Who We Are

Ohio Wetlands Foundation formed as a non-profit 501(c)(3) in 1992 in response to the regulated community’s need to have a compensatory mitigation alternative for impacts to aquatic resources, such as streams and wetlands.

The Foundation uses funds from entities required to provide compensatory mitigation for impacts to aquatic resources to: acquire land; design and complete restoration and rehabilitation projects; and to provide long-term maintenance and stewardship of completd projects. Funding from the Foundation also supports interpretive signage, public education, recreation, on-site research, and academic research. The Foundation is a proud supporter of the Olentangy River Wetlands Research Park (ORWRP) located at The Ohio State University’s main campus. The Ohio Wetlands Foundation Fellowship is funded entirely by the Foundation and supports graduate student research at the ORWRP.

The Foundation created the first wetlands mitigation bank in the United States to successfully achieve the required performance standards and to complete the required monitoring. Building on that expertise, the Foundation has protected, enhanced, or restored over 2,400 acres of wetlands across Ohio through the establishment of mitigation banks (including Ohio’s first preservation-based wetlands mitigation bank) and individual mitigation projects. Today the Foundation continues to provide solutions that benefit businesses and communities throughout Ohio.