ODNR dedicates Metroparks property as state nature preserve

        On Dec. 20, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) joined Metroparks Toledo to dedicate Blue Creek Limestone Glade as Ohio’s 145th state nature preserve. The new preserve harbors several globally rare habitats for plants and wildlife.
        “State nature preserves offer Ohioans a chance to connect with the extraordinary beauty our state has to offer,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said. “Protecting and preserving these areas is an investment in Ohio’s public lands not only for Ohioans today but for future generations as well.”
        The new preserve features a unique remnant of an Oak Openings sand barren habitat where rare species such as hairy pinweed and Canada and Plains frostweeds thrive in the sandy landscape.
        Additionally, the site protects an oak savanna and prairie known as a limestone glade, which is nearly gone from Northwest Ohio’s landscape. Chinquapin oaks dating to the time of the American Civil War are scattered across a limestone bedrock with a glade, or prairie opening, featuring one of the state’s rarest plants—tall woody beauty.              “We are proud to end the year by continuing to expand the number of Ohio’s significant habitats and rare species permanently protected as new state nature preserves,” said ODNR Director Mary Mertz. “These areas are pillars for conservation, as well as beautiful places for the people of Ohio to enjoy.”
        Blue Creek Limestone Glade State Nature Preserve is land that is owned and managed by Metroparks Toledo as part of Blue Creek Metropark in Lucas County. Mertz joined Metroparks Toledo Director Dave Zenk to sign the articles of dedication for the new preserve during the Metroparks Toledo board meeting.
        “Our staff has known for a while that the glade was something special, and now it is officially recognized as one of Ohio’s natural gems,” said Zenk. “This is a testament to our team, a great working relationship with ODNR and the citizens of Lucas County who have a long history of supporting conservation of our natural resources.”
        After the ceremony, guests travelled to Blue Creek Limestone Glade for a ribbon cutting and naturalist-led walk through the 11-acre site.
        “Our partners at Metroparks Toledo have performed critical ecomanagement activities which expanded the globally rare habitats protected at Blue Creek Limestone Glade,” said ODNR Division of Natural Areas and Preserves Chief Jeff Johnson. “Their work ensures that they will continue to protect a wide range of fascinating flora and fauna.”
        Other plants thriving at Blue Creek Limestone Glade State Nature Preserve include Philadelphia panicgrass, rock sandwort, slender showy goldenrod, and southern hairy rock cress.
        Metroparks Toledo is a regional conservation agency with 19 parks and more than 200 miles of trail in Lucas County. Every residence in the county is within five miles of a Metropark. The park system also owns Audubon Islands State Nature Preserve in the Maumee River and a portion of Campbell State Nature Preserve in Monclova.
        The Division of Natural Areas and Preserves is dedicated to preserving and protecting Ohio’s unique natural heritage and restoring the finest land and water resources in the state by managing a system of 145 state nature preserves and 15 scenic rivers. To learn more, visit: naturalareas.ohiodnr.gov.
        For more information, visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.