Boardman wetlands make a comeback
By J.T. Whitehouse
For those whose daily commute includes traveling on Western Reserve Road in Boardman, the metamorphosis of a section of former sod farm land has taken on a new look. Now owned by Mill Creek MetroParks, the new Mill Creek Preserve is on its way to becoming a wetland habitat.
The over 300-acre section of land that makes up the Mill Creek Preserve is bordered to the east by Mill Creek and the Ohio Turnpike. It runs west to Tippecanoe Road and fronts along Western Reserve. According to MetroPark landscape architect Justin Rogers, the whole project began in 2005.
“In 2005, we went after a Clean Ohio Conservation Fund grant and obtained the back 117 acres,” Rogers said. “In 2007, we went after the southern 186 acres through a WRRSP (Water Resource Restoration Sponsor Program) grant.”
Rogers said the nice thing about obtaining the 303 acres was the fact the grants covered 100 percent of the acquisition.
The next step was to take the bare farm land and convert it back into a natural wetlands that will attract wildlife and, at the same time, contribute to cleaning up local streams by serving as a buffer. The conversion also required funding, which the park applied for and received, according to MetroPark environmental land manager Kirsten Peetz.
“There was no local taxpayer money involved,” Peetz said. “We got a 92 percent grant with the eight percent local match coming from a private donation.”
She added, “One of the reasons we were able to get the grant was the fact there were already 102 acres of existing wetlands that the Ohio EPA said was category three wetlands, meaning of the highest quality.”
With the funding of the $390,000 grant in place, the park brought in Brookside Construction Services to do the work. They worked on it last year by moving dirt around to form terraced pools where water could pond. The main goal early in the project was to remove the species of invasive plants like giant reed and purple loose-strife. Peetz said the crews did a good job of spraying and even though the non-native species were eliminated, the grounds will continue to be monitored for them.
Once the layout of the grounds were complete, the crews began the task of replanting native species. Peetz said over 400 species of trees, flowers, grasses and aquatic plants were sewn. It took most of the summer, but the crews managed to get the planting done on 48 acres.
“It is going to look artificial because of the terracing,” Peetz said. “But it will perform all the functions of a natural wetlands.”
She does expect to see a wide variety of wildlife use the new wetlands. She said during construction there was evidence of deer and coyote tracks in the fresh mud.
Peetz and Rogers both said they are not done with the acreage yet. The balance of the property was part of the sod farm and there are plans to restore it in a similar way.
In the meantime, MetroPark officials are eagerly awaiting spring time to see how the seedings took hold. Peetz said if the grasses fills in as expected the wetlands could be opened as early as this year for nature hikes. There are also plans to install bird nest boxes.
The new Mill Creek Preserve connects with Hitchcock Woods to increase the main park’s southern borders. Peetz also noted that the water that will flow through the new wetlands will go directly into Mill Creek after a natural cleansing.
POSTED: January 21, 2010
Photos
The over 300-acre section of land that makes up the Mill Creek Preserve is bordered to the east by Mill Creek and the Ohio Turnpike. It runs west to Tippecanoe Road and fronts along Western Reserve. According to MetroPark landscape architect Justin Rogers, the whole project began in 2005.
“In 2005, we went after a Clean Ohio Conservation Fund grant and obtained the back 117 acres,” Rogers said. “In 2007, we went after the southern 186 acres through a WRRSP (Water Resource Restoration Sponsor Program) grant.”
Rogers said the nice thing about obtaining the 303 acres was the fact the grants covered 100 percent of the acquisition.
The next step was to take the bare farm land and convert it back into a natural wetlands that will attract wildlife and, at the same time, contribute to cleaning up local streams by serving as a buffer. The conversion also required funding, which the park applied for and received, according to MetroPark environmental land manager Kirsten Peetz.
“There was no local taxpayer money involved,” Peetz said. “We got a 92 percent grant with the eight percent local match coming from a private donation.”
She added, “One of the reasons we were able to get the grant was the fact there were already 102 acres of existing wetlands that the Ohio EPA said was category three wetlands, meaning of the highest quality.”
With the funding of the $390,000 grant in place, the park brought in Brookside Construction Services to do the work. They worked on it last year by moving dirt around to form terraced pools where water could pond. The main goal early in the project was to remove the species of invasive plants like giant reed and purple loose-strife. Peetz said the crews did a good job of spraying and even though the non-native species were eliminated, the grounds will continue to be monitored for them.
Once the layout of the grounds were complete, the crews began the task of replanting native species. Peetz said over 400 species of trees, flowers, grasses and aquatic plants were sewn. It took most of the summer, but the crews managed to get the planting done on 48 acres.
“It is going to look artificial because of the terracing,” Peetz said. “But it will perform all the functions of a natural wetlands.”
She does expect to see a wide variety of wildlife use the new wetlands. She said during construction there was evidence of deer and coyote tracks in the fresh mud.
Peetz and Rogers both said they are not done with the acreage yet. The balance of the property was part of the sod farm and there are plans to restore it in a similar way.
In the meantime, MetroPark officials are eagerly awaiting spring time to see how the seedings took hold. Peetz said if the grasses fills in as expected the wetlands could be opened as early as this year for nature hikes. There are also plans to install bird nest boxes.
The new Mill Creek Preserve connects with Hitchcock Woods to increase the main park’s southern borders. Peetz also noted that the water that will flow through the new wetlands will go directly into Mill Creek after a natural cleansing.
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