A SHORT HISTORY OF THE OHIO VALLEY REGIONAL CHAPTER
        --- Barbara Ramey

Over the last several years several new members have joined the OVC. The Board thought it was appropriate to review the history of our organization and keep a perspective of how far we have come. To this end, I was appointed as historian for OVC/SETAC and I hope to maintain records that will remind long-term members of productive meetings and enjoyable companionship while giving new members insight into the history of our organization.

When the Ohio Valley Chapter was founded in 1984, we were known as the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio (IKO) Chapter. The name change was brought about in 1992 by a need to look at our membership as a cohesive group, rather than representatives of three states. Our meetings were small, 40-50 attended, and our Board of Directors meetings centered as much on selecting the food for the annual meeting as it did on deciding the issues to be discussed. The OVC has grown to close to 100 members, several corporate affiliates, and is now offering professional development workshops along with discussions of topics that are timely and of both regional and national interest. The services to students in the region have also expanded, providing an outlet for presentation of student research and an opportunity to become involved in the structure of OVC by serving on the Board of Directors. In 1993 the Board established a student paper award in memory of a founding member of the Chapter, Marian Vinegar. The Chapter is now working on ways to increase the value of the Marian Vinegar Award in recognition of the needs of students to participate in their professional society.

Over the years we have addressed many timely and interesting topics and have held meetings at many locations in the tri-state area. As you can see from the list below, we have continually provided a forum for discussions on a wide range of environmental issues.

1984 Miami University, Oxford, OH

1985 Lilly Research Laboratories, Greenfield, IN, “Current Issues Surrounding the Biological Evaluation of Effluents”

1986 Spindletop Hall, Lexington, KY, “Environmental Safety Issues in the Tri-State Region - From Data to Directives” 1987 Huston Woods State Park, Oxford, OH

1988 Shakertown of Pleasant Hill, KY, “Environmental Issues of Public Concern”

1989 Spring Mill State Park, Mitchell, IN, “Environmental Clean-up: Priorities and Solutions”

1990 Cincinnati Nature Center, Cincinnati, OH,“Waste Management: Crisis or Control”

1991 Museum Center at Cincinnati Union Terminal, Cincinnati, OH, “Confronting Difficult Environmental Issues”

1992 U.S. EPA Environmental Research Center, Cincinnati, OH, “Confronting Difficult Environmental Issues”

1993 Indianapolis Zoo, Indianapolis, IN, “Regional Approaches to Complex Issues: A Ten-Year Perspective”

1994 University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, “The Role of Risk Assessment in Public Policy”

1995 Miami University, Oxford, OH,“Perspective on the Environmental Revolution”

1996 Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY, “Bridging the Gap Between Ecological Risk and Sustainable Development”

1997 Indiana University, Bloomington, IN,“Environmental Law and Science: Working Together?"

1998 Ft. Ancient State Park, The Little Miami River, and Wright State, Dayton, OH, “Regional Scale Issues in Environmental Assessment”

1999 Clifty Falls State Park, Madison, IN, “Water Quality Assessment in the Ohio River Basin”

2000 Houston Woods State Park, Oxford, OH, “Environmental Assessment and Data Evaluation: from the Molecular to Landscape Scale"

2001 Miami University, Oxford, OH, Workshop: Molecular Techniques in Ecological Toxicology, “Landscape Approaches to Environmental Assessments”

2002 University of Louisville, Louisville, KY,Workshop: Using GIS to Address Toxicological Questions, “Molecular Approaches to Toxicological Problems”

OVC SETAC has a strong history of service to the region through our meetings and workshops, and we hope to continue this tradition in the years to come.