Congressman Bill Johnson joins William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society to hand over McGuffey Wildlife Refuge to Ohio

Posted on: July 13, 2023 / 10:51 AM EDT

Has been updated: July 13, 2023 / 10:51 AM EDT

Kowatsville, Ohio (WKBN) – Rep. Bill Johnson tells Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, McGuffey Wildlife Refuge.

Johnson, along with county commissioners and the William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society (WHMHS), said the area needed better stewardship.

For the past 25 years, the reserve has been under the control of Mill Creek Metropark, but WHMHS says Metropark has neglected the area, leaving the pond in “a swamp-like mess.” . WHMS The Ohio Department of Natural Resources wants to take over.

Mahoning County Commissioners passed a resolution in February that agreed with the Historical Society.

Johnson wrote a letter To DeWine, dated July 11, 2023, to support the William Holmes McGuffey Boyhood Home, part of the McGuffey Wildlife Refuge and designated a National Historic Landmark on the U.S. Department of the Interior Register. expressed. The total area is 73 acres.

Johnson also called on DeWine and the state of Ohio to “recognize the extraordinary value” of the site.

Mill Creek Metropark leaders said: They’re not going to let go of McGuffey Preserve. Donated to Metropark by WHMHS in 1998.