Conservation projects vie for $1.9 million from Clean Ohio
Staff report
YOUNGSTOWN
Conservation entities in Mahoning and Trumbull counties are seeking nearly $5 million from the Clean Ohio Conservation Fund for 11 projects in the region – but only $1.9 million is available for the funding district in this cycle.
On Friday, the District 6 Natural Resource Assistance Council, comprised of area officials, reviewed preliminary applications for those projects ahead of their January finalizations. The review was at the city offices of Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, which coordinates the council and administers the state funding.
Officials should know which projects will receive the funding by early next year. A question-and-answer council session on the finalized projects is set for February.
The Clean Ohio fund, established by voters in 2000, funds projects that “preserve open space, protect sensitive ecosystems, expand local park footprints and restore streams,” according to a release from Eastgate.
Each of the 11 projects seeks about a quarter of its total funding from Clean Ohio:
For Mill Creek Metro-Parks:
A $535,000 expansion of the Mill Creek Wildlife Sanctuary in Canfield would preserve about 219 acres.
A $40,000 expansion of the McGuffey Wildlife Preserve in Lowelville would preserve about 17 acres, including a riparian corridor.
A $32,000 property acquisition in the Newport/Glenwood area by Mill Creek Park would preserve about two acres.
A $15,000 project to protect Meander Tributary riparian zone would preserve about an acre.
For Trumbull County MetroParks:
A $2.6 million preservation at Coalburg Lake would preserve 356 acres.
A $170,000 Greenway Preserve project would preserve 45 acres.
For Natural Areas Land Conservancy:
A $935,000 expansion of wetlands in Trumbull County would preserve 221 acres.
A $915,000 expansion of forested wetlands in Farmington would preserve 226 acres.
In Lowellville: Phase I of an $850,000 Mahoning River protection and restoration project would preserve an estimated 35 acres, depending on parcel sales which are still pending.
In Howland: A $430,000 expansion of Mosquito Creek wetlands would preserve 120 acres.
In Austintown Township: A $142,000 acquisition of property in the township would preserve about 18 acres.