MESOPOTAMIA, Ohio (WKBN) — The Cleveland Museum of Natural History recently expanded one of its preserves with the purchase of more than 100 acres of land.

This land off State Route 534 in Mesopotamia is part of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s Windsor Woods Preserve situated in the Grand River Lowlands.

“This is a part of the preserve that we’d like to retain as a meadow,” said Garrett Ormiston, CMNH manager of preserve operations. “Because it’s set far back from the road and part of a big block there really isn’t a lot of invasive species encroachment and that kind of thing.”

The preserve is located in both Trumbull and Ashtabula Counties. It recently expanded to more than 900 acres now that the museum purchased 268 additional acres, 121 of which is situated in Trumbull County.

“There is a lot of beaver at this preserve and beavers are really the architects of this kind of habitat,” Ormiston said.

The museum has visited the property for years and studied its habitat and native animals like weasels, salamanders and frogs.

“It’s certainly a unique site. I’d say what makes it most unique is how large of a wetland block it is,” Ormiston said.

Ormiston says saving wetlands like this has become increasingly important.

“We’ve lost, lost about 90% of wetlands in the state of Ohio as a result of that. The remaining 10% I mean some of them are outstanding wetlands but they’re very few and far between and very fragmented.”

Although the preserve isn’t open for the public’s unlimited use.

“We bring groups out here for field trips and lead tours through sites like this we envision sites like this being important for students in area school districts that could come out and do programs at sites like these,” Ormiston said.

Nich Rich contributed to this report.