Wetland

Both forested and open wetlands were a dominant feature of Northeast Ohio before European settlers began arriving in the early 19th century and cleared and drained the land for agriculture. At the time of first settlement, wetlands comprised 90% of the regional landscape. Today less than 10% of these wetlands remain. The restored wetland at the AJLC is intended to reconnect visitors with this native habitat of Ohio as well as to serve important ecological and educational functions.

Wetland restoration entails three tasks: reestablishing wet hydrological conditions, removing invasive and non-native plant species, and reintroducing native species. With time, a complex set of relationships between living and non-living components develops and results in a resilient ecological system that is resistant to invasive species and to disturbance. The reconstructed wetland at the Lewis Center was initially planted with a diverse community of wetland vegetation in the spring of 2000. Fish and painted turtles were added. Song birds, ducks, toads, frogs and a wide variety of insects also inhabit the wetland but have come of their own accord.

In addition to harboring a unique community of plants and animals, wetlands provide a variety of important ecological services such as purifying water and controlling flooding and erosion. The AJLC's wetland was specifically designed to serve as a stormwater retention basin: water draining from the surrounding landscape is temporarily stored in the wetland, reducing the pulse of water delivered to overburdened stormwater sewers in the City of Oberlin.

The emergent and open-water wetland plants, some 50 species in all, are endemic to Ohio. By design, the Center's restored wetland serves as a repository for native species diversity -- species diversity is higher here than in most native wetlands.

Forest

In the spring of 2000, saplings of local deciduous species were planted on the south and southeast sides of the property to initiate restoration of a community of plants similar to that of the wet forests that dominated the Northeast Ohio landscape before European settlement. Species selected include red maple, black gum, Ohio buckeye, pin oak, swamp white oak, green ash, white ash and black ash.

These saplings will require 50-75 years to become large enough to generate local microclimates necessary to support the understory species such as trillium and other spring wildflowers characteristic of the Eastern deciduous forests of North America. Some understory species, such as witch hazel and spice bush, have been planted against the north side of the building, which provides cool, shady conditions similar to those found under large trees.

Dry Land Community

It comes as a surprise to many people that three species of cactii are endemic to Ohio. Some specimens of these plants grow in the rock garden abutting the
south side of the Center. Around the time of the summer solstice in June 2002, just two years after planting, the cactii bloomed for the first time.

Lawn

Although lawn ecosystems are an entirely human construct, turf provides pleasant space in which to walk, sit and interact with the native and edible components of the landscape. A variety of management practices have been employed at the AJLC to minimize the ecological impact of the lawn ecosystem:

• A "low-mow mix" of grass species was planted that requires less frequent mowing than standard turf species.
• In contrast to most commercial laws, the development of a diverse, multi-species assemblage of plants has been encouraged.
• No fertilizers or pesticides are applied. Instead of watering, the lawn is allowed to go dormant during dry summer months.
• A battery-powered electric mower and edger (available at many lawn and garden centers) is re-charged with the Center's photovoltaic system. Two-cycle gas engines are among the most environmentally damaging devices manufactured. A typical gas-powered mower emits 11 times as much non-CO2 air pollution as a new car for each hour of operation.

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