Our Wetlands

Wetland

Wetlands are an important part of our ecosystem and our life.  They provide the following tangible and intangible benefits:

At Valley View we have two basic types of wetland - upland and streamside.  The upland wetlands are a series of ponds and low lying areas on the west side of our property against the base of the steep wooded hillside.  These areas trap water in the wet season and are fed by springs and groundwater during a fair portion of the dry season.  Click on the picture below to see a slideshow of these wetlands (this is a large video file that may take a minute or two to open and will require Flash Player for proper viewing).

Pond

These wetland areas are sometimes referred to as "successional" wetlands because as recently as a few years or decades ago they were actively farmed.  However, prior to the beginning of farming in the 1800s, these lands were most certainly wetlands.  We are allowing these areas to return to their original pre-farming condition.  As you can see from the slide show, in many cases, we have no option at certain times of the year because these lands typically flood during wet weather.  The picture of the small pond above was taken in July during dry weather.  That same pond looks like the picture below in the wet winter and spring months.  Depending on the season, these wetlands attract a variety of wildlife including migratory birds, frogs and other amphibians and animals that use the area as a source of water. 

Winter Flood

The other wetland at Valley View is a streamside wetland.  These wetlands exist in the wooded forest along the banks of the the East Fork.  This wetland area is quite scenic and wet almost year round, except in extreme dry weather.  Click on the picture below to see a slideshow of these wetlands (this is a large video file that may take a minute or two to open and will require Flash Player for proper viewing).

    

These wetlands support a different type of wildlife than the upland wetlands elsewhere on our property.   They are also home to a family of beavers as evidenced by the logging project shown in the picture below. 

BeaverTree     

And during extreme storms, this is the first part of our property to flood.  And that sometimes leads to the arrival of some new "wildlife" in the form of trash and debris that is either dumped or swept up by the river.  This, in turn creates a good volunteer opportunity.  Each spring around Earth Day Valley View participates in the East Fork River Sweep.  We host (and feed) volunteers, collect trash picked up by canoeist on and usually end up filling a large roll off dumpster at our site with trash collected along the river. 

Flood                 River Sweep

If you would like to read a more detailed report about the wetlands on the Valley View property, you can click on the link below to see a Preliminary Wetlands Assessment.  Valley View commissioned this report in 2003.  In 2002, some of the areas evaluated had been planted in soybeans.  With time, more wetland area will return to natural wetland habitat. 

You can also read our Final Project Plan that was submitted to Ohio EPA under the WRRSP program as this document contains additional information regarding the wetland features along the East Fork. 

Finally, you can review the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) that was prepared in connection with the City of Milford's wastewater treatment system upgrades and Valley View's acquisition of 24 acres of land with WRRSP funds.  This document explains the various environmental benefits that Valley View is providing to improve wetland habitat and water quality along the East Fork of the Little Miami River.