Put-in-Bay Township Park District

May 29, 2020, Put-in-Bay Township Park District purchases 2.83 acres of lakefront

Put-in-Bay Township Park District has purchased 2.83 acres on the easternmost point of Middle Bass Island from the Cleveland family. This transaction grows the current preserve of 8 acres almost 11 contiguous acres of wooded shoreline-superb migratory birding habitat. It has been the site of Tom Bartlett’s bird banding operations since 2009. It’s also exciting that the Put-in-Bay Township Park District and Lake Erie Islands Conservancy (LEIC) have been able to preserve over 113 acres now on the Bass Islands.

Put-in-Bay Township Park District Funding & Grants

These lands are being conserved, in part, by funding and technical assistance made available by TC Energy and its subsidiary Columbia Gas Transmission’s Leach XPress Pipeline Project in partnership with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Conservation Fund. The Clean Ohio Conservation Fund provided a large grant through their District 5. The remainder of the funds were provided by the Put-in-Bay Township Park District and donations from the Lake Erie Islands Conservancy. We wish to thank the Cleveland family for working with us on the purchase, Neal Hess as conservation realtor, Marsha Collett as legal advisor, and Judy Twarek-Bickley of Hartung Title for her assistance.

Planned Improvements

Schmidlin Construction will be installing a split rail fence along the northern edge of the parcel, removing metal debris and an old storage barn for the park district. Because the old barn was home to bats, Casey Carty built a bullet bat house that will be put in place on-site for the bats. The footpath will eventually be extended through the Cleveland parcel as well. This summer EnviroScience will be visiting the preserve to remove some invasive trees and plants such as English Ivy, amur honeysuckle,  and Callery pear.

We are very excited to be able to preserve these beautiful termini of Middle Bass Island. The rocky shores and reef that extends from the point are important fish and mussel habitat and great for shoreline fishing. The wooded shores are a perfect stopover habitat for migratory birds. The woods are an interesting mix with many Ohio Buckeye and Kentucky Coffee trees. Now the Middle Bass Island East Point Preserve is almost 11 acres for walking, birding, and a stop on the Lake Erie Islands Water Trail. Paddle on over and enjoy the area soon!

And most important- a big THANK YOU to all of our supporters–together you have been able to preserve some beautiful places to enjoy such as Coopers Woods At Put-in-Bay!!! Your donations have allowed us to be able to offer funds toward these purchases! Stayed tuned for more Put-in-Bay Information!