Cincinnati, Ohio – The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments has been named 2022 Conservation Partner of the Year by the Hamilton County Conservation District.
OKI was recognized in an award ceremony following the district’s annual meeting and an open house at their offices Monday. Senior Planner David Rutter accepted the award on behalf of the agency.
“OKI has been a longtime partner and has contributed to the success of several of our programs,” said Sarah Meadows, public involvement coordinator at the district. “It is an asset to have access to their skilled staff who provide support to us and many other regional conservation groups.”
Meadows added, “We give special thanks to [OKI’s] David Rutter for spearheading many of these efforts with us!”
[See OKI’s latest tool, the Environmental Mitigation Sustainability Modeler (EMSM) – which assists local governments and conservation groups in reducing harm to the land and prioritizing where conservation efforts should be focused. EMSM press release]
“OKI is honored by this valued recognition. In this world today, conservation is critical to finding safe, enduring solutions to many modern problems,” said CEO Mark Policinski. “While OKI’s main focus is on improving transportation, it is not an end in itself, but a means to achieving the goals of cleaner air, responsible land use, economic development and energy conservation.:
Policinski added, “That’s why our partnerships with the Hamilton County Conservation District and this award have such great meaning for OKI. Together, we pledge to continue to work tirelessly for the health and vitality of our region.”
The conservation district mentioned OKI’s Tree for Me tool, which aids in tree distribution programs; the agency’s custom mapping platform used in a new regional Master Rain Gardener Program; and OKI staff’s continual participation in the Regional Watershed Network as some of the reasons it was named Partner of the Year.
OKI is a council of local governments, business organizations and community groups committed to developing collaborative strategies, plans and programs to improve the quality of life and economic development potential of the Tri-State.