Conservation: 2024 In Review
It was a year of evolution for our Conservation Program, the newest addition to our programming at the CGC. We’ve continued to restore habitats, grow native plants and teach people to be stewards of their local greenspaces—and we have plans in the works to do even more in 2025!
ReRooted
Since launching our ReRooted program in 2021, we’ve learned a lot about growing native plants. From growing plants on a parking lot surface to building a hoop house and establishing an indoor setup for germinating seeds, we’ve adapted our growing practices to fit our limited space and the urban pressures that impact our site. In 2024, we successfully grew over 4,000 plants of more than 50 indigenous species, including a variety of shrubs and trees.
Growing these plants from seed has taught us a lot about which species are best adapted for our region and what kind of needs an individual species may have. This information has been crucial in the development of the Pollinator Pocket Kits we offered at last year’s Fall Native Plant Festival and other fact sheets that help people find the right plant for the right spot.
This year, we also made a concerted effort to get more of our plants out into community spaces, donating Pollinator Pocket Kits to 12 community and school gardens within our networks. Our hope is that these community spaces can provide places for people to see and learn about the benefits of native plants in our everyday landscapes.
Treeforestation
In 2024, we continued the restoration of Walnut Woods of Evanston with the help of community partners and volunteers. Throughout our six years working at the site, the to-do list has shrunk as well as changed. While common invasive like honeysuckle are now sparse within the site, our focus has shifted to the removal of invasive Porcelain Berry and newcomers such as Chaff Flower, both of which are major threats to the success we’ve had at the space. We’re also focusing less on trying to remove as many invasive plants as quickly as possible and more on long-term management.
The big question we now face is: “How do you sustain a project like this well into the future?” Our answer is with a combination of education and community. Rather than seeking out new restoration projects like Walnut Woods of Evanston, we’ve transitioned to building out education and training programs for community members who are eager to take action. This not only aligns with our mission and our approach in other spheres of our work but will allow us to maximize our impact in the region. Greenspace Guardians is a direct outgrowth of this shift, as is the work we’re doing with partners to expand the scope of the Cincinnati Conservation Stewards program, both discussed below.
Cincinnati Conservation Stewards (CCS)
Cincinnati Conservation Stewards (CCS) is our partnership with Cincinnati Parks and the Cincinnati Parks Foundation to train individuals interested in restoring our city's forested parks. CGC staff works with Parks’ Conservation and Land Management Team to teach volunteers how to identify, safely remove, and restore our public forested parks. A majority of the work focuses on removing invasive plants and re-establishing native habitats for people and wildlife to enjoy. So far, volunteers have invested more than 17,000 hours since launching the CCS Program across at least 16 parks!
The CGC is continuing to develop additional trainings and materials to support volunteer groups working on habitat restoration projects. Recent trainings have included Winter Vine Removal, Volunteer Group Leader and Trained Service Persons. Each training allows volunteers to further their skills and take on new responsibilities or focus on removing different species of invasive plants. In 2025, we’ll continue to develop additional volunteer trainings and plan to offer some of these trainings in partnership with other regional conservation organizations.
Looking Ahead
As we look forward to 2025, we’re excited to launch our newest training program at the CGC: Greenspace Guardians. This 11-month certification program gives individuals the skills needed to lead conservation efforts on public lands. Class topics include plant identification, invasive species removal techniques, volunteer engagement, site monitoring, trail maintenance and more! Our goal is to train the next generation of conservation activists here in the Greater Cincinnati region. Stay tuned for updates from the 2025 cohort. We also have some exciting community projects in the pipeline that we can’t wait to share with you!