Project Summary
The Oxbow Wetlands Preserve project was the result of numerous partners and stakeholders coming together to bring to life the vision of a restored floodplain and high-quality native habitat along the Clear Fork Mohican River. This project, completed in partnership between West Creek Conservancy and Richland County Park District, was catalyzed by the Gorman family’s generous donation of a 79-acre property in the Village of Bellville and Washington Township. An additional 24 acres were purchased and protected with funding from the Clean Ohio Green Space Conservation Program, resulting in the permanent protection of 103 acres of land and approximately 2.5 miles of stream in the Town of Lexington – Clear Fork Mohican watershed.
The project also included a significant restoration component, supported by Clean Ohio as well as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ H2Ohio grant program and the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District’s Partners in Watershed Management grant program. Restoration activities included conversion of 17 acres of agricultural fields to riparian forest and wetland habitat, as well as invasive species management throughout the property to support succession of healthy native habitat.
Lastly, the property’s adjacency to both the Belville Dog Park and the 18-mile Richland B&O Trail – a highly popular multi-purpose trail connecting four communities, from Mansfield to Butler, in Richland County – made it a perfect location to establish a publicly accessible nature preserve, providing new opportunities for public recreation and enhanced trail and green space connectivity in Richland County. The addition of a new parking area and 1.5 miles of trails, including a new access point to the B&O Trail, has established the Oxbow Wetlands Preserve as a new destination for nature-based recreation. The property is now owned and managed by Richland County Park District, who will steward it for continued ecological and public recreation benefit for generations to come.
Project Partners
The Oxbow Wetlands Preserve project was a successful partnership between Richland County Park District and West Creek Conservancy. Funding for the project came from the Ohio Public Works Commission’s Clean Ohio Green Space Conservation Program, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ H2Ohio program, and the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District’s Partners in Watershed Management program. The project could not have happened without the generous contribution of land from the Gorman family, as well as the participation of the Unstoppable Youth Sports organization. Support for the project was also provided by the Village of Bellville, Richland County Commissioners, Mohican Fly Fishers of Ohio, The Nature Conservancy, and Dr. Ozeas S. Costa of The Ohio State University.
Expected Outcomes and Benefits
The Oxbow Wetlands Preserve project delivers significant environmental, social and recreational benefits to the Richland County community and throughout the Clear Fork Mohican River watershed.
The restoration activities completed on the property are anticipated to reduce annual nutrient and sediment loading to the Clear Fork Mohican River by an estimated 155 pounds of nitrogen, 50 pounds of phosphorus and 37 tons of sediment. These load reductions will help reverse the declining water quality in the watershed, which is especially critical as the Mohican River was the only large river in Ohio found to have a significant decline in water quality between 1980 and 2020. The project also expanded connectivity of wetland and forest habitat, benefiting a number of native species, while protecting existing high-quality habitats including mature floodplain forest, upland hardwood forest, forested wetlands and emergent riverine wetlands along the Clear Fork Mohican River and its tributary stream.
Public access improvements on the property further created a new entry and exit point for the Richland B&O Trail, and established a new publicly accessible conservation area for recreational activities including hiking, fishing, biking and more.
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