Nearly 200 acres of the old Brandywine Golf Course have been added to Cuyahoga Valley National Park/NPS

Nearly 200 acres of rolling, forested landscape has been obtained by the National Park Service at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio.

The land, part of the former Brandywine Golf Course, had been held by the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The Park Service closed on purchase of 198 acres on December 28. The Conservancy retained 15 acres. The transaction was for the appraised price of $3.1 million.

The acreage lies in the heart of the national park and is viewed as key to the park's long-term plan for improved public access and habitat restoration in the area. 

“We are delighted that the transfer of the former Brandywine Golf Course property to the National Park Service is now complete, officially adding this beautiful acreage to Cuyahoga Valley National Park for the benefit and enjoyment of our visitors and our communities now and into the future,” said Cuyahoga Valley Superintendent Lisa Petit. “We are especially grateful to our partner, Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, for their tireless efforts to protect and remediate this property for the American public.”

Remediation work on the property is set to begin tis yeary in 2023. The Conservancy for CVNP will oversee the project with HZW Environmental Consultants of Mentor, Ohio, to assist in the execution and management of the remediation work, a park release said. This phase of the project is funded by an Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program grant award from the Ohio Department of Development. As this important work continues, the property remains closed to the public for safety reasons.

“Since 2019, the Conservancy worked diligently to save this property in the heart of our park to protect habitat as well as create a space for all to enjoy the land and Cuyahoga River,” said Deb Yandala, the Conservancy's president and CEO. “We are grateful to the community, especially the individuals and foundations who stepped up to join us in our efforts to preserve this land for the National Park Service.”

Once the remediation phase is complete later this year, a site plan, including visitor amenities, will be established in coordination with community/public input, especially the Village of Peninsula. You can check this website for updates on the project.

Remediation, in this case, means the removal of contaminated soil. Sampling on the property identified the presence of mercury in the shallow soil of the tee boxes, putting greens and some fairways. The use of fungicides and herbicides containing mercury dates to the 1950s and continued through the 1990s. These products were routinely applied using industry-standard practices.

Mercury in this form is relatively immobile and there is no threat to humans on the property, the Park Service said. The contaminated soil will be taken to a landfill equipped and approved to oversee this kind of soil and will be managed there in perpetuity.

Cuyahoga Valley spokesperson Pamela Barnes said the land holds stands of Eastern hardwood forest along with two creeks that feed into the Cuyahoga River. Wildlife that benefit from the acreage includes white-tailed deer, fox, bald eagles and herons, she said.