{"id":410706,"date":"2026-01-16T10:44:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T10:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/410706\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T10:44:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T10:44:18","slug":"oxbow-woods-restoration-project-helps-nature-thrive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/410706\/","title":{"rendered":"Oxbow Woods restoration project helps nature thrive"},"content":{"rendered":"

BELLVILLE \u2014 You\u2019re not imagining things if you\u2019ve spotted what looks like a construction zone at the Alexander Road crossing of the B&O Trail lately.<\/p>\n

The former field is transforming into a riverside wetland and it promises to be one of Richland County\u2019s most exciting new natural spaces.<\/p>\n

The Richland County Park District (RCPD)<\/a> partnered with West Creek Conservancy<\/a> to restore more 70 acres of land donated by the Gorman family. About 20 acres of agricultural fields will return to wetland, while roughly 50 acres of forest will thrive alongside it.<\/p>\n

(Story continues below photo. Aerial shot of the hummock and hollow at Oxbow Woods. Credit: David Ike Photography)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hands-on restoration in action for wetland<\/p>\n

According to Richland County Park District natural resources manager Rachael Glover, the project tackles one of the county\u2019s biggest environmental challenges with an H2Ohio grant<\/a> \u2014 improving water quality in the Muskingum River Watershed.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur rivers are currently facing decreasing water quality due to sedimentation and nutrient loading, making the mitigation of these issues a priority for the health of our water systems,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWetlands act like sponges, filtering rain and runoff before it reaches rivers such as the Mohican and its forks, the Clear Fork and Black Fork,\u201d Glover said. <\/p>\n

Biohabitats<\/a>, an ecological restoration firm, began work in the fall of 2025 with the initial phase completed in the winter. Glover said their approach included many different areas.<\/p>\n

Hummocks and hollows: Small hills and holes which mimic the ground disturbance created by a tree naturally falling and uplifting its roots and the surrounding soil \u2014 creating microhabitats supporting a diversity of plants and wildlife.<\/p>\n

Native seeding: Prairie and wetland seeds stabilize soil, provide wildlife cover and filter out nutrients before they reach waterways.<\/p>\n

Tree plantings: Fenced clusters called \u201cpods,\u201d will protect newly planted Sycamore, Cottonwood, Red Maple and White Pine trees, which will naturally spread to reforest the area.<\/p>\n

Vernal pools: Shallow holes fill with water in the spring, providing seasonal habitats for wildlife including amphibians and other aquatic animals.<\/p>\n

Live stakes: Dormant woody cuttings including some from local trees. This is an inexpensive way to introduce a large quantity of woody plants to the site \u2014 creating root systems stabilizing the soil and providing food and shelter for wildlife.<\/p>\n

Invasive species removal: In the spring, restoration will continue with a large-scale invasive removal, including species such as Honeysuckle, Autumn Olive, Border Privet and Phragmites. <\/p>\n

Oxbow Woods: Nature\u2019s playground<\/p>\n

Located close to Der Dutchman and Finnigan\u2019s Run dog park, the park\u2019s name highlights the property\u2019s multiple oxbow river features \u2014 U-shaped bends slowly detaching from the main flow.<\/p>\n

(Story continues below photos. Left shows the before of the property while the right image shows the after. Provided by David Ike Photography)<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

The restoration will support a variety of wildlife, Glover noted everything from migratory birds to insects will benefit.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor instance, waterfowl will benefit from these habitats as diverse water levels and vegetation create ideal foraging and nesting grounds,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Glover added amphibians will gain breeding sites, dragonflies will benefit from the breeding grounds and butterflies will thrive thanks to the prairie\/wetland seed mix planted across the site. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is just a small list of some broad species groups that will benefit from the restoration \u2013 we are excited to monitor it over time and see what specific species will utilize the site,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe project is currently not accessible to the public as restoration and development are ongoing,\u201d Glover said. \u201cHowever, future development will include the construction of trails connecting to the B&O Trail, providing public access to the property.\u201d<\/p>\n

Glover added while they are in the early stages the future holds many opportunities for the residents to help support the wetland, similar to their other parks and natural areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe community will be able to help with invasive removal, trail maintenance or even trash cleanup,\u201d Glover said. \u201cWe will continue to inform the public throughout the development process.\u201d<\/p>\n

(More photos from the Oxbow Woods restoration project. Credit: \u00a0RCPD, Biohabitats and West Creek Conservancy)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BELLVILLE \u2014 You\u2019re not imagining things if you\u2019ve spotted what looks like a construction zone at the Alexander…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":410707,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[197123,192,831,197124,79,197125],"class_list":["post-410706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-bellville","tag-environment","tag-featured","tag-richland-county-park-district","tag-science","tag-west-creek-conservancy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=410706"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410706\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/410707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=410706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=410706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=410706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}