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Managing Existing Land
Protecting open space and natural areas has been a priority for Five Rivers MetroParks since the agencies beginning in 1963. As of 2008, the agency's protected land totals 14,161 acres made up of both public parks and non-public conservation areas. Also since it's beginnings, MetroParks has required that at least 80% of its acreage be maintained as natural areas. To maintain this ratio, conservation and maintenance teams work closely to establish aquisition and management plans.
Conservation staff is guided by the following principals in their planning:
- Protect significant natural areas, particularly adjacent to existing MetroParks and river corridors in the Miami Valley.
- Protect and connect significant tracts of forest.
- Link forests and park lands along river corridors.
- Establish buffer areas where needed to main open space and protect watersheds.
For each tract of land managed by Five Rivers MetroParks, a carefully designed plan for land stewardship is created. Land stewardship plans are designed to protect, manage and restore examples of plant and animal communities native to the Miami Valley and provide park visitors with an opportunity to experience and learn about their natural heritage.
Land stewardship is both a science and an art. It involves understanding the land
and the life on it. Its goal is to maintain or increase the "biodiversity" - the
variety of plant and animal life that live in the natural areas - in the parks.
On much of the land, little or no management takes place. The natural process of
succession is allowed to happen, which will in time convert what was once farmland
into forests. In other areas, MetroParks promotes other habitats for animals and
plants that are native to the area but do not live in a forest. On these areas you
can encounter prairies, wetlands, meadows and brush lands and the wonderful variety
of life that inhabit these areas.
Individual land Stewardship plans are based
on a thorough inventory of the soils, plants, animals and topography of the land.
The plans employ a combination of science and aesthetics to ensure that the results
are pleasing to plants and animals as well as people.
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View maps of current land stewardship plans:
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Five Rivers MetroParks Conservation
Areas
Conservation Areas are land bases owned
and/or managed by Five Rivers MetroParks, most of which are not yet open to the
public (Dull Woods is open to the public). Conservation Areas preserve open spaces,
sensitive ecological areas and river corridors. Because lands like these are becoming
scarcer and more expensive in Montgomery County, Five Rivers MetroParks deems it
better to protect the land while available, even if MetroParks does not have the
staff or resources allocated to open them to the public right away.
Currently there are eight Conservation Areas. These properties are
scenic and are excellent examples of habitats native to the Miami Valley. MetroParks
staff are excited about these “secret” parks and look forward to sharing them with
the public. In the meantime, if you would like to tour a Conservation Area, call
(937) 275-PARK.
- Dull Woods Conservation Area
This unique 8-acre woods is in Clay Township, adjacent to the Wolf Creek Recreation
Trail. It is a tiny remnant of the vast swamp forests that once covered northwest
Montgomery County. Outstanding wildflower and tree and shrub diversity can be seen
in this little island of forest. This Conservation Area is open to public. Access
Dull Woods from U.S. 40 west of Brookville. Park at the lot between Dodson Pike
and Number 9 Road and walk or bike .5 miles south on the Wolf Creek Recreation Trail
to Dull Woods.
- Medlar Conservation Area
Located in Miami Township, this 200-acre site contains
mature woods, fields, thickets and a significant number of wetlands that are being
created for wildlife habitat.
- Needmore Conservation Area
Two tracts of land that straddle the Great Miami
River and Needmore Road in northeast Dayton make up the 160-acre Needmore Conservation Area.
This land is between Wagner Ford Road and State route 202. The northern tract is
densely wooded; the southern tract is former agricultural land.
- Pigeye Conservation Area
Located along the Stillwater River north of Englewood
MetroPark, this 73-acre site contains old trees, a meadow, thicket, wetland, the
Stillwater River, clear Pigeye Creek and 2,000 year-old Hopewell Culture earthworks.
- Sandridge Prairie Conservation Area
A 5-acre natural prairie on a sandy slope in Moraine that is unique to Ohio.
- Shiloh Woods Conservation Area
The Shiloh Woods Conservation Area is located
along the Stillwater River between Meeker Road and Philadelphia Drive northwest
of Dayton, in Butler Township and Clayton. This 320-acre preserve includes two tracts
of old woods, meadows, thickets, a scenic pond and access to the Stillwater River.
- Twin Valley Conservation Area
Located along Twin Creek upstream of Germantown
MetroPark, this 376-acre natural area contains outstanding examples of mature forest,
wildflowers and beautiful scenery along Twin Creek. The Three Valley Conservation
Trust is an active partner is protecting the lands in the Twin Valley area.
- Woodman Fen Conservation Area
This 37-acre natural area is located west of Woodman
Drive adjacent to the Belmont neighborhood. The site is an old bog, or alkaline
fen, that was used for agriculture and dumping for many years. The thick deposits
of peat are still there and the site has great potential to return to a wetland
full of the beautiful native plants that were once found there. MetroParks is actively
restoring the site and eventually hopes to have trails and a boardwalk to allow
the neighborhood and the public to learn about this unique site.
Conservation Easements
Conservation easements are a cost-effective way to protect natural areas and farmland.
The development rights of property are purchased for a fraction of the cost of purchasing
the land. The land remains private property, but it cannot be developed. MetroParks
has worked closely with the Three Valley Conservation Trust in obtaining conservation
easements and together have received grants from the Clean Ohio Fund to purchase
conservation easements on nearly 700 acres of farmland and natural areas adjacent
to Germantown MetroPark and the Upper Twin Conservation Area. Over 1,200 acres of
farmland are protected in the Twin Valley area with conservation easements.
Protecting Additional Land
In the rapidly developing landscape of the Miami Valley it is important to consider
the needs of future generations for open space, as well as the protection of the
existing parks. The two major objectives are to acquire and protect important lands
adjacent to existing parks and to join protected lands together, primarily along
river corridors. Scientists who have studied natural areas agree that larger nature
reserves are more effective and more likely to provide homes for wildlife if surrounding
land is developed. They are also more likely to do this if they are connected together,
like a hallway connecting the rooms of your house. Larger areas are also more likely
to provide visitors with a sense of serenity and wonder than a small area surrounded
by development.
To accomplish this leg of the stewardship goal, MetroParks uses a variety of techniques.
In addition to outright purchasing of land, we lease land from other agencies and
municipalities and purchase and accept conservation easements. A conservation easement
is an agreement with a landowner where they agree to forever protect their natural
area, but it remains private property. This can be a cost-effective way to protect
the public lands.
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