The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) was awarded a $782,924 Project Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 under the Geographic Programs - Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (CFDA 66.469) program. The grant funding will support two high-priority wetland restoration projects in the Western Lake Erie Basin to further the H2Ohio and GLRI initiatives for nutrient reduction and combating harmful algal blooms.
ODNR will partner with the Heritage Trails Park District, Western Reserve Land Conservancy, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the E.J. Mackenbach Preserve Protection and Restoration Project in Auglaize County. This project will create wetlands, plant native grasslands and wildflowers, and establish a natural buffer along the Miami and Erie Canal. ODNR will also collaborate with The Nature Conservancy on the Black Swamp Nature Center Floodplain and Wetland Restoration Project in Paulding, Ohio, which will breach existing farm ponds and plant native vegetation to maximize water storage and filtration. The anticipated outcomes include reduced phosphorus, nitrogen, and sediment loads, expanded floodwater storage, and the reintroduction of native plant species, benefiting the local communities in the Western Lake Erie Basin watershed.
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