By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
PERRYSBURG—The Wood County Park District’s nursery and greenhouses are in business throughout the year, focused on conservation and preservation of plants native to the area.
The native plant nursery, located at the district’s J.C. Reuthinger Memorial Preserve, 30730 Oregon Road, engages in a variety of community programs and partnerships that further its conservation mission.
The nursery sits on 2.25 acres with a main greenhouse and two small cold frame greenhouses, 44 sandy soil raised beds and 90 clay soil in-ground beds. At Reuthinger, there are also 33 acres being returned to prairie lands.
“We are growing local genotypes only, which is super important, Sanja Jennings, stewardship specialist, told the board of commissioners at the April meeting.
Beyond the great facilities and the work being done, “The nursery’s story is about people and connections,” Jennings said.
The stewardship team is tasked with removing invasive species, collecting the native seeds and growing the plants from the local genotype seeds that are collected in the district’s 21 parks and nature preserves. Every member of the team is committed to the work they are doing, she said.
Additionally, a dedicated team of volunteers and interns are critical to the nursery’s success, exponentially boosting the work that the stewardship staff accomplishes throughout the year.
“In order to focus on plant conservation, we need to have synergy, work together, and be involved in the community,” she said.
Events such as seed collection, Nurture the Nursery, Native Nursery Nights, Adopt-A-Bed, and Native Seed Cleaning Marathon all benefit from volunteers.
“Every year we have lots of volunteers come in for our seed cleaning programs, and we always incorporate a chili cookoff with that program,” Jennings said. “We love it and the volunteers love it. This place means so much to everybody here.”
After she shared the chili cookoff idea with other nurseries, many are trying to replicate that as a way to bring people together and accomplish the important work. Volunteers help staff members collect seeds in the fall, after which time the seeds are treated to help preserve them.
“We leave them in the fridge for 30, 60 or 90 days in a dry or wet area,” Jennings said. “We bring them back into the greenhouses where they germinate in the first or second week of February. Then we are growing and transplanting them in this space.”
The plants are used within the district’s parks but also are sold to local gardeners and landowners through the Friends of the Wood County Parks’ Spring and Fall Native Plant Sales.
The Spring Sale is May 3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Champion Barn on the Wood County Fairgrounds.
Partnerships and collaborations
“Community projects and grants are important because we don’t have a lot of money,” Jennings said.
The preserve has partnerships with various organizations including the Perrysburg Country Garden Club, American Public Gardens Association, Green River Initiative, Lucas Soil and. Water Conservation District, Ohio State University Extension Master Gardeners, Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities, and Bowling Green State University.
The garden club has been a longtime partner, most recently donating seeds to plant the planned prairie area at the preserve.
For three years, the district has been working with the American Public Gardens Association, which champions public gardens as leaders in the conservation and appreciation of plants. Wood County has recently become a member, with the Reuthinger site listed on the AGPA website as one of only a handful of locations in Ohio.
“We are recognized as an APGA seed collection site, which means we do preservation of the species we collect,” she explained.
The raised beds at the preserve were repaired last year thanks to a local Eagle Scout taking them on for his project.
“So you can see how we are all connected,” Jennings said.
Slippery Elm Trail upgrades
As the Slippery Elm Trail celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2025, the park district hopes to repave the 13 miles of the trail with funding from the Ohio Department of Transportation.
In addition to the plans for repaving the trail, the district plans to apply for an Ohio Department of Natural Resources Nature Works Grant to replace all the signs at the intersections from Bowling Green to North Baltimore, Executive Director Chris Smalley told the board.
He and Assistant Director Andrew Kalmar have met with local municipalities to get community input and support from councils.
“Grants are due in June, and I think we have a great shot. It’s a great program and a great project,” he said. “Coupled with the fact we are waiting on word about our application to repave the Slippery Elm Trail, if we would get both of those, we would have almost a brand new trail to celebrate its 30-year anniversary.”
The board also:
• Welcomed new employees Madeline Nelson, land steward, and Taylor Corson, spring intern.
• Heard about new signage for some of the benches that the Friends of the Parks are creating to encourage people to make a legacy gift “to celebrate friendships, milestones, or memories.”
• Authorized the purchase of specialized equipment for the new Newport Police Patrol vehicle from Northwest Ohio Emergency Equipment LLC for $9,649.
• Approved the purchase of a dozen rental facility tables for the Otsego Park Thompson Stone Hall for $6,098 from the Southern Aluminum Company.
