Great Parks begins $11M Shaker Trace Nursery revitalization

Great Parks has started construction on the $11 million revitalization of Shaker Trace Nursery in Miami Whitewater Forest.

The project aims to increase the nursery’s capacity to produce native seed for restoration projects while also expanding its ability to educate the public about native plants and ecology. Seeds harvested at this facility are in use at all 22 Great Parks sites across Hamilton County, accounting for more than 18,000 acres in total.

Planned improvements include a new, modern greenhouse to expand plant propagation capacity and a new building for seed processing and storage. Great Parks will repurpose the site’s historic drying barn to allow for more educational programming and special events. They’ll add outdoor amenities as well.

“Great Parks plays a key role in promoting conservation and ecosystem health across the county by harvesting seeds from native plants at Shaker Trace Nursery,” CEO Todd Palmeter said, noting that the nursery provides a cost advantage for leveraging tax-supported operating costs. “This investment into Shaker Trace Nursery will provide ecological benefits for generations to come.”

Reshaping Hamilton County one seed at a time

The Shaker Trace Nursery is one of Ohio’s largest native seed nurseries, producing over 200 species. In 1992, workers harvested the nursery’s original seeds within 100 miles of Miami Whitewater Forest. This seed is valuable because it represents local plant varieties adapted to our specific climate and soil.

Every year, with the help of dedicated volunteers, the nursery collects hundreds of pounds of native seed and stores it in a controlled environment. Great Parks, which manages one-third of Hamilton County’s open space, uses these seeds to restore prairies and native landscapes with plants native to the area.

The nursery campus will be a net-zero energy facility, generating all its energy on-site through solar panels. Great Parks is aiming for LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The work at Shaker Trace is the latest in a series of major projects by Great Parks to build ecological resilience and sustainability. Other examples include the Sharon Lake Improvement Project and Shawnee Lookout stream restoration.

This project received partial funding from the 0.95-mill levy approved by Hamilton County voters in 2021 to support critical infrastructure needs and master plan initiatives. The nursery improvements are part of the $101 million in critical infrastructure needs and $124 million in park improvement projects outlined in the Comprehensive Master Plan.

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