Over the past several decades, Ox Creek in Michigan and its surrounding area have been damaged by legacy pollution from industrial sites, illegal dumping, increased flooding, sedimentation, and general disinvestment in local infrastructure and the adjacent community.
The state shifted its focus to Ox Creek Corridor for restoration and revitalization efforts to address these challenges. To move this effort forward, the City of Benton Harbor formed the Ox Creek Collaborative Partnership, which includes several organizations in the state that have been working to secure funding and build projects to meet the community’s needs. The Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and members of the Partnership asked Michigan Sea Grant (MISG) to help support these efforts.
“Water is life, and Ox Creek is a vital corridor through the Benton Harbor community with immense potential to increase the connectivity and quality of life for residents,” said Dane Rasmussen, Ox Creek project manager for the city. “The Revitalization Plan is a driving document that will continue to guide this movement for many years and keep the needs of the community in focus.”
The MISG team worked with the Partnership to assist in developing the Ox Creek Revitalization Plan (PDF) as a roadmap and framework to guide the future restoration and revitalization of Ox Creek. The team also developed a communication plan and a website, created designs for the revitalization plan, and an installation sign for the Ox Creek revitalization vision.
The Plan summarizes the suite of existing, ongoing, and planned projects in the Ox Creek corridor in a detailed, easy-to-follow format. It also presents a unifying vision that can be used to build community support, foster partnerships among local and external organizations, and facilitate larger investments from public and private entities. The 60-page plan includes maps showing project locations; historic, current, and generated photos from the site; all of the elements and goals of the projects, graphically represented and including maps, images, and icons; a glossary of terms; and a comprehensive table of all elements and goals and the relevant projects and statuses.
This work and the communications plan was designed to support the vision, values and goals of the overall Ox Creek revitalization project, and assist in increasing the city’s residents’ knowledge of and participation in this project.
Long-term, the revitalization could prove life changing for this community through development of jobs, housing, and economic vitality. In addition, the results of this project could have regional significance because success in Ox Creek could inspire other communities facing some of these same challenges. Ox Creek revitalization is a significant part of the overall renaissance of the community itself and the entire Ox Creek valley. A new video provides more details about the project, including its broader vision for the area.
