NEW PROJECT — The Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District is looking to make big changes to 143 acres in the Rush Run area. -- Contributed

SMITHFIELD — Building off its successes at the Hellbender and Quaker Ridge preserves, the Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District has a new target in its sights– a 143-acre property in Rush Run that had been fouled by years of mining activities before beavers moved in and reclaimed the land.

Yes, beavers.

Mining activities at the property, located a few miles outside of Smithfield and over the hill from Friendship Park, ceased in the 1970s, years before mining reclamation standards requiring coal companies to address hazards and environmental degradation were implemented. Beavers gradually moved in, building the dams and wetlands “that filtered out the acid mine drainage and aluminum so the ecosystem could recover, allowing plants and animals to flourish there atypical of other mine reclamation sites,” said Aaron Dodds, project manager for the district.

“They’re actually collecting and filtering the water through the dams, which is dropping out the acid mine damage,” he said, pointing out that at other former mining properties “you’ll see a lot of orange water” because of unfiltered acid mine drainage.

“At Rush Run, you see just a small section of orange because it’s going through the beaver impoundment,” Dodds said. “The water is getting cleaned up by the time it gets off the property, which is important. Farther downstream, farmers are pulling water from Rush Run for their livestock and some houses are relying on it for their water source. By the beavers acting as ecological engineers, they’re cleaning up the water so by the time humans use it it’s sufficient for (human) use.”

H2Ohio Rivers, which is run through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, had awarded the district $224,160 in grant funds to purchase the property from the Carapellotti family and Jeffco Resources. Valued at $450,000, the Carapellottis, known for their local philanthropical efforts, donated half the purchase price, allowing the deal to move forward. They closed on the purchase three weeks ago.

The conservation district also secured a $20,000 grant from the Charles M. and Thelma M. Pugliese Charitable Foundation to help develop the site, as well as a Shine the Light on Dumpers grant from the Ohio attorney general “to help us tackle years of people dumping garbage, glass bottles and a plethora of pink toilets” on the property.

Their plans are to eradicate the invasive species plaguing the site, clean up the dumping, conserve the section to improve the water quality and protect its population of long-nose dace, a minnow and species of concern.

“It’s literally a diamond in the rough,” Dodds said, pointing out they’ve already identified 89 different species of birds now “just through our cursory walks of through the property. That’s a lot.”

Dodds said the efforts that go into areas like the Rush Run Wetlands Preserve help the overall health of the watershed and those who are downstream.

“Our goal with properties like this is to protect the habitat and support the beavers and give them a helping hand by getting rid of invasive species and planting or replanting with native species that have deeper roots that will also be filtering the water. This will benefit the overall health of the watershed and all those downstream. We’re also going to open the property up for public use so people can experience this wetland habitat and get a better understanding of the important role they play in our ecosystem because they are giant filters of the water and the air.”

The idea, he said, is that if we “expose people to this, get them into the outdoors where they can see the beauty of Jefferson County. They’ll be better stewards of the county and fall in love with it again.”

“We’re seeing that with the Hellbender Preserve and the excitement our other projects have generated. We look at it as a good investment, and it’s had county commissioner support,” he added,

The Ohio Revised Code tasks soil and water conservation districts with protecting the state’s natural resources. To that end, ODNR’s Wildlife Division wants to create a birding trail — habitats that can be utilized by migratory birds as way stations on their travels, so whenever they’re migrating north or south they can have places to rest and get rejuvenated — and wants the Rush Run Wetlands to be part of it.

“With wetlands, there are a lot more food sources and specialized birds can go there,” he said. “It’s an important component for that. And on the flip side, birdwatching is the largest growing outdoor activity in America right now, so we’re creating an area where people can do that.”

Dodds said he credits the willingness of groups like H20 Rivers, the Carapellotti family and Jeffco Resources, Pugliese Foundation and the Shine the Light on Dumping program to fund the Rush Run Project with their success in developing the Hellbender and Quaker Ridge preserves, the Riley Run Dam at the Morgan’s Raiders Battlefield project in Salineville and the Piney Fork Trail.

“As of now, Rush Run Wetlands Preserve has been done without any Jefferson County dollars being spent,” he said. “It’s all been donations and grants and it’s going to be very unique — there aren’t that many large wetlands in Jefferson County, so it will be a great benefit to the Wells Township region. If you have a farm that is adjacent, the pollinators you need for the plants or birds you need for pest defense are going to come from this property and it’s going to save you money. It’s the same for people in houses nearby — all those animals and plants are going to help them. It’s creating natural beauty and also providing ecological benefits.

“At the end of the day, this is a clean water initiative,” he added. “We’re trying to improve the water quality. We’re taking an extra step to enhance it so it becomes a qualify of life improvement as well. That’s our goal with all of the preserves — to us, they’re conservation projects and educational opportunities, but other people might see some other aspect, whether it’s taking photographs or walking. That’s phenomenal, because we’ll be able to expose people to these sites to enjoy as they want to.”

He said the district will be applying for Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization funding for Rush Run as well as the Hellbender Preserve, Quaker Ridge Preserve, Piney Fork Trail and the Morgan’s Raiders Battlefield.

“Our goal is that by exposing people to (projects like) this, getting them in the outdoors and seeing the beauty of Jefferson County, they’ll take better stewardship of the county and fall in love with the county again,” Dodds said.