An ADA Compliant Kayak Access Launch is nearing completion at Nehls Memorial Nature Reserve in Catawba Township, Ottawa County.

“With this addition, many more people will have the opportunity to connect with nature in West Harbor,” said Aimee Arent, Executive Director of the Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge.

The contractor recently poured a concrete sidewalk and parking spaces allowing a smooth transition from a vehicle to an American with Disabilities Act compatible kayak launch, Arent said in a press release. .

Instructions on how to use the “EZ Launch” transfer system are posted on a sign on the site.

The wildlife preserve on East Muggy Road is owned by the Black Swamp Conservancy and is managed in conjunction with the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in Oak Harbor. The Friends of the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge were also involved in the creation of the public water access point.

The Friends of the ONWR also participated in the creation of three fishing platforms with stilts placed at the fishing pond as part of the Anglers of Tomorrow at the refuge. Other project partners were UAW 12, the United States Coast Guard and National Guard, and the Toledo Community Foundation, Inc .; Sandusky County Communities Foundation, Inc .; Ottawa County Community Foundation; Union of Athletes’ Alliance; Coast Guard volunteers MSU Toledo; ONWR; and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.