Ohio’s Springville Marsh Nature Preserve to Close for Two Months
OutdoorHub 08.06.12
Springville Marsh State Nature Preserve near Carey will close to the public beginning Aug. 6 for approximately two months for an environmental clean-up, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
The clean-up involves the removal of waste material from a former battery manufacturing operation located adjacent to the marsh. Most of the waste was buried under the parking lot and consists of carbon dust, carbon rods and coal tar. The project will involve excavation of the parking lot and disposal of the waste material in an approved off-site landfill in cooperation with the battery manufacturer, Dow Chemical Company, with oversight and approval of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. EPA.
When the project is completed, the parking lot will be re-established, and the affected area will be planted with a prairie seed mix compatible with the existing vegetation.
The Springville Marsh is the last remaining piece of the Big Spring Prairie. The limestone bedrock is close to the surface in this area, resulting in alkaline springs that support a diverse assortment of plants and animals, including several Ice Age plant species that are threatened or endangered in Ohio. The preserve features a wheelchair accessible boardwalk trail system and an observation blind.
Springville Marsh State Nature Preserve is located on Township Road 24 in Seneca County, 3.5 miles north of Carey.
