The Clinton County Park District hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 16 to officially open the East Fork Riparian Reserve Stream and Wetland Restoration Project — a years-long effort to restore the natural habitat of the East Fork Little Miami River located at 64 Webertown Road, Lynchburg.

According to a news release, the East Fork Riparian Reserve is a 70-acre nature preserve nestled along the banks of the East Fork Little Miami River on the border of Clinton and Highland counties. Acquired by the park district in the early 2000s, the property had been intensively farmed for decades before efforts began to restore the land back to natural streamside forest and upland prairie.

“Over the years, we’ve worked to restore habitat for native plants and wildlife, including Butternut trees and migratory birds like the Cerulean Warbler,” said Bob Thobaben, Clinton County Park District president. “Thanks to the support from our state partners, we were finally able to restore a major stream that was severely eroding and washing sediments and pollutants into the East Fork.”

The Clean Ohio and H2Ohio programs provided funding to stabilize and restore 900 feet of stream and construct four pocket wetlands in the floodplain to absorb high flows and filter pollutants during storm events. Another seasonal wetland was constructed in the upland area near the parking lot to provide additional habitat for amphibians, birds and other wildlife during the spring season.

“The entire site is beginning to bloom and we’re eager to honor our partners and share the site with the community,” said Thobaben.

For more information about the project, contact the Clinton County Park District at [email protected].