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'Recreating a lost landscape' | Inside a conservation group's effort to save 89 acres of history in Loveland

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LOVELAND, Ohio — Walking through a large open field, Owen Hunter-Linville starts his chainsaw. It doesn’t make much of a sound.

Because it’s electric.

Hunter-Linville is the land manager for a conservation group. Soon, he's cutting down honeysuckle plants and dragging them away from the nearby water.

“We’re building a bat condominium,” he said proudly.

Not just an ordinary bat house, Hunter-Linville explained. This is a structure that will house 10,000 bats — including the endangered Indiana bat. It’s all part of an ambitious project to save natural landscapes in Clermont County. And after sawing off dozens of branches, Hunter-Linville pulls them away into a pile.

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Owen Hunter-Linville, land manager of Cardinal Land Conservancy, works to pull invasive honeysuckle plants out of newly acquired property in Loveland. His team is building a bat condominium they say will house 10,000 bats, including an endangered species from Indiana.

After a while, he stands back and admires his work. More than that, he admires the land he’s working on.

“This is a special place,” Hunter-Linville said. “And it’s worth protecting.”

It almost became a subdivision — until Hunter-Linville’s group stepped in. Cardinal Land Conservancy used a $5 million grant to purchase 89 acres of historic land in Loveland and Miami Township.

It’s historic because it used to belong to a women’s agricultural organization, headquartered there since 1944. It’s unique because of how close to downtown Loveland it is.

“It’s like a microcosm of all the different types of habitat you can find in our region on one property,” Hunter-Linville says.

This property sat vacant for seven years. Now, it’s the conservancy's headquarters.

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A conservation group used a $5 million grant to save 89 acres of historic green space in Clermont County. Their plan is to turn it into a place for the public to learn about conservation.

Just trying to get heat and running water were issues. But that’s part of why they’re fighting to preserve it. Some of the existing buildings have already been demolished. And additional plans include a 40-acre prairie, hiking trails and a sound garden with natural plants and grasses to attract more wildlife.

“We’re recreating a landscape — a lost landscape and habitat type that you just don’t see anymore,” says Andy Dickerson, the group's executive director. “Hopefully people can take little bits of what we’re doing here and carry it back home."

It’s open to the public — even now. Because the conservancy wants to showcase what you can do at your own home to help the environment.

“It’s not enough to just do it on the Cardinal’s land,” said Hunter-Linville. “This is something that affects all of us."