Ensuring Protection Forever

We ensure land stays protected on year at a time.

protecting

Once a property is protected, it is our responsibility and privilege to ensure that it remains protected, forever. We meet our responsibility by building strong and lasting relationships with landowner families and the land they love. In this way, we see our stewardship program as the foundation for a strong and successful future.

How we steward land

Our goal in stewarding protected land is to ensure the conserving landowners’ wishes are kept in place forever. We take this responsibility seriously. Each year, we make at least one visit to all of the properties that we have helped preserve in order to ensure the conservation agreement is being upheld. We love these visits because they give us a chance to catch up with landowners and meet the new generations.

How we help with land management

Once a landowner protects his or her property, we act as a resource for those interested improving the ways they manage their land. Whether it involves identifying a new plant or animal, coordinating volunteers to pull invasive species, or choosing the best trees to plant, we are always happy to offer advice and insight. And if we don’t know the answers we help you find the people that do, which allows us learn a lot in the process. Landowners appreciate the land management tips we offer through our annual property visits, stewardship newsletters, special events, or quick phone conversations. 

A visit with a landowner
Landowners we work with are doing some great things to manage their property. Click here to read an example of a landowner who is making a real difference. 

Land management tip of the month

wrlcPete says:  “pick it before it goes to seed”

The invasive plant garlic mustard is negatively impacting native habitats in our region by displacing native plant species and generally disrupting healthy ecosystems. Garlic mustard originated in Europe and was first document in this country around 1870. It was used for herbal and medicinal purposes. It has now spread throughout the region and is on the top ten list of Ohio invasive plant species. In order to get rid of garlic mustard, you must be pull it “root and all” out of the ground every spring between the beginning of April and the end of June before the plant begins to seed. I’d like to point out that garlic mustard is now going to seed! If you are able to identify garlic mustard, look closely at this time of year to their elongated seed pods called siliques. You will notice that the pods have opened up revealing numerous black seeds. One plant can produce from 350 to 8,000 seeds. Wind dispersal is limited for garlic mustard seeds and most seeds fall near the parent plant. However; humans transport seed on boots, clothing, hair, by mowing, and by using equipment covered in seeds. Western-Reserve-Land-Conservancy-Garlic-MustardBeing careful about where you’ve been and where you throw your hard waste helps prevent the spread of garlic mustard. If you are working on your property or have hired someone to work on your property with lawnmowers or heavy equipment you may want to be sure that mower beds and tires are washed free of seeds from other properties.

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