Champion Wetland Preserve

Conservation of 57 acres of high-quality wetlands and exceptional wildlife habitat in Champion Township, Trumbull County.

Project Summary

West Creek Conservancy is proud to have assisted the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH) in the permanent protection of the 57-acre Champion Wetland Preserve property. This property contains some of the highest-quality wetlands within the Headwaters subbasin of the Upper Grand River watershed – the Grand River being one of only three rivers in Ohio designated as both a State Scenic and Wild River. Protecting this property was seen both by West Creek Conservancy and CMNH as a vital opportunity to protect and enhance downstream water quality while preserving rare and sensitive habitats housing numerous listed wildlife species.

The Champion Wetland Preserve features a diverse wetland complex, including a mature pin oak wetland forest, vernal pools, and beaver-influenced scrub-shrub wetlands surrounded by blueberry and sphagnum meadows. Over 70% of the property is Category 3 wetlands, scoring exceptionally high in ecological and habitat assessments. These wetlands provide critical habitat for numerous state-listed species, including several rare bat and sedge species.

Now under CMNH’s ownership and stewardship, the property will be carefully managed and monitored to maximize its ecological value while serving as a resource for public education. This successful partnership between West Creek and CMNH has not only preserved an irreplaceable natural area, but also laid the groundwork for future conservation efforts that could establish a larger corridor of protected wetland and forest habitat in the surrounding area.

Project Partners

Permanent protection of the Champion Wetland Preserve was made possible through the ongoing partnership between West Creek Conservancy and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, supporting conservation of natural areas throughout Northeast Ohio. The Ohio EPA’s Water Resource Restoration Sponsor Program provided critical funding support that enabled the permanent conservation of the property and its exceptional natural resources.

Expected Outcomes and Benefits

The Champion Wetland Preserve project protects one of Northeast Ohio’s highest-quality wetland complexes, safeguarding critical habitat for rare, threatened, and endangered species while improving downstream water quality in the Grand River watershed. Permanent protection of the Champion Wetland Preserve property will provide lasting ecological benefits, expand opportunities for environmental education by CMNH, and serve as a foundation for future conservation efforts in the region. Of note, numerous state-listed species documented on the property will benefit from the conservation of critical wildlife habitat, including:

big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus – Ohio Species of Concern);
hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus – Ohio Species of Concern);
Eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis – Ohio Species of Concern);
tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus – Ohio Endangered);
little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus – Ohio Endangered Species);
long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis, Ohio Endangered and Federally Threatened);
red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus – Ohio Species of Concern);
sphagnum sprite damselfly (Nehalennia gracilis – Ohio Species of Concern);
straw sedge (Carex straminea – Ohio Rare, Potentially Threatened Species);
slender sedge (Carex lasiocarpa – Ohio Rare, Potentially Threatened Species); and
pumpkin ash (Fraxinus profunda – Ohio Potentially Threatened Species).

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