A local land trust is working to protect green space in the heart of Cincinnati.
Cardinal Land Conservancy is planning to turn a seven-acre lot in the CUF neighborhood into a hub for conservation.
Executive Director Andy Dickerson says the land conservancy will work with several environmental organizations, including the Civic Garden Center and Adventure Crew to restore natural habitats, create space for gardens, host outdoor programming and add a short trail on the property at McMicken and Marshall avenues.
“We're going to get rid of the invasive species and put native species back. But, that's not all,” Dickerson said. “The bigger effort for us is to take off and run with the model that we create.”
He says restoring this property will be a central project in the organization’s larger vision of protecting more natural spaces in neighborhoods disproportionately affected by pollution and climate change.
“In the urban area, those places that have low-income, high minority [populations], high amounts of cancer clusters, high amounts of breathing disorders, no canopy — we're going to start working on those areas, especially where they are near schools,” Dickerson said.
Urban green spaces provide benefits including improved air quality and physical and mental health, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Cardinal Land Conservancy has preserved a number of rural woods and agricultural lands throughout Southwest Ohio. Dickerson says he hopes the organization’s focus on acquiring urban green space can improve more people’s quality of life.
“When we do a rural, 220-acre project, that can benefit hundreds and even thousands of people that visit it, and it might have 20 or 30 neighbors,” Dickerson said. “But, right there at Marshall and McMicken, my goodness, I don't even know how to measure the impact.”
He estimates it will be significant.
“I mean, how many rooftops are within a quarter mile?” Dickerson said. “And 400,000 cars a day drive by on I-75 right next to this thing and will see it.”
The initiative is receiving Leveraged Support funds from the City of Cincinnati.
Dickerson says the land conservancy and partner organizations will move into a shared office at the site in September. Restoration and planting work is slated to begin this fall or next spring.
Read more: