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Wetlands in Wood County to be restored

It’s hard to believe that the yawning farm fields of Wood County were once a woods, thick woods and a swamp, black swamp. Those 20 acres are about to return to nature.

WOOD COUNTY (WTOL) - A piece of natural history is being recreated in Wood County.

It’s hard to believe that the yawning farm fields of Wood County were once a woods, thick woods and a swamp, black swamp. Those 20 acres are about to return to nature.

“Being able to add to Wood County’s wetlands is a big plus for us," said Neil Munger, the director of Wood County Parks.

On the west side of Carter Farm Park is where, history is being remade, as work is underway to turn this back into a natural wetlands area..as it used to be when the first farmers got here.

“It was all wetland, it was a lot of thick woods, a lot of thick brush, they had to deal with a lot of different things,” Munger explained.

Clearing the trees was just one hurdle for the early settlers, draining the water was another. Life in the Great Black Swamp was daunting. Just one of the lessons this land will provide once the Wood County Park District and Black SWamp Conservancy finish the project.

“Part of this wetlands restoration will be we call a forested wetland, with a seasonal wet area under mature trees and that’s a lot of the what the Great Black Swamp was before it was all drained," said Melanie Coulter with the Black Swamp Conservancy.

The wetlands, when complete will also filter the water runoff from the farms field before it drains into a nearby ditch.

On Wednesday, workers will starting sowing the seeds of the many native plants that will grow here. A covering a straw will protect them as the wetlands and prairie will root.

“The first or second growing season after putting ina wetland, we start getting frogs and will get plants growing so that the wetlands start the filtering process so that the process happens within a year, really quickly.”

Once complete, The Carter Farm wetlands will feature hiking and walking trails and it uis hoped to become yet another jewel among our growing treasure of area parks.

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