KENT, Ohio — As part of Gov. Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio initiative, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources celebrated the Bird Family Bog Rehabilitation Project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, June 23. The new project in Portage County will be used to help improve water quality in the region.
The 170-acre property is along the Cuyahoga River watershed in Kent, Ohio. The Bird Family Bog project will help improve water quality by preserving the bog and transforming formerly farmed land into future wetlands. The land was acquired by the West Creek Conservancy using $697,000 from the H2Ohio initiative, along with funds from the Clean Ohio Green Space Conservation Program. West Creek carried out the restoration and reforestation work. Future plans include paved trails and new wetlands.
The ribbon cutting headlined a bioblitz event, where members of the community visited the bog to help identify as many species and plants as possible in one day.
The Portage Park District will provide additional habitat management with plans to open the area to the public with a paved trail. The Nature Conservancy is working to create new wetlands around the bog.
