CANAAN TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A 43-acre parcel of land in Wayne County was recently preserved by landowners Josh and Joanna Keplar and the Western Reserve Land Conservancy.
The property is largely agricultural but contains forest borders, wet fields and wetlands that provide excellent feeding, breeding and nesting habitat for a variety of bird and bat species. According to natural resource surveys, 10 rare, threatened or endangered species have been confirmed on site, including tri-colored bat and red-headed woodpecker.
The conservancy plans to restore wetlands and upland prairie and plant trees in order to reclaim the agricultural land, which is adjacent to a 50-acre property owned by the Wayne County Park District that Josh Keplar’s grandmother donated in her will in 2018.
The property was once part of a 400-acre farm located at the corner of Parameter Road and SR604. The farmland has been in the family for four generations. Josh Keplar’s grandmother never married and did not have children of her own, but she fostered children including Josh’s mother.
