Project Summary
Prior to West Creek Conservancy’s acquisition of the former Casement Club Golf Course in 2024, the property had sat vacant and underutilized since massive flooding led to the closure of the golf course in 2006. This 66-acre property is situated along over ¾ of a mile of the Grand River, just a few river miles from the Grand River’s confluence with Lake Erie. The property is also located right across the river from the City of Painesville’s largest park – Kiwanis Recreation Park – and directly adjacent to both existing and newly developing residential neighborhoods in the City of Painesville and Painesville Township. Further, the former golf course contains forested areas and open fields that, combined with the Grand River frontage, provide suitable habitat for a number of bat and bird species of conservation concern, including the state Endangered tri-colored bat, as well as the big brown bat, Eastern red bat, hoary bat, red-headed woodpecker, and yellow-bellied sapsucker (all Species of Concern in Ohio).
The property’s strategic location and ecological significance made it a high priority for conservation for West Creek and numerous local and regional partners. The primary objective was to ensure that the future of the site would be compatible with Grand River water quality goals, given the property’s location in the floodplain of the Grand River and in a designated “Critical Area” of the Red Creek – Grand River HUC-12 watershed. West Creek successfully acquired the property in December, 2024, ensuring that the property would never be restored to its former use as a golf course – or any other such incompatible land use. Restoration activities on the property are underway, including restoring functionality across 47 acres of Grand River floodplain; restoring, expanding and reconnecting wetlands and vernal pools throughout the property; reforesting riparian and upland areas with native tree species; and establishing native meadow habitat.
Following completion of restoration activities, new parking access and a system of mowed trails throughout the property will facilitate public access throughout the restored property – to be known as Casement Springs Preserve. Public access is anticipated to become available in 2026, providing direct access to the adjacent residential neighborhoods and visitors to the property. West Creek will continue to work alongside the City of Painesville to identify opportunities to connect Casement Springs Preserve across the river to Kiwanis Recreation Park, creating a more accessible and interconnected network of waterfront trails and parks.
Project Partners
The Casement Springs Preserve project was funded with support from the Ohio Public Works Commission’s Clean Ohio Green Space Conservation Program, the Ohio Department of Natural Resource’s H2Ohio program, the Ohio EPA’s 319 program, and the Ohio Lake Erie Commission’s Lake Erie Protection Fund. Key partners include the City of Painesville and Biohabitats.
Expected Outcomes and Benefits
The Casement Springs Preserve project is restoring a diversity of native floodplain habitat in the Grand River floodplain, transforming an abandoned golf course into a thriving mosaic of wetlands, riparian forest, and upland meadow. Supporting succession of native vegetation, removing invasive species, and installing natural structures will enhance hydrology and habitat complexity on the property. Reconnecting oxbow wetlands to the Grand River and restoring wetland and vernal pool habitats will reestablish natural floodplain processes, improve groundwater recharge, and expand habitat for amphibians, birds, bats and pollinators alike.
These restoration efforts will produce measurable water quality benefits, preventing an estimated 93 pounds of nitrogen, 24 pounds of phosphorus, and 14 tons of sediment from entering the Grand River each year – not to mention the avoided nitrogen and phosphorus application that is avoided by eliminating risk of the property being restored as a golf course once more. These water quality enhancements will benefit the Grand River – which supports 43 rare, threatened, and endangered macroinvertebrate, mussel, and fish species – as well as Lake Erie.
Beyond these measurable ecological outcomes, the Casement Springs Preserve will provide long-term community benefits by enhancing public access along the Grand River corridor, improving flood resilience, and converting an abandoned landscape into a vibrant natural preserve that supports biodiversity and provides opportunities for nature-based recreation for generations to come.
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