The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

Western Lake Erie Basin

Imagine Lake Erie's western basin shimmering with clean water and lined with nourishing wetlands inhabited by colorful birds and other wildlife.  The public benefits from clean drinking water, sport fishing, birding and recreational boating.  Visitors enjoy the marinas and beaches while tens of thousands of waterfowl and songbirds stop to rest and refuel during their semiannual migrations. 

Kitty Todd Preserve
Habitat protection for migratory birds

Central Lake Erie Watersheds

Imagine wetlands and forests lining the Grand River and other biologically rich rivers of Northeast Ohio.  They provide critical wildlife habitat while filtering drinking water and controlling floods.  Landowners, conservation groups, community leaders and businesses work together to ensure that development occurs responsibly so that populations of snowshoe hare, river otter and other wildlife flourish. 

Morgan Swamp Preserve
Herrick Fen Preserve
Beck Fen Preserve
Lucia S. Nash Preserve
Flatiron Lake Bog Preserve

Legacy Preserves and Project Areas

Stillfork Swamp Preserve
Brown's Lake Bog Preserve
Public lands protected with help from the Conservancy

Upper Ohio River and Tributaries

Imagine the Ohio River thriving with clean water and wildlife, providing water for energy transportation and drinking to communities throughout the watershed. Major tributaries flow unobstructed into this great river, allowing free movement of fish and freshwater mussels. For the first time, the locks and dams along the river are managed to encourage fish passage for sturgeon, paddlefish and other species.

Ohio River
Darby Creek Watershed
Big Darby Headwaters Nature Preserve

Appalachian Foothill Forests

Imagine millions of acres of Ohio forests that are managed sustainably to support jobs, timber and habitat for animals like bear, bobcat and dozens of migratory bird species. These forests clean our air and drinking water while soaking up heat-trapping gases. Families reconnect with nature in these woods and reaffirm their way of life by camping, fishing and hunting.

Edge of Appalachia Preserve System
Strait Creek Prairie Bluffs Preserve
Baker Swamp Preserve
Glade Wetland Preserve