2019 report:Ducks Unlimited, partners invested $2.1 million in restoration projects

By: 
Staff writer

Ducks Unlimited and its partners last year invested $2.1 million to enhance 2,480 acres of wetlands and grasslands in Ohio, according to the organization, including a project at the Ottawa County Wildlife Refuge.
“Ohio’s wetlands play a significant role for Great Lakes continental waterfowl,” said Russ Terry, a regional biologist for Ducks Unlimited. “But our wetlands are also crucial for water quality. Ohio has lost 90 percent of its wetlands, which help filter rain water before it enters the Great Lakes. The more wetlands we can put back on the landscape, the better for ducks and residents.”
DU has purchased two former agricultural properties adjacent to the wildlife refuge and will turn them over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service once they are restored. In all, the properties cover about 75 acres.
The habitat is being restored to provide migratory and breeding habitat in the western Lake Erie basin and help reduce nutrient runoff reaching the lake that contributes to algal bloom outbreaks.
Other highlights of 2019 include:
- Using a $490,000 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act to restore or enhance at least 250 acres of wetlands and 250 acres of upland native warm season grasslands on private property in Northwest Ohio over the next three years.
- Acquiring nearly 720 acres to establish the Andreoff Wildlife Area in Hardin County. Ducks Unlimited and Energy Transfer helped the Ohio Division of Wildlife secure the land, which is open for recreation.
- Restoring 54 acres of floodplain wetlands adjacent to Green Creek at Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area in Sandusky County. The project included planting 1,025 three-gallon container trees and shrubs and 10,000 bare-root trees. More than 20 species of wildlife-friendly trees and shrubs were planted. Funding came from the division of wildlife, North American Wetlands Conservation Act and Cargill Deicing Technology – Cleveland Mine Facility.
In all, Ducks Unlimited and partners undertook 21 projects last year in Ohio. Other partners include National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration, Metroparks Toledo, corporations and other donors.
Ducks Unlimited also was a partner in the development of Howard Marsh Metropark, which opened in 2018.
Since 2013, the partners had worked to restore the 1,000-acre former agricultural land back to wetlands and other habitat to benefit ducks, fish and other wildlife, and provide recreational opportunities.
Visitors can enjoy six miles of dike-top walking trails around the marsh units and a quarter mile of boardwalk through the wetlands. About seven miles of navigable water and two kayak launch docks are available for paddlers.

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