Wetland Restoration

Scattered throughout the Mount St. John Nature Preserve are a series of wetlands – both naturally-occurring and created.  They are home to plants including skunk cabbage, queen-of-the-prairie, turtlehead and fringed gentian that thrive in the low-nutrient, low-oxygen and high-moisture conditions that characterize wetlands.  Wetlands protect streams and rivers from damaging flows and bank erosion, recharge groundwater aquifers, reduce pollutants in surface water and protect downstream communities from flooding.  Wetlands function as sponges by holding water during rainstorms and as filters by removing oil, fertilizers, heavy metals, sediment and other contaminants.  They also create vital wildlife habitat and provide aesthetic beauty.

In the summer of 2005, with support from the US Fish & Wildlife Service, one of the wetlands constructed in the early 1990s to accommodate runoff from the buildings, roadways and parking lots was enlarged.  We have also installed a rain garden on the northern edge of the property to contain run-off from the northern side of the property.  Rain gardens are shallow depressions planted with native flowers and grasses and fed by impervious areas, such as a roof or driveway, and are an excellent way for residents to manage stormwater on their property.

MEEC Publications
Raingardens – Coming Soon

In the Resource Center
Wetlands

Learn More
The Wonderful World of Wetlands, by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.