Bethany Larue
Groveport, OH
Bethany's passion helped to save a delicate six-acre wooded wetland.
Ohio once had five million acres of wetlands, but by the year 2000 only 500,00 acres were left due to a long history of draining, dredging, or filling wetlands. Bethany set out to change that. “My project is to save a fragile six-acre wooded wetland.” The wetland faced imminent destruction due to a company planning to construct a high-pressure 14-inch fuel pipeline directly through the middle of the wetland. Bethany knew an Ohio endangered plant species “added to the necessity to preserve the wetland’s unique character. I am proud to say my efforts to save the wetland have not gone unnoticed. Indeed, what at first seemed impossible has now resulted in the very likely re-routing of the pipe around the wetland.”