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H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program

Two individuals stand on shore as another two paddle a small boat into a wetland

About this initiative

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has contracted the Wetlands and Water Quality group within the Lake Erie and Aquatic Research Network (LEARN) to develop and implement the H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program.

The goal of the H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program is to assess nutrient removal of wetland restoration and enhancement projects implemented by the ODNR as part of Governor Mike DeWine’s statewide H2Ohio Initiative. The H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program is assessing how wetland restoration can improve water quality, with a focus on phosphorus and nitrogen, key nutrients that fuel eutrophication and harmful algal blooms across Ohio. The ODNR-implemented wetland projects, part of the H2Ohio Initiative, represent a wide range of wetland types, restoration and construction approaches, and complexity.

To improve wetland design and management into the future, it’s necessary to understand the processes happening within wetlands. This comprehensive approach to determining not only whether a wetland is effective, but also how the wetland systems work, is led by expert scientists from across Ohio. The experts seek to answer these core questions:

Read or download the 2023 H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program update, including a case study of the Burntwood-Lagenkamp Wetland Conservation Area.

See the Program Update ↗

H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program Research Team Lead Dr. Lauren Kinsman-Costello walking at Redhorse Bend Preserve Wetland in May, 2021.

The H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program Team is led by Lauren Kinsman-Costello of Kent State University and is made up of Researchers and Administrators from Universities and Agencies across Ohio, including:

In 2021, the team completed version 1.0 of the H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Plan, a living document that contains a general framework, structure, rationale, and guiding principles for the H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program, and includes: details on the selection of monitored wetland project sites; wetland project site history and restoration approach; data collection and sampling approaches; and protocols for field work and lab analyses. Routine monitoring began with the 2022 field season across 19 wetland project sites.

Help LEARN scientists track phenology (Chronolog) and water level (Crowd Hydrology) at our monitoring sites

The H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Framework↗

Read the H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program’s Monitoring Plan.

The H2Ohio Wetland Annual Progress Report↗

Read the H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program 2023 Annual Progress Report.

Webinars and Outreach Archives ↗

View past webinars and find outreach materials about the Monitoring Program.

More Info about H2Ohio ↗

Learn more about ODNR’s H2Ohio Wetland Program.

Statewide H2Ohio wetland projects and project status as of March, 2023. Visit DataOhio’s H2Ohio Map of Wetlands Projects, for monthly updates. Note that “Completed Project” and “Project in Progress” refer to ODNR implementation and that the H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program is monitoring a representative subset of projects. For updates on projects currently monitored by LEARN Researchers, see details in outreach materials.

The H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program (H2Ohio WMP) is supported by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lake Restoration Initiative, and the Ohio Water Development Authority. The information, findings, and conclusions in H2Ohio WMP written documents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the State of Ohio.