Wood County has received $675,000 in state money to expand the 69-acre J.C. Reuthinger Memorial Preserve in Perrysburg Township by 33 acres.
Chris Smalley, director of the Wood County Park District, said plans are continuing to protect this “island of nature” in a booming development area.
The park district board of commissioners voted earlier this month to buy 30.31 acres along Oregon Road from Reuthinger family members Barbara Brossia and Jeffrey Steed and accept the donation of an adjoining 3.11 acres.
The $1.2 million purchase will be partly funded, Mr. Smalley said, with the $675,000 from the Clean Ohio Green Space Conservation Program administered by the Ohio Public Works Commission.
Ashley Ellrod, the OPWC’s program representative, said projects are vetted by the state’s 19 regional natural resource assistance councils. The local council, for District 5, had $2 million allocated to it for fiscal 2024.
The Reuthinger project got the second-highest rating among those scored for Clean Ohio by the local council, said Dennis Miller, the natural resource assistance council liaison.
Mr. Miller said the newly acquired land lies directly south of property the park district already owns, Mr. MIller said. The current property is held in easement with the Natural Resource Conservation Service as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s national Wetland Mitigation Banking Program.
The new acquisition will provide additional land protection in a highly developed part of Wood County and act as a buffer for the wetland mitigation bank, he said.
The site will grow to more than 100 acres and be of beneficial for diverse wildlife, including native pollinator species and migratory birds, Mr. Miller said, and support expanded habitat restoration opportunities.
“We’re going to expand what’s already a conservation island,” Mr. Smalley said.
The Reuthinger preserve, near Owens Community College, First Solar, and a large Walgreens warehouse, now includes a 30-acre wetland meadow and a 5.5-acre pond. It was donated to the park district in 2005 by the estate of Lucille Reuthinger Knepper.
The stewardship department’s shop and office are located there, as are two greenhouses and a native plant nursery where tens of thousands of native plants are grown to be sown throughout the county’s 19 parks.
The Reuthinger family first offered the park district the land last fall, and district officials started lining up partners to help with funding to apply toward the state grant application. Along with $200,000 in park district funds, the Wood County commissioners pledged $250,000, the Wood County Port Authority contributed $80,000, and the Friends of the Park offered $17,000.
Perrysburg Township trustees were asked to kick in $100,000 but declined.
“It’s just been a fantastic opportunity for the park district, but also for us to work with local government,” Mr. Smalley said.
Rebecca Ferguson, the park board’s chairman, thanked the family for approaching the district about buying the additional tract.
“It wouldn’t be possible without them,” Ms. Ferguson said. “We really appreciated the fact that they thought about us before they sold it for industrial. It really is a blessing.”
The Reuthinger preserve, she said, is one of the county’s most important parks and is “a great example of being able to keep a park vital and current.”
The park board last week also authorized the purchase of a specialized seed mix for the Reuthinger restoration project from Ohio Prairie Nursery for $20,773.
Most Popular
Comments / 0