Respected regional land trust, the Black Swamp Conservancy has donated an undeveloped 12-acre parcel of land to the Park District of Ottawa County (PDOC), that includes a broad marsh and a quarter mile of shoreline on Lake Erie’s West Harbor. The parcel, located in Catawba Island Township, will be the future site of a park maintenance facility and will include a kayak launch, walking trails, a parking area, and habitat restoration projects.

It is the first park area owned by the Park District of Ottawa County and will be named the West Harbor Preserve.

The 12-acre parcel is one of two strategic pieces of conservation land on Catawba Island that were purchased earlier this year by the Black Swamp Conservancy through a grant from the Clean Ohio Conservation Fund. The other property contains more than 19 acres of mature hardwood forest and will be retained by the conservancy for migratory bird and wildlife habitat.

“On Dec. 21, 2023, we had a milestone moment for the park district. It has been 31 years since the inception of the park district, but we can now say we own property to develop our first park area,” said Jannah Wilson, executive director for the Park District of Ottawa County.

Projects such as this are made possible through the park district’s current 10-year 0.6-mill operating levy which was passed by Ottawa County voters in November 2020. The operating levy will continue to support the park district as it develops amenities and maintain the property now and in the future.

The Park District of Ottawa County, first established in 1992, will be issuing a request for proposals (RFP) for a park master plan and preliminary engineering design, Wilson said.

Development of the West Harbor Preserve will take up to two years, during which time the preserve will not be publicly accessible. Located in Catawba Island Township on a body of water known locally as “the inner harbor,” the protection of the 12 acres prevents the land from being lost to development, said Ellie Schiappa, conservation associate for Black Swamp Conservancy, in a West Harbor Preserve Documentation Report. Preserving this open space for perpetuity ensures this essential property is protected from development pressures.