Agraria Journal Winter 2021

AGRARIA JOURNAL 2021 11 Rights for Natural Objects.” In his article, Stone talks about how who or what becomes a rights-bearing entity changes over time, with corporations being one such example in the United States. He writes: “We have become so accustomed to the idea of a corporation having ‘its’ own rights, and being a ‘person’ and ‘citizen’ for so many statutory and constitutional purposes, that we forget how jarring the notion was to early jurists.” When the LEBOR was passed by the citizens of Toledo there were articles which seemed to try to grapple with this very jarring, with provocative headlines like “Should this tree have the same rights as you?” and “Lake Erie now has legal rights, just like you.” Opponents of the LEBOR also noted the change in thinking, arguing that people could now be “sued by Lake Erie,” usually in a derisive attempt to mock what they considered an absurd idea. For some, Rights of Nature may seem like a stretch, and an idea too jarring to be considered, but ecological thinking requires a reframing; thinking of farms as property rather than as parts of ecosystems continues to allow the devastation and abuse of waterways. And, in fact, the algal blooms in the Lake Erie watershed are persisting. The Ohio Department of Health publishes a beach report online so that people can check the water quality at public beaches throughout the state. As I write this in August of 2021 the beach at Maumee Bay State Park is in its fifth day of a public health warning. The alert? Microcystin. Sheryl Cunningham, PHD, is president of the Agraria Board of Trustees and a communication professor and faculty sustainability coordinator at Wittenberg University. Viewer Map Voinovich School, Ohio University, Greene County GIS, Esri, HERE, Garmin, USGS, NGA, EPA, USDA, NPS StateBoundary Counties NHDFlowline HUC12 HUC10 HUC8 November 8, 2021 0 0.95 1.9 0.47 mi 0 1.5 3 0.75 km 1:72,224 Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service. All rightsreserved. Copyright 2019 Ohio University Agraria VOINOVICH SCHOOL, OHIO UNIVERSITY, GREENE COUNTY GIS, ESRI, HERE, GARMIN, USGS, NGA, EPA, USDA, NPS The section of Jacob Creek that passes through Agraria is only a small part of the Jacoby Creek watershed, which is in turn a part of the Little Miami River watershed.