Purchase expands park on Middle Bass Island

PUT-IN-BAY — Put-in-Bay's park district has acquired 13.4 acres of land on Middle Bass Island, protecting important bird habitat."We are happy to announce that adding these 13.4 acres of protected land to the Middle Bass Island Forested Wetland Preserve brings our total protected area here to almost 30 acres," said Kelly Faris, chairman of the Put-in-Bay Township Park District.The land, purchased in two parcels, cost $689,700, said Peg Kohring, senior associate at the Conservation Fund.Funding came from a variety of sources, including mitigation funded by construction projects, the Conservation Fund, the Clean Ohio Conservation Fund and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.The land is located on Fox Road, just south of the airport property, said Lisa Brohl, a member of the park district board. The park is known as the Middle Bass Forested Wetland Preserve. "We just dedicated and opened a walking trail that walks back into the woods," Brohl said. According to the announcement by the park district and the Conservation Fund, birders have documented more than 110 bird species on Middle Bass Island. Many snakes also live in the park land, and the Lake Erie Islands are an important breeding area for Monarch butterflies."Our goal is to assist in the protection of lands and waters that have been identified as conservation priorities, valued for their wildlife habitat and other natural resources," Kohring said. "The protected acreage will ensure that local wildlife have access to key habitat and local residents have access to beautiful recreation areas. We're happy to have worked with Put-in-Bay Township Park District and the Lake Erie Islands Conservancy to make this project possible."U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, all noted that funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative helped pay for the project. All three lawmakers supported full funding for the GLRI.""This is exactly the kind of project this program was meant to support," Brown said.Middle Bass Island is an important habitat for birds. The Middle Bass Island Forested Wetland Preserve.