Mercer County Soil & Water Conservation District Engineer Theresa Dirksen was recently presented the prestigious Cardinal Award by the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources for her efforts to improve Grand Lake St. Marys water quality.
Per ODNR’s website:
Theresa Dirksen has made great efforts and strides to improve the water quality in Grand Lake St. Marys, an area that has long struggled with those issues. As Director of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Mercer County, Dirksen led campaigns advocating for the creation, development, and funding of treatment trains and Stream Restoration Projects. A strong partner and advocate of Governor Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio clean-water initiative, Dirksen has also promoted best practices for watershed management, erosion control, soil testing, habitat improvement, and general education efforts geared towards the public. Dirksen is a resident of Celina, Ohio.
The Lake Improvement Association and all Grand Lake stakeholders are fortunate to call Theresa an ally and a friend, and the LIA applauds Theresa and her much-deserved recognition.
More about the Cardinal Award, per ODNR:
The Cardinal Award, created in 1971, honors individuals and organizations that demonstrate exceptional awareness and concern for ideas reflected in the department’s mission statement: To ensure a balance tween the wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all.