Western Reserve Land Conservancy is acquiring and conserving a critical 95-acre property in northern Trumbull County, Ohio, approximately 35 miles north of the City of Youngstown. Located just nine miles south of the Land Conservancy’s 1,400-acre Ashcroft Woods Preserve, the property contains high-quality forested wetlands, as well as tributaries to the State Scenic and Wild Grand River, which flows into Lake Erie. The property also features early successional habitat and active agricultural land, and is adjacent to the 7,600-acre Grand River Wildlife Area and the 9,000-acre Mosquito Creek Wildlife Area. The 95-acre tract is one of two properties that will connect these two wildlife areas, creating a contiguous conservation area of 16,695 acres. In terms of conservation landscapes, nothing close to this size currently exists in northeast Ohio.

Ashcroft Woods Preserve, Grand River Wildlife Area, and Mosquito Creek Wildlife Area – all proximate to the connector property – are exceptional conservation lands that provide excellent habitat for a variety of plants and wildlife. These properties are located in the Grand River Lowlands, a distinct ecosystem that was the ancestral bed of a finger lake during the glacial age.

Though these wildlife areas provide important habitat for many rare and threatened species, including a wide variety of migrating birds, their most notable resident is the eastern massasauga rattlesnake listed federally as threatened and by the state as endangered. This small rattlesnake is one of Ohio’s focal species in greatest need of conservation due to its unique habitat requirements:  early successional wet meadows. Migration of the snakes is limited due to fragmented habitat as development pressures continue to increase. Old agricultural fields have also transitioned to shrub- and tree-dominated landscapes.

The unique features of this priority acquisition make it an excellent opportunity to preserve eastern massasauga habitat. The Land Conservancy plans to restore the property’s agricultural land to a mix of prairie pollinator habitat, as well as actively manage the early successional habitat required by the rattlesnakes. Long-term, the team envisions an ecologically functioning habitat where previously isolated snake populations can reconnect, becoming a viable population large enough to sustain disturbances resulting from predation, fluctuations in water levels, climate change, or other forces.

Conservation of the property will complement the surrounding assets and be used to support public outdoor recreation, including hunting by permit, bird watching, nature photography, hiking and more. The Land Conservancy’s Conservation Education and Outreach program might also use the site for ongoing nature-based education and limited-access opportunities. The Land Conservancy will also coordinate with its partner, The Ohio State University, to monitor and steward habitat supporting the recovery of eastern massasauga rattlesnake populations, which includes ongoing natural resource surveys and research on changes in snake populations over time.

• Property Cost: $782,016
• Atira Conservation Funding: $40,000