Project Summary
Clear Fork Preserve North is a 115-acre property situated in the headwaters of the Clear Fork Mohican River, in Sandusky Township, Richland County. The property was heavily farmed prior to its acquisition by West Creek Conservancy, with over 90 acres of row crop agriculture layered within approximately 4,110 linear feet of tributary streams, riparian and floodplain forest, and scattered wetlands. The Clear Fork Preserve North property became a priority for West Creek Conservancy and project partner Richland County Park District (RCPD) due to the habitat and water quality restoration potential that could result from restoring the property’s agricultural fields to native wetland, riparian and floodplain forest, as well as the documented presence of numerous species of conservation concern and the property’s adjacency to an additional 213 acres previously protected and restored by West Creek and RCPD.
The Clear Fork Preserve North project is part of a broader, watershed-scale effort to protect and improve water quality in the Clear Fork Mohican River watershed. The project is identified as a priority in the Nonpoint Source Implementation Strategy (NPS-IS) for the Headwaters Clear Fork Mohican River HUC-12, which recognizes agricultural runoff, streambank erosion, sedimentation, and nutrient loading as significant threats to water quality throughout the watershed. The Clear Fork Preserve North project will address these causes of water quality impairment by retiring the property’s former agricultural fields and restoring a mosaic of native wetland, riparian, meadow, and forest habitat to buffer the headwater tributary streams throughout the site.
Restoration activities, planned for 2027, include native seeding and planting over 1,600 trees and shrubs throughout the 90 acres of former agricultural fields, as well as creation and expansion of seasonal wetlands through tile drain disruption, reconnection of natural hydrology, and hummock-and-hollow grading. Ongoing invasive species management will help ensure successful establishment of native plant communities, while installation of woody structures including standing snags, downed logs and brush piles will create habitat for many terrestrial and aquatic species.
Following restoration, the property will be owned and managed by the Richland County Park District as a permanently protected public nature preserve. Together with the adjacent, previously restored 213-acre Clear Fork Preserve property immediately to the south, West Creek and RCPD will establish a contiguous protected landscape of more than 325 acres that not only protects habitat and water quality but also provides opportunities for environmental education and public exploration of natural areas in the Clear Fork Mohican River watershed.
Project Partners
The Clear Fork Preserve North project is a collaborative conservation and restoration effort between West Creek Conservancy and the Richland County Park District. The Richland County Park District will serve as the long-term owner, manager, and steward of Clear Fork Preserve North, ensuring establishment and ongoing maintenance of the property’s restored native habitat and ecological function. This project has been supported by numerous funders including the Ohio Public Works Commission via the Clean Ohio Green Space Conservation Program, the Ohio EPA via the 319 program, Cleveland Cliffs, and the Robert & Esther Black Family Foundation.
Expected Outcomes and Benefits
The Clear Fork Preserve North project will restore diverse native habitat on this formerly agricultural property, providing lasting benefits for water quality, wildlife, and the surrounding community.
By retiring the property’s agricultural fields and restoring native wetland and riparian habitat, the project is expected to reduce runoff entering the Clear Fork Mohican River watershed by an estimated 1,412 pounds of nitrogen, 391 pounds of phosphorus, and 245 tons of sediment annually. Habitat quality in the restored streams and wetlands is also expected improve as native vegetation becomes established and natural hydrology is restored.
These improvements will help safeguard the downstream Clear Fork Reservoir, which provides drinking water for approximately 47,500 City of Mansfield residents, while improving aquatic habitat and water quality throughout the Clear Fork and Mohican River systems – two of Ohio’s most beloved recreational waterways, drawing thousands of visitors each year. Permanent protection of the property will also expand a growing network of conserved lands in the watershed, and will provide free, year-round opportunities for nature-based recreation and environmental education serving residents and visitors of the surrounding communities including Sandusky Township, Galion, Lexington, and the greater Mansfield area.
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