The restoration project for the portion of the Ottawa River on The University of Toledo Main Campus continues with the selective removal of trees in the coming weeks, weather permitting.
Up to 20 trees will be removed; these will be limited to dead or dying trees, those needed to be cleared for access for project equipment and materials, or trees that pose a threat to public safety. This is the first step in the President’s Commission on the River project to restore the waterway.
“The process of removing the trees is very selective and carefully conducted as to not impact the habitat or bank stability,” said Dr. Patrick Lawrence, professor and chair of the Department of Geography and Planning, and chair of the President’s Commission on the River. “All of the sites will be replanted when the project nears completion in fall 2012 and spring 2013.”
The river restoration project is funded with a $235,000 grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and $114,000 from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
The goal is to improve the habitat of the river with native aquatic and stream bank plant species and other natural materials. The long-term benefits will be to increase the diversity of aquatic species in the river and improve environmental conditions. The in-stream restoration portion of the project is scheduled for August 2012.
The President’s Commission on the River will host a public meeting from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, in Student Union Room 2591 to show preliminary design elements and plans for the river restoration.
