Mary Alice Reporting –
A neighboring county is named as part of 11 counties to receive funding for separate projects.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine made the announcement recently as part of the H2Ohio Statewide Wetland Grant Program awarding $8.2 million.
$1.1 million is going to Homes County for the lower Killbuck Creek stream and riparian wetland restoration at Crane Swamp Preserve.
Killbuck Watershed Land Trust President Randy Carmel says that roughly a century ago, drainage ditches and field tiles were constructed to allow for crop growth, but it was a marginal investment since the creek still regularly flooded, not allowing any crop production.
“At some point it was abandoned and once you abandon that, you don’t clean out the ditches and field tiles sometimes get clogged and such, it began taking on wetland characteristics again, and there were remnant wetlands there.”
Carmel adds that for the project they would allow water to remain on parts of the land longer to create a wetland environment, which will be in line with the state program.
“To improve water quality. That would be downstream of this site, so it would benefit southern Holmes [and] most of Coshocton, down to the mouth of the Killbuck. We’re also preventing flood waters from getting into the river so quickly.”
The campaign for the 135-acre swamp and22-acre woodland is to also establish a bird blind, hiking trail, and canoe/kayak launch.
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