Phase Two Underway at Howard Marsh

CURTICE, Ohio (WTVG) - Howard Marsh Phase One opened to the public in 2018. Now, four years later, the Metropark and its wetlands are growing to nearly a thousand acres.

“The thing about wetlands is that they’re constantly evolving. They change within and among years,” said Denis Franklin, the Natural Resources Supervisor for Metroparks Toledo.

The evolution of the marsh can be credited to various variables including nature and humans.

“This location was really important because it provides a lot of connectivity with a lot of other private and state and federal wetlands, and along the south shore of Lake Erie,” said Franklin.

Phase two of the marsh has been ongoing for more than a year, and it all started with the dirt.

“All that had to be dug and brought up to build an impoundment, the dike which impounds the water,” Franklin explained.

Then countless tons of rock were brought in. Next, tens of millions of gallons of lake water.

“On the west side of the unit, we’re connected to Cooley Canal, which is of course connected to Lake Erie. With the extremely high lake levels that we’ve been experiencing, we can just open the pump structure over there and gravity feed water in,” Franklin said.

Along with helping the local wildlife, this wetland will filter runoff to Lake Erie, plus alleviate flooding for those who live nearby.

“Maintain water levels, maintain invasive plants,” he explains are the immediate goals of the area. “This will take several years to really evolve into a fully functioning wetland,” Franklin said.

And in true Metroparks Toledo fashion, Franklin said, “We’ll have about two miles of walking trails around the perimeter. We’ll have several miles of canoeing and kayaking here.”

While there’s no set date on when this part of Howard Marsh will open to the public, leaders with Metroparks Toledo hope for this fall.

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