One goal of the $500K wetlands project is to curb the flooding of the Killbuck Creek

Kevin Lynch, Wooster Daily Record
·4 min read

MILLERSBURG − A two-year, $500,000 collaborative program came to conclusion last week with a ribbon-cutting and tree planting ceremony celebrating the many partners of the project.

The Holmes County Park District and the Soil & Water Conservation District pursued a $500,000 grant through the H2Ohio program to purchase land between the Holmes County Trail and the Killbuck Creek at Sand Run, and over the past two years, they worked together to restore the 33-plus acres of farmland to wetlands west of Walmart along state Route 83.

And on Monday, with the help of many partners, including seven troops of Holmes County Scouts and the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau, they held a ribbon-cutting and tree-planting ceremony along the Holmes County Trail at the site.

Scout members of Troop 71 from Shreve were among the seven troops on hand Monday in Millersburg taking part in tree planting along the Holmes County Trail at the dedication ceremony for the completion of the H2Ohio wetlands project at the Killbuck Creek and Sand Run.
Scout members of Troop 71 from Shreve were among the seven troops on hand Monday in Millersburg taking part in tree planting along the Holmes County Trail at the dedication ceremony for the completion of the H2Ohio wetlands project at the Killbuck Creek and Sand Run.

Holmes County Park District Director Jen Halverson welcomed the crowd of well-wishers and partners.

"We're excited to celebrate the completion, recognize our partners in the project and explain a little about what's going on here," Halverson said. "We're not opening the site completely to the public yet because we want it to have a chance to grow and establish what it's supposed to do.

"As you walk down the trail, you can see that it's still holding a lot of water in some areas, and we want to learn where that water is going to flow and where the plants are going to thrive before we encourage the community to walk through it," she said. "That could potentially be detrimental. Hopefully at a later date, we'll be able to provide access to the public so they can walk out there."

She added the restoration project still can be appreciated from the trail.

Matt Chanay of the county Engineer's Office chats with Park District board member Dan Mathie while Eric Strouse visits with John Navarro, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, at the ribbon cutting celebrating the Killbuck Creek and Sand Run wetland project on the Holmes County Trail.
Matt Chanay of the county Engineer's Office chats with Park District board member Dan Mathie while Eric Strouse visits with John Navarro, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, at the ribbon cutting celebrating the Killbuck Creek and Sand Run wetland project on the Holmes County Trail.

She told the Scouts that over the years, as they come out and walk the trail and look at some of the trees they planted and how they are growing, they will be able to appreciate and understand what is happening and why the project was undertaken.

"The Killbuck Creek and Sand Run are both impactful waterways in Holmes County," Halverson said. "What we're trying to do is mitigate that impact a little bit and create a nice wetlands habitat and build a nice natural corridor here at the trail."

This is so Holmes County

Halverson said the project was "so Holmes County," because every time she asked people for help, they were more than willing to pitch in.

Scouts from seven troops in Holmes County were on hand to plant trees and help celebrate the completion of the H2Ohio project at Killbuck Creek and Sand Run in Millersburg.
Scouts from seven troops in Holmes County were on hand to plant trees and help celebrate the completion of the H2Ohio project at Killbuck Creek and Sand Run in Millersburg.

She is grateful to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for funding the H2Ohio project.

John Navarro of the ODNR said the governor has invested $100 million into the H2Ohio program statewide, noting wetlands are like nature's kidneys, filtering the water.

Halverson also thanked the Holmes County commissioners for support of ongoing projects, as well as the Holmes County Soil & Water Conservation District, Trevor Berger and Karen Gotter, who brought the technical aspects of the projects and helped write the grant to get the funding.

Gotter explained the many benefits of wetlands, including water quality as well wildlife and economic benefits. She said the project hopes to harness the power of the regular flooding of the Killbuck Creek into feeding the wetlands, helping to purify the water and slow down the impact of flooding.

"By capturing sediments and capturing nutrients, you are giving specialized plant species a really important foothold on the landscape," Gotter said. "That allows them to thrive in wetland areas, and in turn will benefit water fowl and fish and other water species."

Holmes County Park District board member Irene Burgett cuts the ribbon to celebrate the completion of the H2Ohio project at Killbuck Creek and Sand Run Wetland, as other board members Ashley Vaughn and Dan Mathie, Park District Director Jen Halverson, several Holmes County Scouts, ODNR's John Navarro and Karen Gotter and Trevor Berger of Soil ad Water Conservation District look on.

Scouts did their part

Halverson expressed her gratitude to the Scouts of Holmes County who were instrumental in the program.

"The Scouts have partnered with us for years, and we are so grateful they keep coming back and being a part of all of our projects," she said. "We want to offer a huge thank you to all who were part of this project."

Holmes County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau Director Tiffany Gerber appreciates the work that was done to help make Holmes County more inviting to visitors.

"Anything that improves the quality of life in Holmes County is big for us," Gerber said. "Outdoor recreation and activities are opening a whole new avenue for us to explore in regards to tourism."

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Holmes H2Ohio wetlands project ends with ribbon-cutting ceremony