Contact Information
 

Background:

The Little Beaver Creek Land Foundation (LBCLF) is a Section 501(c) 3 (Ohio nonprofit corporation) environmental organization that was founded in 1993. Our mission is to preserve and protect the Little Beaver Creek watershed for future generations. We aim to realize this mission through land acquisition and conservation easements, citizen education, and other environmental management activities that help to protect sensitive habitats and species.

 

The LBCLF works solely in the Little Beaver Creek watershed, a 323,160 acre watershed in northeastern Ohio that extends into Western Pennsylvania. Most of the LBC watershed lies within Columbiana County, Ohio.  To date, the LBCLF has worked with its watershed partners to protect 4,343 acres in the watershed, through outright purchase, donation, or conservation easements. Most of the acreage that is protected is riparian corridor.

 

Currently we are working on a number of projects in our watershed.

• Exclusionary Fencing: Livestock can be a significant source of imbalance in a healthy aquatic ecosystem.  Erosion from heavy use can overload waterways with sediment and animal waste leads can lead to aquatic die-offs when heavy loads of nitrogen and phosphorus stimulate choking algae growth.

To combat this threat, the Foundation successfully applied for an Ohio EPA 319 Grant to provide exclusionary fencing for horse and cattle from sensitive areas of the Little Beaver Creek and received $108,000.  Landowners can also reduce sedimentation and erosion by installing heavy use pads.  Seven landowners have or are in the process of installing one or both of these best management practices and we hope to have more involved this spring.

 

• Comprehensive Watershed Action Plan: The Little Beaver Creek Land Foundation is working to complete a comprehensive Watershed Action Plan.  This plan will articulate methods for the management of the land and water resources of the Little Beaver Creek Watershed.  This Watershed Action Plan identifies major sources of ecosystem threats, and strategies for abating each of them.

 

• Abandoned Strip-mine Reforestation: Much of our region has been greatly affected by past and active coal mining.  While many mine sites are eventually reclaimed into vibrant habitats, many are persistently without significant vegetation due to extensive soil compaction.  The Little Beaver Creek Land Foundation has partnered with the Columbiana County Parks District to reforest a strip-mined section of publicly owned land.  Working with the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Imitative, we will hire a D-9 dozer to rip the compacted soil four feet down in a grid following the contour of the land.  In the cross sections of that grid 1,000 trees will be planted in the first year, and more in the following years.

 

• Community Gardens:  The main office of the Little Beaver Creek Land Foundation is in Lisbon, Ohio.  Working with local residents, our project will transform some publicly owned open space into a Community Garden.  The garden will provide local fresh options for produce that normally must come from far outside of the county and be available to the low income residents of the community.  In addition to space for individuals and organizations to maintain their own garden plots, our project will include a miniature forest garden that can provide fruit, nuts, and perennial vegetables growing in a multi-storied canopy of sustainable food production.  This project will help demonstrate the potential for working with nature to unambiguously benefit ourselves while restoring healthy ecosystems.

 

• Conservation Partnerships and ‘Explore the Outdoors’: The Little Beaver Creek Land Foundation is working with 15 area organizations called the Coalition of Columbiana County Conservation Partners.  Working together to promote conservation and education the LBCLF participated in the first ‘Explore the Outdoors with Your Family Because Time Together Counts’ in August, 2008.  The even had lots of fun educational activities for the whole family to explore soil, water, wildlife, and outdoor recreation.  The first event was a large success drawing 250 local residents.  Plans are underway for more collaborative “Explore the Outdoors” events in 2009.

Partnerships:

• Columbina County Federation of Conservation Club
• Columbiana County Parks District
• Columbiana County Soil & Water Conservation District
• Little Beaver Creek Wild & Scenic River Advisory Council
• Little Beaver Creek Wildlife Education Center
• National Audubon Society, Audubon Ohio
• Natural Resource Conservation Service
• Ohio Department of Natural Resources
• Ohio office of Mineral Resource Management