help protect the region’s natural environment through education, acquisition, restoration and scientific research; encourage collaborations and regional land conservation; and leverage cooperation and support for various efforts of like-minded organizations. The fund’s steering committee awarded its first grant to the University of Dayton’s Rivers Institute project. Through this student-led program, university students will work side by side with youth from the Dayton Early College Academy, explore the region’s waterways and an interest in natural resource-related careers and fields of study.

“The Foundation has many funds under management to protect specific natural areas in our community,” said Irv Bieser, Dayton Foundation Conservation Fund steering committee member. “However, this is the first environmental fund with the flexibility to support new and emerging conservation and preservation activities.”

The timing of this fund is critical, according to Marvin Olinsky, former chief executive officer of Five Rivers MetroParks and Conservation Fund steering committee member. “Our natural areas are diminishing rapidly, and once they’re gone we seldom can reclaim them. It’s much more expensive to tear down structures and remove concrete than it is to preserve existing natural areas.”

Individuals interested in contributing to the cause are invited to make contributions or to join The Greater Dayton Conservation Fund’s Founders Society. Steering committee members will host a special gathering this fall at Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm, where the public will be invited to learn more about the fund. Or, individuals may contact Janice McLefresh at (937) 225-9971 at The Dayton Foundation.

“This fund represents a unique opportunity to bring together agencies that are working to protect and preserve our natural resources, and area residents who want to see these resources preserved for future generations,” Bieser said. “Through the fund, we can help enhance and protect our backyard, so to speak. It’s a great vehicle for perpetuating the life of our community.”

The Dayton Foundation, established in 1921, is the regional community foundation that serves the multi-county Greater Dayton Region. The Foundation helps donors find the best and most tax-wise ways to achieve their charitable objectives, invests and manages donors’ charitable funds, and provides grants and leadership to grow philanthropy and help meet present and future community needs.