Located near the Belmont neighborhood, passers-by can observe the Woodman Fen Conservation Area, a 33-acre wetland restoration area owned and managed by Five Rivers MetroParks. What makes this wetland unique is its particular kind of muck. “A fen is a type of groundwater-fed wetland that remains wet year round,” explains Five Rivers MetroParks Wildlife Biologist Michael Enright. “Alkaline wetlands, like Woodman Fen, were once very common throughout southwestern Ohio; however, due to increases in development, relatively few remain today.”

In 2003, Five Rivers MetroParks purchased the Woodman Fen site, which was once converted into a vegetable farm, and began to restore the wetland. “The restoration process at Woodman Fen has been incredibly successful, and finally this fall, the restoration was completed,” Enright says. Montgomery County’s lone fen site has come a long way, and it took a lot of hard work to restore it to its natural state.

During spring 2009, more than 10,000 wetland plants were planted in Woodman Fen. All of the wetland plants here are native species that are unique to fens in southwest Ohio. “The results of these plantings were astonishing. Woodman Fen increased dramatically in its diversity of wetland plant species with only 30 species identified in 2007 to over 100 species currently identified,” Enright says. “Then during this past summer, we planted more than 6,000 prairie plants obtained from Cox Arboretum MetroPark in the prairie areas located between the forest and adjacent neighbors on the west side of the Fen. In the coming years, you will see lush fields of wildflowers as the prairie plants continue to grow.”

Public access to these conservation areas is another mission of the Conservation Department. But the Woodman Fen’s saturated alkaline soils make access difficult. “The majority of Woodman Fen is covered by up to six feet of black muck and peat,” Enright explains. Because peat is a soft and easily compressible substrate, dirt or gravel walking trails are not practical access routes through the wetland. Boardwalks on the other hand, offer a safe trail surface, allowing individuals to experience this rare ecosystem. The downside to boardwalks is they can be costly to build. Fortunately, the Conservation Department at Five Rivers MetroParks won funding to construct the boardwalk through the Walmart Foundation. “This money will help create a 1,200 linear foot boardwalk to be built through Woodman Fen,” Enright says. “Construction of the boardwalk is scheduled to begin soon, and a grand-opening ceremony will take place in April. The boardwalk will include three small observation decks were visitors will be able to view this stunning wetland. The boardwalk will also include a signage system that will mark points of interest and provide educational information regarding the plant and animal species that can be observed, and because the boardwalk will comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, everyone will have the opportunity to experience this rare ecosystem.”

IF YOU GO:

The Woodman Fen is located at 4820 Amesborough Road in Dayton. To get there, take Woodman Drive to Woodbine Avenue, turning west onto Woodbine. Then turn south onto Russet Avenue and east on Deborah Avenue. Finally, turn south on to Amesborough Road and continue until it dead ends into Newcastle Drive. There is no parking lot, but on-street parking is available. The entrance is at the north end of Newcastle Drive.

This article was originally published in the 2010 Spring Parkways.