The Cincinnati Nature Center has a new conservation field station at Long Branch Farm in Goshen.
The 4,000-square-foot space will be a hub for field research, native plant production and restoration projects. It opened Tuesday.
Director of Conservation Cory Christopher says having a place to gather and learn about land management is important, especially as the region loses natural habitats to development.
“A lot of the reason we're here is I think the public needs to understand that we are all capable of contributing to the protection of natural areas,” he said.
The Nature Center plans to host workshops at the field station for everyone, from homeowners planting native gardens to ecologists managing invasive plants. Christopher says the goal is to bridge the gap between researchers and practitioners to encourage more conservation.
“I hope that people go back to their own property and begin to see it as a habitat and feel confident, empowered, and passionate about turning their property back into native habitat,” he told WVXU. “If we did that, imagine how many acres of native habitats we could have.”
The field station will also help the Nature Center expand its native plant propagation program, with a seed storage barn and
additional hoop houses for growing the plants. The organization sells the plants it grows to people to help combat the rise of invasive species.
There are 200 acres of land behind the field station, where researchers will conduct experiments to explore best land management practices, from prescribed burns to honeysuckle removal. The Nature Center partners with the University of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky University and the Nature Conservancy.
The conservation field station is the first building the Nature Center has constructed since 1971.
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