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 Ponds MetroPark, and was one of only 24 park districts nationally to be recognized with an award this year. “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 to the public and mitigate the quickly eroding banks of Dry Fork Creek which threatened a park roadway and contributed to decreased water quality in the Miami Valley. MetroParks received a $488,000 H2Ohio grant and a $355,000 Land and Water Conservation Fund grant to help fund the project and was the first organization in Butler County to receive funding from H2Ohio.

Access to the western portion of Governor Bebb MetroParks was created by installing a 30-foot steel truss bridge across Dry Fork Creek. The bridge leads to the 1,800-foot crushed stone, ADA-accessible Sycamore Grove Trail which connects to an additional 2,800 feet of primitive trail. Dry Fork Creek streambank stabilization was achieved using live branch layering, three instream energy-deflecting structures, invasive 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 to hike the park’s scenic western boundary and learn more about the importance of local water quality. For more information click here.