Buttonwood Island Permanently Protected

Black Swamp Conservancy is proud to announce the permanent protection of Buttonwood Island, a rare Maumee River island safeguarded through funding from the Clean Ohio Conservation Fund.

As one of only 28 islands along the 137-mile Maumee River, Buttonwood is both rich in wildlife and plants and culturally significant. Located within the Maumee State Scenic River and immediately adjacent to the Village of Grand Rapids and Providence Metropark, the island sits just upstream from the historic Providence Dam. First constructed in 1838, the dam continues to maintain water levels in the Miami and Erie Canal, providing a living link to Ohio’s canal era. The island also contributes to the scenic views of Providence Metropark, home to the Isaak Ludwig Mill and immersive 19th-century canal history.

Buttonwood Island consists entirely of mature streamside forest with several vernal pools. Its wooded floodplain habitat plays a crucial role in capturing and filtering nutrients and pollutants during high water flows, helping to improve water quality in both the Maumee River and Lake Erie.

The island supports a remarkable diversity of wildlife: its shoreline and nearshore shoals harbor populations of native freshwater mussels, including fragile papershell, mapleleaf, plain pocketbook, threeridge, and wabash pigtoe. An active bald eagle nest on nearby Howard Island, a neighboring island owned and protected by the Conservancy, provides frequent sightings of eagles perching on Buttonwood. Other notable endangered or threatened species documented on and around the island include Prairie Ironweed and the Black-crowned Night Heron. As a key refuge for migratory birds, the island offers critical stopover habitat for neotropical migrants, including state-listed species.

With its protection, Buttonwood Island will remain a sanctuary for rare plants and animals while safeguarding the biodiversity and water quality of the Maumee River system. Future surveys will help document its full range of species and further highlight its environmental value. Protecting Buttonwood Island not only preserves a rare piece of the Maumee River but also strengthens the natural and cultural fabric of our region for generations to come. Through the support of Clean Ohio, Buttonwood Island joins the growing network of conserved lands that protect Ohio’s waterways, wildlife, and heritage