By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
The Crawford Park District is always happy to accept all types of donations but it received an extra special one recently.
Ron Rossington donated 7.008 acres of his property to the Crawford Park District. The land adjoins the Park District’s 36-acre Sandusky Wildlife Area and is part of the Sandusky River corridor. Rossington’s property consists of upland bluff and river bottom, both of which are critical environments that help support water quality and organism diversity in the Sandusky watershed.
Rossington had owned the land since 1998 with the goal of serving and preserving nature. Rossington planted trees on the west side of the Sandusky River, which has benefitted the wildlife in the area. He was also able to construct a large wetland area with the hope that it would attract and provide homes for birds, amphibians and other wetland-specific organisms. He had also proudly boasted of the duck pairs that have raised young in the wetland.
“I trust that my gift of the Rossington Nature Preserve to the residents of Crawford County, under the stewardship of the Crawford Park District, will be utilized to the benefit and enjoyment of others,” Rossington said in a Park District press release.
Rossington, a navy veteran, was born in Cleveland and moved to Crawford County in 1972.
The Board of Park Commissioners has expressed its appreciation for Rossington’s generous donation that was given in the spirit of nature preservation.