Preserve to add 74 acres of wetlands
3/7/2012SANDUSKY -- About 74 acres of marsh and wetlands, including a "pristine section of wetland shoreline," will become part of the Wyandot Wetland Meadows Preserve, park officials said.
The land was purchased for $1.9 million after three years of discussions, according to The Trust For Public Land, the agency that purchased it from the family-owned Barnes Nursery.
"The Barnes family has for years said that the highest and best use of this land was ultimately for conservation," said Amy Bowman-Moore, Erie MetroParks executive director. "We are delighted that they, with critical support and assistance from The Trust for Public Land, now have ensured this environmentally rare and sensitive marsh and wetlands remain pristine and accessible to the public for generations to come."
The 74-acre expansion in the preserve is part of the East Sandusky Bay MetroPark off U.S. 6 in Sandusky. The park has nearly 300 bird species, including bald eagles, on its more than 1,300 acres.
Erie Metroparks is in the process of acquiring the land from The Trust at no cost, officials said.