By LISA NICELY
nicely@crescent-news.com
The Forrest Woods Nature Preserve in northwest Paulding County is expanding.
The Black Swamp Conservancy, a non-profit organization that works to preserve land in northwest Ohio, is planning to purchase 72 acres adjacent to the current preserve sometime this year. The preserve, located in Carryall and Crane townships off County Road 192, currently encompasses approximately 193 acres.
A $148,000 grant from the Clean Ohio Fund will be used to purchase the additional land.
"We are pleased with the opportunity to permanently protect more land for the citizens of northwest Ohio," said Kevin Joyce, executive director of the conservancy, who added that other grant monies will be used to purchase three acres on South Bass Island. "Both locations have been identified by the nature conservancy as among the lands and water most important for conserving the diversity of life in the entire Great Lakes region."
Micki Dunakin of the Black Swamp Audubon Society said she was happy the conservancy is purchasing more land for the preserve.
"The more the better," she said. "It's such a good habitat. There is a big plant and bird inventory. There are some (birds) in there that are very uncommon and some use it as a migratory stopover. There are some in there that you wouldn't find anywhere else in the county."
Dunakin said that there are approximately 148 species of birds in the preserve area.
Douglas Dunakin of the Paulding County Park District is also happy the conservancy will be expanding the preserve.
"They are doing a good job preserving an area there that otherwise may be lost if individual people bought it and broke it up," he said. "It is a unique area in our county as far as wildlife habitat. We're really pleased someone can obtain the funding to make those purchases."
Joyce added that conservancy is very excited to have the opportunity to expand the preserve.
"We really appreciate the willingness of the landowners in the area working with us to preserve this land," he said. "We consider the Marie DeLarme Creek forest area a really critical area for plant and animal habitat. If more property becomes available we would be interested (in purchasing it), but would have to find funding to make additional purchases."
The original Forrest Woods Nature Preserve was purchased in September 2003 and totaled 80 acres. Two new tracts, including 40 acres and 73.3 acres, were purchased since 2003.
Forrest Woods is along Marie DeLarme Creek, a tributary of the Maumee River. The preserve is home to 400 plant and 130 bird and animal species. Some of the species are threatened or endangered, such as the four-toed salamander and some warblers (song birds).
According to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the "complex of remnant habitats along Marie DeLarme Creek is one of the highest quality wetlands remaining in the former Great Black Swamp region of Ohio, and is as good or better than the highest quality forested wetlands found elsewhere in the state."
Marie DeLarme Creek, which contains rare bird species, also is considered an important bird area by the National Audubon Society. The Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves ranks the area as one of the top five priority acquisition sites in the state.
Black Swamp Conservancy is a regional land trust based in Perrysburg. Its mission is to encourage conservation and protection of natural areas and farmland in northwest Ohio.