Clark Farm home to wet land

While the construction of the new Environmental Studies Center is coming to an end, the development of another resource for the Environmental Studies program is just beginning, in the form of the "Clark Farm."

The Environmental Studies program, and Oberlin Sustainable Agriculture Project are working to turn 70 acres owned by the College into a multi-faceted ecological research center.

Interest in the land first grew three years ago when John Hunt, a resident near the property and Oberlin Community Restoration Project Coordinator learned that a farmer renting the land from the College had made a bid for its purchase. Hunt then notified members of OSAP. Together, they asked the College not to sell the land.

Hunt and members of OSAP feared that if the land was sold, it would be developed. This would destroy a re-emerging wetland and threaten the greenbelt that protects the eastern boundary of the College from route 480.

"It became obvious to us that the land could be a place for OSAP," said Professor of Biology David Benzing.

According to a brochure put out by the Oberlin Wetlands Restoration Project, wetlands are important because they can absorb large quantities of water, which help reduce flooding. They are also inhabited by rare and endangered plants and species.

"[The land] is strategically located to serve as a greenbelt in the sense that right now, it separates Oberlin from 480, and obviously, if that area is developed for commercial use or high density residential use, there is no longer a greenbelt between the eastern boundary of the city and 480," said Benzing.

In response to OSAP's request, the College gave OSAP 30 days to come up with a case for keeping the land. Through petitions from the faculty, students, community and a proposal for turning the land into a sustainable living project, OSAP succeeded in convincing the College not to sell the land.

Now three years later, OSAP is preparing their vision statement for the Clark Farm Project.

"Students that go through the Clark Farm will learn practical skills in the art of sustainable living. The project is an experiment in which we will engage members of the College community and local community in an all out effort to inhabit 70 acres of land in a sustainable manner. The project will also enable us to get leverage on larger global problems. For example, we will show how, on 70 acres, you can minimize the use of fossil fuels, produce food without an environmental impact, restore bio-diversity, and build shelters that, like the Environmental Studies Center, reduce the size of the human footprint on the earth," said Brad Masi, trustee of OSAP and project coordinator of environmental studies.

According to a draft of The Clark Farm Project Concept Document, the vision statement for Clark Farm, the project is a response to the trend in commercial and residential development eating up farmland all over the nation. The document states that Lorain County provides a good case study for the declining conditions of agriculture in the state and that from 1977 to 1997, Lorain County lost 31 percent of its farms.

"A lot of developers accuse environmentalists of being anti-development. The Clark Farm project will provide a model for 'smart development' - development that occurs without compromising ecological integrity. Considering that Lorain County is among the most threatened counties in the US for farmland lost to development, there is a strong local imperative to create alternative development models," said Masi.

The document also describes several proposed projects that will take place on the land.

The Commercially Viable Organic Farm will combine organic farming methods with alternative marketing strategies in order to demonstrate the feasibility of a profitable and ecologically responsible farm. Students and faculty will conduct research in restoration ecology through the Habitat Restoration Project. The Sustainable Design and Construction, project will demonstrate a sustainable residential community by employing renewable energy production, ecological wastewater treatment and non-toxic materials options.

Through the Sustainable Agriculture Research project, Oberlin students and faculty will run projects to compare methods of organic crop production.

In addition, it is possible that NASA/Glenn Research Center will work with Oberlin College to develop a renewable energy test bed that is both cheap and environmentally friendly. They would use photovoltaic solar cells and wind energy generators with a new system called the Regenerative Fuel Cell for energy storage. The system converts electricity from wind and solar sources into hydrogen. The hydrogen can then be stored and used to power farm machinery, green houses and buildings. If this project succeeds, it will be the first renewable and hydrogen-powered farm in the world.

The Clark Farm Project, however, is still in its conceptual phase. Currently Oberlin College is leasing the land to farmers.

According to Benzing, an organization yet to be named plans to lease the land from the College and will also serve as the governing body of the land. The organization consists of OSAP, Professor of Environmental Studies David Orr, New Russia Township trustee Richard Williams, Masi and Benzing.

The organization and the College met at the end of the summer and will meet again soon with the purpose of negotiating the terms of the lease. None of the projects can begin until the organization negotiates a lease with the College and presents a proposal for what they intend to do with the land.

"The College is supporting OSAP in helping them to achieve their goals but OSAP has some organizational issues and they have a program proposal to develop before this goes forward," said Vice President of Finance and Administration, Andy Evans.

The organizational issues refer to the fact that someone must sign the lease in the organization not employed by the College. The person to negotiate the contract will most likely be Williams, who is not a College employee. According to the Oberlin College Business Conduct Policy, an employee of the College cannot sign the lease.

Another issue facing the organization is funding. Since the College will not be funding the project, it is contingent upon the organization to provide its own funding. Currently, the organization has yet to figure out how they will fund the proposed projects, but may seek funding from the Kellog Foundation. Costs will include rent, taxes, construction and equipment.