Western Reserve Land Conservancy

06/15/2026

Join us for a fun and interactive birding experience for kids featuring author Lisa Donovan and her book Birds in My Backyard. This hands-on program introduces young nature enthusiasts to the sights and sounds of birds while encouraging creativity, exploration, and a connection to nature. Participants will enjoy a book reading with Lisa, a guided nature walk with naturalist Judy Semroc to look and listen for local birds, and activities designed to inspire curiosity about the natural world.

Register now! https://connect.wrlandconservancy.org/birdsinmybackyard

06/10/2026

Wildlife Wednesday: Our Waite Hill volunteer recorded this video on his property in Williamsfield Township in Ashtabula County. It's a fisher carrying her kit across a log!

Fishers are a member of the weasel family and were extirpated from Ohio—but over the last 20 years, they have been making a comeback in Northeast Ohio after returning to the state naturally from Pennsylvania.

06/08/2026

Last month, we were proud to host staff, volunteers, and community members for our annual Mother's Day weekend spruce-up of the Garden of Eleven Angels. We spent a beautiful morning providing love and care to the memorial garden by weeding, mulching, and planting more native flowers. As a touching tribute, the morning ended with one of the angel’s loved ones placing a bouquet of flowers on the memorial as a tribute to the eleven women.

06/06/2026

We’re proud to share that our Reforest Our City program had a standout spring planting season! This season was filled with excitement—it was our first spring in our new tree yard, we’ve added a new truck to our tree-planting fleet, and we added 475 total trees to Cleveland’s canopy through plantings and giveaways. We will water the 225 trees we planted for three years, ensuring that they not only survive, but continue to thrive.

We were proud to host, panel, and facilitate 31 events throughout the planting season, connecting with the communities we plant in and sharing why trees are so great. We'd also like to congratulate our 45 newly trained Sherwick Tree Stewards, who completed their planting requirement for graduation later this month.

Thank you to our ROC program staff, volunteers, Tree Stewards, and partners for supporting us as we keep reforesting the forest city, together!

06/04/2026

Thanks to everyone who guessed our Wildlife Wednesday mystery animal. We're happy to reveal... that it was a beaver!

Here's a video of our resident beaver spraying fluids, including castoreum—the extract that has historically been used in perfumes and raspberry flavoring—to mark his territory on the slicked over mud mound he created.

06/03/2026

Wildlife Wednesday: Who am I? This animal makes these types of mounds with slicked over mud to mark their territory. They often use a scent gland to mark their mound. From this same gland, they produce an extract that has been used in perfumes and raspberry flavoring as a “natural flavor,” according to the FDA.

Check back tomorrow for the answer!

06/02/2026

Great news in Trumbull County! This month, the Land Conservancy transferred a 263-acre Braceville Township property to Trumbull County MetroParks for long term ownership. Located in the Upper Mahoning River Basin Watershed, the property adds to an existing 145-acre conservation corridor in the township consisting of the 71-acre Braceville Nature Preserve and the 74-acre Braceville Nature Preserve extension—which the Land Conservancy also transferred to the MetroParks in June 2025.

The property has unique oxbow features of the Mahoning River, as well as 13 high-quality Category 3 wetlands and mature forests. 24 high priority bird and bat species have been documented on the property, including the endangered Little Brown Bat.

This project was made possible thanks to H2Ohio Funds, Clean Ohio, and the onXmaps Adventure Forever Grant program, as well as continued, strong partnership with Trumbull County MetroParks.

05/29/2026

Immerse yourself in the art of shinrin-yoku at Blue Heron Preserve in Memory of Janet Franklin Foster — one of our signature parks known for its quiet ponds, abundant wildlife, and scenic trails. Guided by forest bathing practitioner Alyson Wakeen, we'll slow down and experience the landscape through gentle meditations, mindful meandering, and opportunities for quiet reflection and connection with others. Space is limited, register today at

Event Details:Wednesday, June 17 from 6:00 to 8:00 PMBlue Heron PreserveLeader: Alyson Wakeen, Forest Bathing PractitionerJoin us for a peaceful and

05/28/2026

After ten years, the trees we've planted through our Reforest Our City Program are growing tall and providing shade in the neighborhoods that need them most. We've planted and given away more than 18,000 trees—and we're not done yet. Thank you for supporting us as we continue growing Cleveland's canopy.

05/26/2026

We are thrilled to announce that we recently acquired and protected a 38-acre property in Weller Township, Richland County before transferring ownership to our wonderful partners at Ashland County Park District.

This important and stunning property expands the existing 63-acre Carpenter Nature Preserve. It contains open meadows, upland forest and lowland floodplain forest, and high-quality Category 3 wetlands. The property also adds to a growing 4,600-acre conservation corridor within the Black Fork of the Mohican River (which includes the Land Conservancy’s 540-acre Black Fork Forest Preserve).

This project was possible thanks to funding from Clean Ohio Conservation Fund and the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District’s Partners in Watershed Management grant program.