A portion of Metroparks land at the former Toledo House of Corrections work farm on Schadel Road in Waterville Township is about to become a state nature preserve.
At the November 15 meeting, the park commissioners approved articles of dedication for the Blue Creek Limestone Glade State Nature Preserve.
Tim Schetter, chief natural resources officer, said the articles cover 11.3 acres of land.
“The limestone glade is a unique plant community occurring over shallow limestone bedrock with the savanna-like overstory of Chinquapin oaks and an herbaceous understory of drought-tolerant prairie plants,” he explained.
“It is the last high quality remnant of this community known to occur in northwest Ohio, and home to at least 11 rare plant species. Among them is the last known natural occurrence of tall cinquefoil in Ohio,” Mr. Schetter continued.
Declaring the acreage as a nature preserve will result in restrictions on the use of the land. It also will result in the preservation of its unique natural features and adequately protect it against modification, encroachment or other uses that would adversely impact it, he said.
The director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is expected to approve the designation. Once approved, the glade will join 144 protected sites, statewide.
The system of dedicated nature preserves was established in 1975 to permanently protect the best examples of Ohio’s natural heritage. Audubon Islands State Nature Preserve in the Maumee River and a portion of Campbell State Nature Preserve on Crissey Road in Monclova also are owned by Metroparks.
When it is officially designated as a state nature preserve, there will be a celebration in May 2024 during Blue Week.
Other Business
In other business, the park board:
•Awarded a contract for the dredging of the Miami and Erie Canal at Providence Metropark to B. Hill’z Excavating of Wayne, Ohio for $97,060.
The project entails the dredging of 550 feet of the canal, including clearing and grubbing, excavation, hauling, sediment and erosion control, seeding and mulching.
Doug Parrish, project engineer, said the work should be complete by year’s end, which is when the permits expire. He noted the canal needs to be dredged every 25 to 30 years.
A portion of the cost, $50,000, will be paid for using a grant from the France Stone Foundation.
•Authorized Allan Gallant, director of community development, to apply for a $5,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources division of fire management.
The funds would be used to purchase equipment and tools to support prescribed fire management efforts.
•Agreed to seek funding from the Ohio EPA’s scrap tire program in an amount not to exceed $300,000. If awarded, it will be used at Toledo Botanical Garden for a paving project that utilizes scrap materials. The grant requires a 100 percent match.
•Amended the 2023 annual appropriations to reflect an increase in health insurance coverage.
Due to growth in the park district, health insurance expenses have increased, explained Matt Cleland, chief financial officer.
The board originally appropriated $1.5 million, but increased that amount to $1.7 million.
•Received an update from Mike Keedy, director of enterprise development, on charting sustainable growth.
He said rentals are doing well, particularly at Glass City park, where they have received $70,000 in advance reservations for the cabanas, which opened a week or two ago in conjunction with the ice skating ribbon.
Glass City and the Riverwalk are “becoming a hub of activity,” he added, and commended Rink Management, which operates the 1,000foot-long loop trail ice rink and rentals.
“It’s a big operation to run that ice ribbon.”
•Approved the payment of bills for October totaling $4.43 million.
The next park board meeting will be at 8:30 a.m., Wednesday, December 20, and is open to the public. The meeting location is yet to be determined.
