Completed Pond Brook restoration heralds return of nature
Mike Johnson, Chief of Conservation
Twenty years ago, Summit Metro Parks teamed up with the City of Twinsburg and Village of Reminderville to create what is now Liberty Park. From the pristine sandstone ledges to the vast swamp forests, we knew we had found a biodiversity preserve worth protecting. With this wonderful property, we also inherited historical problems that needed some attention. The biggest concern was the predominant aquatic feature of the site: Pond Brook.
Despite its idyllic name, the feature was anything but a picturesque brook. Over the past century, Pond Brook had been ditched, drained and de-vegetated, and was nearly devoid of aquatic life. This was done in the name of agriculture, and back in those days, it was common to ditch and drain wetlands for what was called “land conservation.”
Today, we know better. The value of healthy wetlands and free-flowing streams is being realized around the world. Our wetlands, streams and forests clean our air and provide the water we drink. They offer valuable habitat for plants and wildlife that also provide ecosystem services (like medicines). And certainly, they deliver immeasurable moments of enjoyment for hikers and park patrons.
To restore the stream, we used grant funding to reshape it into a natural meandering pattern, installed rock riffle structures (which provide oxygen to aquatic wildlife) and installed underwater habitat structures made of wood. We also added in natural woody vegetation, sandy layers and deep pools. It takes a lot of work to undo historical damage, and over the course of many years we had to move vast acres of earth to literally sculpt a natural stream back onto the landscape.
To manage the project, we broke it into three phases. With the completion of Phase 3 in 2019, we can now take a moment and reflect on what we have accomplished over 15 years. The project has restored more than five miles of stream and hundreds of acres of riparian wetlands and forested habitats. Fish and wildlife have returned and otters now swim along the entire corridor.
Although the return of otters is the most iconic measure of success, there are additional less visible parameters we monitor. We utilize a series of tools to measure the quality of habitats, vegetation, fish and wildlife. Termed “biocriteria,” these tools all point to an improved habitat. One of the most significant measures is a large decrease in DELT (Deformities, Eroded fins, Lesions and Tumors) anomalies on the fish of Pond Brook. Prior to our restoration, many of the fish in Pond Brook were covered in these anomalies, attesting to the stressed environment they were living in. Today, most of the DELT issues have subsided and we have a healthier aquatic community with cleaner water. Healthy fish means healthy water — not just for them, but for humans, too.
A fact sheet summarizing this project is available on the Summit Metro Parks website.
For more great stories like this, check out Green Islands Magazine, a bi-monthly publication from Summit Metro Parks. Summit County residents can sign up to receive the publication at home free of charge.
