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Wetlands and Native Grasses
A Wildlife Haven

Steve Jacks loves the outdoors. As he drives around his Logan County property, he can tell you about the history of the wetlands, trees, grasses, and wildlife he has seen throughout the years. He speaks from a place of knowledge, having worked as a wildlife officer in the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division for most of his adult life. Now retired, Jacks does work part-time planting native grasses for Pheasants Forever.

The Jacks’ property didn’t start out as a wildlife paradise. Most of it was in crops when he started to mold it into its present shape. Having worked with the State government, Steve was familiar with the assistance available to him as a farm owner through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and through the Logan County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). These
organizations offer technical assistance, which is advice from experts in land management, soil quality, wetland restoration and other environmental management techniques. They also offer financial assistance, called cost-share in most circles, to pay for a portion of the cost of making improvements on the land. Because Steve wanted to attract waterfowl to his property, in 1990, he converted a portion of land to wetlands using the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), which is a Farm Bill program administered by NRCS. There are two wetland areas on the Jacks’ property covering a total of approximately 8 acres. Steve’s energetic black lab, Chaulk, enjoys fetching sticks thrown by his master. In the upland areas surrounding his wetlands, Steve has planted sorghum. Sorghum is a tall grass that survives the winter months and provides protection and food for ground birds and other small animals during the cold, snowy Ohio winter.

Using the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Jacks planted native grasses, such as big blue stem, little blue stem, switch grass, Indian grass, in the former cropland. These grasses offer cover and food for waterfowl and other wildlife attracted to the wetland. District Conservationist Bob Stoll,
who is responsible for providing NRCS programs and services in Logan County, helped Jacks enroll in both WRP and CRP and helped design his landscape.  Today, Jacks has approximately 110 acres
of his 131 acres of land enrolled in one of these conservation programs.

Not satisfied to settle with only grasses, Jacks decided to plant trees as an additional type of habitat. When he made the decision to plant trees, he selected the popular green ash. He also decided to plant more than a few trees. He now halfheartedly jokes about the young trees he has to maneuver around while mowing and worries if his ash will survive the emerald ash borer ravaging ash trees in Ohio and other Midwest States. Steve Jacks compliments the strong partnership between various organizations delivering conservation assistance to landowners, including SWCD, NRCS, Ohio State University Extension, Pheasants Forever, and others. As a result of these collective efforts, he believes services can reach the public at a faster rate. Jacks’ beautiful property is a testament to this partnership and to his personal commitment to Ohio’s wildlife

Media Contact: Christina Coulon, Ohio

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