Western Reserve Land Conservancy

Last month, in partnership with the Village of Kelleys Island, we successfully protected 13.5 acres on the Island. Now owned by the Village of Kelleys Island, the 13.5 acres will be added to the adjacent 18.5-acre Quinn Preserve to protect critical habitat and provide public access. The Lake Erie Islands are special for their natural resources and recreation opportunities, and as the largest American island in Lake Erie, Kelleys Island comprises ~3,000 acres. Nearly 1,000 acres are protected through the combined efforts of the Land Conservancy, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and the Village of Kelleys Island. We love helping to protect these unique places and couldn’t do it without our generous funders Ohio Public Works Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Erie County Community Foundation, the Mylander Foundation, and SOUTH SHORE CRUISING CLUB INC.

Join us for our spooooky October webinar! 🦇 The Halloween season provides unique opportunities and challenges to better understand these misrepresented and often invisible and unheard creatures. Bats provide numerous little-known benefits to humans, and their presence or absence is imperative to both healthy ecosystems and our food production. Join us as we welcome Todd Cartner for his presentation, The Unseen Wonders of Ohio’s Bats: Benefits, Research, and Future. Register today! https://lnkd.in/gi_vCNvC

We are proud to collaborate with Enbridge Gas Ohio to offer the Ohio Watershed Mini Grant Program for the 9th year. We believe that protecting our watersheds is vital. Watershed groups provide an important service to the larger community by recognizing potential threats, devising plans, taking corrective actions, and educating the public. Ohio Watershed groups are invited to apply for funds for marketing, promotions, and outreach projects or healthy watershed projects. Applications are due to Western Reserve Land Conservancy by October 30. Go to https://lnkd.in/gzgwp4Hw

That's a wrap on another successful trees4CLE tree adoption! 152 trees were sent off to their new homes at our pick-up event on October 3, and another 73 were planted and/or delivered by our skilled volunteers to people who needed assistance either retrieving or planting their tree on October 5. Thank you to all of our participants! Next, we look forward to the start of our community tree planting season!

Join Western Reserve Land Conservancy tomorrow for a reception with artist Susan Check and her exhibit, “Cuyahoga River Series”. Experience Susan Check’s artistic journey along the Cuyahoga River. An Ohio native now living in Virginia Beach, Susan captures the beauty of the region in her work. Register at: https://lnkd.in/efi4yCjm. We hope to see you there!

Congratulations to one of our esteemed trustees, Ricardo Leon, on being appointed President and CEO of Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corporation!

Volunteers from Amazon’s CLE2 and CLE7 sites teamed up with the Western Reserve Land Conservancy to refresh several local park spaces. Today, we had the privilege of working at the Ubuntu Gathering Spot—a public space that opened in June 2023, revitalizing land that once housed an auto dealership. The name “Ubuntu” derives from the Nguni Bantu word for “humanity,” meaning “I am because we are.” It’s a reminder of the deep connections we share when we see ourselves in others. As part of the site’s green infrastructure, a series of bioretention cells stretches across the property, diverting 244,000 gallons of stormwater annually from the sewer system—a critical step in protecting our environment. We are incredibly grateful to the Western Reserve Land Conservancy for their leadership and continued stewardship of urban, suburban, and rural spaces throughout Northeast Ohio. Cc: Eleni Byers, Robert Silagy, Greg Fry, Jerry Kovatch, Ellen Matlock #amazon #amazonvestlife #amazongives #amazongivescleveland #westernreservelandconservancy

Huge thanks to Amazon volunteers for all of their hard work helping us refresh four urban green spaces across Cleveland’s southeast side. On September 26, sixteen associates joined our staff in planting more than 200 native plants, adding compost, and performing site maintenance. Funds for this initiative were provided by a grant from the Forest Service International Foundation. We are so grateful for Amazon’s continued support of our urban projects and programs: their willingness to get their hands dirty in service to the community benefits residents and supports Cleveland’s biodiversity.

Western Reserve Land Conservancy’s Reforest Our City program is incredibly grateful for the generous donation of mature tree care from our Tree Preservation Sponsor, Bartlett Tree Experts. On Saturday, September 21st, a crew from Bartlett provided soil care and fertilization, pest management, natural pruning, and root invigoration on trees planted by the Land Conservancy at Citizens Academy Elementary School in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood. Reforest Our City is proud of its commitment to growing and maintaining our trees in the city, going beyond just planting and watering. The donation of expert tree maintenance from Bartlett will ensure these trees are healthy assets to the school and community for generations.

We are pleased to announce the return of our Zoom into Nature series on Tuesday, October 1 at 6:30 PM ET. We're kicking off this year's series with a program on Flying Squirrels with Dr. Don Althoff, Certified Wildlife Biologist & Professor Emeritus of Wildlife Conservation at the University of Rio Grande. Dr. Althoff will share with us what he's learned about these fascinating, elusive, and adorable mammals during his decades of research. Learn more and register at https://lnkd.in/erteQrmw