Clear Fork Preserve Mitigation Project

A program to mitigate impacts to the Mahoning Watershed leads to approximately 4,000 lf of stream restoration and 27 acres of wetland restoration on former agricultural land.

The 60.64-acre Clear Fork Preserve mitigation site sits within a glacial valley west of the Clear Fork Reservoir in Sandusky Township, Ohio. Historically, streams entering the valley were straightened and channelized for agricultural use, including an unnamed tributary to the Clear Fork Reservoir that bisects the site. The agricultural development created more land suited for producing crops, and tile drains were installed, creating artificially dry upland conditions surrounding the stream and riparian corridor.

As part of a larger program to provide mitigation to offset unavoidable impacts in the Mahoning Watershed, Biohabitats helped The Nature Conservancy (TNC) develop and implement a design plan for stream restoration, wetland re-establishment and rehabilitation, and upland & riparian buffer re-establishment to increase high quality aquatic habitat, improve water quality, regulate watershed hydrology, and attenuate runoff from disturbed farmland.

The project team first identified existing conditions which included a stream survey, vegetation survey, soil analysis, wetland delineation, cross sections, and a desktop analysis of hydrologic activity in the area, including water infiltration. Biohabitats collaborated with TNC and project partner Meadville Land Service to design approximately 4,000 LF of stream restoration and 27 acres of wetland restoration that will exceed the standards for compensatory mitigation in Ohio. The restoration will maximize floodplain reconnection by creating a valley-wide system that allows the stream to form anabranching channels throughout the wetland. This system promotes flow out into the floodplain surface during frequent storm events and encourages beaver activity on the site, which is desirable and a significant reason for the existing high-quality wetlands to the south of the site.