Important environmental research is being conducted in the 30-acre Olentangy River Wetland Research Park, which lies just north of Ohio State’s campus.

For 10 years, the park has provided a safe haven for wildlife and an area for researchers to conduct various studies.

“It’s one of the most distinct living laboratories on any college campus in the country,” said William Mitsch, director of the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park and professor of natural resources and environmental science, in a statement.

Mitsch is also the 2004 recipient of the Stockholm Water Prize, which is a global award presented annually to an individual, institution, organization or company to recognize outstanding research, actions or education that protects water and improves the awareness of it as a valuable resource.

Regional and whole-ecosystem scale, field ecology/biochemical processes, mesocosm-scale and modeling are some of the subjects being researched at the park.

Mitsch said this type of research is being done to save the planet.

“It’s the only way to find out how research works,” Mitsch said. “(The research park is) just one big lab.”

With the help of graduate student Cheri Higgins, Mitsch was able to research the effects of muskrat activity on plant biomass and species richness in two constructed wetlands.

“We wanted to see if there were any patterns in real versus man-made wetlands,” Higgins said.

She also said the wetlands used for the research were not even 10 years old before the population of muskrats began to grow.

“Muskrats make a lot of changes in wetland areas.”

Water pollution and quality is also being actively researched.

“This is a big project, and a huge issue around the world,” said Li Zhang, assistant director of the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park.

Zhang said the project was being supported by the USDA.

Higgins said out of all of the research being done, reducing non-point source pollution is something that more students should pay attention to.

“It is one of the most threatening issues we face today, and that’s why we’re working on a solution to the problem,” Higgins said.

She also said the preservation and saving of the Mississippi River is also a problem being faced because of large farm fields, pollution on land and fertilizer.

“This is a difficult thing to control,” Higgins said. “It’s the biggest river in the country, and it runs through about five states.”

Higgins is examining the effects of what kind of wetland is best to help solve this problem, and where it should be placed. She is using a recycled coal combustion by-product to line a waste water treatment system.

“This will be the kind of research that’s really applicable, and people will be able to see results,” Higgins said.

In 1994, the first part of the research park was completed with the help of student volunteers and donations. It consists of two 2.5-acre deep-water marshes and a river water delivery system.

“Alumni and friends of the university offered great support,” Mitsch said. “It’s great to have people invest in you like that.”

Guided tours are available to groups of three or more people, and the route to conduct a self-guided tour is available online. The park is open daily to the general public from 9 a.m. to sundown.

Since the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park is both a public and research park, visitors are asked not to disturb anything.

For more information, contact the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park at 247-7984.