Wetland Success Stories

December 18, 2019

This year we had the satisfaction of seeing the fruits of our labor for several wetland sites across the state. Below are before and after photos of two wetland creation sites we worked on in Lucas County and Hamilton County. Click the images to see site progress.

The photos above show an emergent marsh created in a historic burrow pit in Lucas County, Ohio. We completed a series of these burrow pit “retrofits” throughout the County in 2018. Wetland areas were excavated and planted with herbaceous plugs by volunteers. While it’s common to introduce a native seed mix, these sites relied on their seed bank for natural regeneration, and they appear to be doing great!

This client, in Hamilton County, has waited a long time for the educational wetland of their dreams. We were pleased to wrap up construction and have the site planted earlier this year. This project is another retrofit, but of a historic farm pond that provided little in the way of wetland habitat and exploration opportunities. The overall wetland footprint doubled in size, invasive woody species were removed from the buffer to allow clear vantage points, and boardwalks offer access routes for hands-on exploration activities. This site also doubles as a filtration system, intercepting runoff from a cattle pasture before it enters a headwater tributary to the Little Miami River.