Project Summary
The Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area is a nearly 2,000-acre wildlife area spanning Ashland and Wayne counties in the Mohican River Watershed, with creeks and lush marshland providing habitat for a number of fish, wild game species, and nesting and migratory birds. The Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area is managed by the ODNR Division of Wildlife and has been gradually acquired through piecemeal acquisitions since 1991. ODNR often relies on conservation partners like West Creek to nimbly acquire high-priority properties as they come available; two such properties were identified in 2023, totaling 168 acres adjacent to Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area protected land.
West Creek Conservancy pre-acquired both properties, selling them to ODNR in 2024. West Creek also completed a 50-acre restoration on one of the properties, converting an active farm field to natural greenspace. A ribbon cutting was held at the Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area, with ODNR Director Mary Mertz present to celebrate the accomplishments of ODNR and its conservation partners.
Project Partners
The Funk Bottoms project represents an ongoing partnership between West Creek Conservancy and the ODNR Division of Wildlife. Additional partners engaged in the expansion of the Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area include The Wilderness Center, the Wayne County Community Foundation, Western Reserve Land Conservancy, and the state of Ohio’s H2Ohio program.
Outcomes and Benefits
The addition of 168 acres of protected land to the Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area expands critical buffer area for the sensitive wetland resources within this highly popular conservation and recreation area. Restoration of the active farm field on the property further reduces nutrient, phosphorus and sediment loading into the adjacent wetland complex, preserving and improving water quality.
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