Project Description
Approximately 286.5 acres of coastal freshwater marsh and upland habitat have been protected in perpetuity through property acquisitions that were funded by the Ottawa River Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) case settlement. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) provided a grant to Ducks Unlimited (DU) for the purchase of four properties that will be protected in perpetuity. The 37.1-acre Pearson property was acquired and transferred to the Ohio Division of Wildlife (ODOW) to expand the Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area. Located on the southern shore of Sandusky Bay, the 99.6-acre Dinky Marsh was purchased and transferred to ODOW to expand the Moxley Wildlife Area. The adjacent 110.2-acre Tower Marsh was recently acquired and will be transferred to ODOW in 2024. The conservation of these properties increases the acreage of publicly owned wetlands near Sandusky Bay and will contribute to the H2Ohio project's goal of improving the Ohio’s water quality through wetland restoration.
The fourth parcel, the 39.6-acre Hageman property, was incorporated into the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. On this property, Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funds were leveraged for the management of invasive plants, restoration of agricultural fields to native ground cover, forbs, and trees, wetland enhancement, and hydrological modification. All the properties acquired will become accessible to the public for outdoor recreation.
Restoration Land Ownership
Fish and Wildlife Service; State
Parties Implementing Restoration
Ducks Unlimited; Ohio Department of Natural Resources
DOI Project Representatives
Fish and Wildlife Service