The coastal wetlands of southwestern Lake Erie are among Ohio’s most valuable natural areas. These shoreline marshes support the greatest diversity of plant and animal life of any habitat type in Ohio and act as natural filters of our landscape, by improving water quality, reducing flooding, and recharging aquifers. Yet, only ten percent of the estimated 300,000 acres of Ohio’s original coastal wetlands remain and these wetlands face continued detrimental pressures from shoreline development, suburban sprawl, and invasive plant species are increasing.
Since 1856, Winous Point has been at the forefront of waterfowl and wetlands conservation. As steward of one of the largest wetlands remaining in the state of Ohio, Winous Point’s history of innovation provides a compelling example of the private contribution to wetland conservation. In Ohio, Winous Point helped pioneer establishment of wetland protection, restoration, and management strategies, academic research in wetlands, and migratory bird regulations. Most recently, the non-profit Winous Point Marsh Conservancy was established in 1999 to meet the mounting challenges to wetland conservation in southwest Lake Erie.
Winous Point Marsh Conservancy’s mission is to protect, restore, enhance, and wisely manage coastal wetlands and watersheds in southwest Lake Erie. Through a combination of private contributions and leveraged grant funds, the Winous Point Marsh Conservancy is working to aid and facilitate wetland conservation programs and research in cooperation with neighbors, state and federal agencies, and other non-profit conservation groups.
– 365 species of plants, and use by more than 300 species of birds (including 153 species of songbirds), and nearly all Lake Erie fishes have been documented in Ohio’s coastal marshes.
– 60% of Ohio’s 149 species of Threatened and Endangered wildlife are wetland-dependent. (source: ODNR)
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