By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
By the end of April, the J.C. Reuthinger Memorial Preserve will expand from 69 acres to over 100 acres.
The Wood County Park District has been working with members of the Reuthinger family to acquire over 33 acres of land that is adjacent to the existing park on Oregon Road near Owens Community College in Perrysburg Township.
Last August, the family offered to sell 30.31 acres of land to the park district for $1.2 million and donate 3.11 acres that is adjacent to the land being purchased.
At Tuesday’s park district meeting, the board of commissioners authorized Director Chris Smalley to finalize the acquisition of the land from Reuthinger family members Barbara Brossia and Jeffrey Steed. Smalley said the closing is expected to be completed by the end of April.
The 69-acre preserve was donated to the park district in 2005 by the late Lucille Reuthinger Knepper. The family had operated a dairy farm on the land.
Currently, the preserve includes a 30-acre wetland meadow, a 5.5-acre pond, and a shop and office for the stewardship department. Two greenhouses and a native plant nursery are at the preserve where tens of thousands of native plants are grown to be sown throughout the district parks.
With the newest land, the park district will use the barns and 1900s brick farmhouse and convert the farmland into a wet prairie.
The park district has received significant support from local, county and state agencies for the park expansion, Smalley said.
The Ohio Public Works Commission selected the Reuthinger Preserve expansion to receive approximately $672,000 from the Clean Ohio Green Space Conservation Program. Wood County was one of 26 Ohio counties awarded funds from the $19.2 million dollars allocated to Clean Ohio Conservation projects.
“These projects are critical for the protection of Ohio’s natural resources, biodiversity, and habitats,” said Linda Bailiff, OPWC director.
In addition to the park district providing $154,000 for the project, the Wood County Commissioners approved $250,000, the Wood County Port Authority contributed $80,000 and the Friends of the Parks provided $17,000.
“We also used $30,000 from the Wetlands Mitigation Bank for the wetlands here at the J.C. Reuthinger Memorial Preserve,” Smalley said.
“It has been the perfect storm,” he said about the progress of the expansion project. “The family reached out to us. That was the first domino and every point since, we have had great support from the community. A lot of people came together to make it happen.”
While the Clean Ohio grant application was complex, Smalley said the people at OPWC answered all of his questions and helped him through the application process.
“We have been blessed to have a county government that sees the big picture. That’s not universal,” Smalley said. “We have folks with the foresight to realize that collectively we can be better for our citizens, and a local government that has a public-service mindset.”
The stewardship department has a plan to prepare the site before seeding it. Stewardship Coordinator Zebediah Albert said the seeding will likely take place after the first snowfall, but there is plenty of work in advance to get the site ready.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the board approved a resolution for the director to purchase a special seed mix for $20,773 from the Ohio Prairie Nursery. Smalley reported the district has applied for a grant from the Country Garden Club of Perrysburg to help offset the cost of seeds.
The board also agreed to spend $5,248.88 from Ag-Pro Companies for specialized tracks for the district’s skid steer.
Native plant nursery
More than 78 pounds of seeds were collected from the county parks in 2023, Sanja Jennings, stewardship specialist, told the board during Tuesday’s meeting. They collected 150 species that are estimated to be worth $20,000 retail.
Across seven county parks, more than 250 different species have been identified, including 60 invasive species that were previously unknown. Through the monitoring program, they also found many new areas for native species that can be used to grow the nursery, she said.
In addition to using the seeds and plants in the district parks, the district and Friends of the Parks host twice-a-year plant sales in the spring and fall. The spring sale is slated for May 3-4, with May 3 designated exclusively for Friends of the Wood County Parks members. The sale is at the Wood County Fairgrounds Champion Barn from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on both days.
The sale is also an educational event, with park district staff members on hand to help residents determine what plants might grow best in their gardens based on soil type and sun/shade mix. Last spring’s sale raised almost $19,000.
