The public will have the opportunity to learn about plans for a major habitat restoration project for Audubon Islands State Nature Preserve during a second open house from 4 to 6:30 p.m., Thursday, October 5, at the Maumee Branch Library, 501 River Road.
The 160-acre island complex in the Maumee River between Maumee and Perrysburg is a Metroparks Toledo property designated as a state nature preserve, with limited public access.
Members of the project planning team will share updated design plans that reflect adjusted locations of habitat improvements and construction access areas based on feedback received at the first open house in July.
The open house format will allow guests to arrive anytime within the two and one-half-hour event for individual and small group discussions. There will not be a formal presentation.
Background
Metroparks received a $3.6 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant to fund engineering, design, permitting and restoration construction on and near the island complex. Project planning support is provided by the Maumee Area of Concern Advisory Committee and Ohio EPA, along with the design- build team of Verdantas and Mark Haynes Construction.
The restoration will focus on improving habitat for fish and benthos, small organisms that live on the river bottom. Plans will advance the preliminary designs prepared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2021-22, which incorporated significant stakeholder input.
The project will increase habitat types along the shoreline by installing stone shelves with engineered logjams and rock barrier reefs with streambank plantings. Deepened sections of a cove will incorporate additional woody habitat and other features. Riverbanks will be stabilized to stem erosion and create resilient features to withstand higher, more variable water flows.
Planning and permit submittal activities are scheduled to be finished in December 2023. Construction work is planned to begin in 2024 once permits are received.
Additional information about the restoration is available on the project web page, metroparkstoledo.com/island.
