Conservation in Shared Spaces

Public greenspaces are a crucial part of a healthy and resilient community. Yet there’s a misconception that natural spaces are better off without human intervention. With our modern world so far from most plants’ natural habitat, however, it’s often the opposite—our public greenspaces rely on people willing to take action and get involved.

At the CGC, we don’t confine our efforts to our own grounds. Quite the opposite! We are always working to restore and protect such greenspaces throughout the Greater Cincinnati region by providing everything from education and training to plant material to volunteer support. Whether you want to get your hands in the dirt, learn to eradicate invasive plants, find a speaker for your organization or advocate at a community council meeting, the CGC is here to help. Here are some of our current projects and how you can get involved.

Leadership Trainings

Land-owning organizations often do not have the capacity necessary to effectively manage invasives across the parks and other public spaces they steward. Greenspace Guardians and Cincinnati Conservation Stewards are two training programs we’ve helped develop that teach volunteers to become leaders in on-the-ground conservation projects. This approach is a win-win: land receives the care it needs and community members are empowered to restore and protect the greenspaces they love.

Pollinator Garden Partnerships

Pollinator gardens provide essential habitat to urban wildlife, connect people with nature and inspire civic engagement. By teaming up with other organizations and our unstoppable volunteers, we’re creating beautiful, educational gardens in the neighborhoods that need them most. Sign up for our volunteer Conservation Team and we’ll let you know when opportunities arise!

Native Plants & Trees

As part of our ReRooted program and our two annual plant festivals, we grow thousands of plants and trees from seed each year. Some of them stay on our grounds, but the vast majority go out into the community—whether to private homes or public restoration projects.

Outreach & Presentations

Our staff is available for a limited number of outside speaking and teaching engagements for groups such as garden clubs, schools, church and community groups, and community councils. We also run programs at libraries and other community organizations. Our areas of expertise cover native plants, urban agriculture, sustainable gardening practices and habitat restoration.

Treeforestation

What started as a project-based program that gave students and volunteers hands-on experience restoring school-adjacent forests has grown into a broader effort. We’re still out getting our hands dirty with urban greenspace projects, but our Conservation program has expanded to provide education and training to those interested in joining and leading local conservation efforts (see Leadership Trainings above). Learn more about the history of our Treeforestation program and what our conservation efforts look like today.