By Katie Ware
Executive Director, West Central Ohio Land Conservancy

The growing push for data centers across Ohio has exposed a difficult question for our state: what are we willing to sacrifice in the name of growth?

Ohioans are increasingly voicing concerns about the rapid conversion of farmland and open space for large-scale industrial development and data centers. Data centers and other infrastructure are part of the modern economy, but many Ohioans are concerned about the pace of farmland conversion and the long-term impacts large-scale development can have on our communities. In May, Ohio Farm Bureau representatives noted that Ohio has lost roughly one million acres of farmland over the past two decades (Toledo Blade).

At the West Central Ohio Land Conservancy, we believe productive farmland and natural areas are not vacant land waiting for the next industrial use. They are vital community assets that support food security, water quality, wildlife habitat, local economies, and the rural character that defines much of the state and community that we love. As pressures on Ohio’s landscape continue to grow, many people are asking what can actually be done to protect the farms, open spaces, woods, and waterways that we want to pass on to our children.

This is where organizations like the West Central Ohio Land Conservancy play an important role and why permanent land protection must be a part of the conversation.

Too often, conversations about growth happen only after development pressure arrives. By then, many landowners feel they have few options. Through voluntary conservation easements, land trusts help permanently protect farms, woods, wetlands, and other natural areas from future intensive development while keeping land in private ownership and productive agricultural use.

Whether someone is a landowner interested in protecting their property, or a community member who wants to support the long-term protection of the region’s natural and agricultural heritage, there is a role for everyone in ensuring these landscapes remain part of northwest and west central Ohio for generations to come.

The future of our region will be shaped by the choices we make today. Conservation gives communities the opportunity to protect the farms, fields, woods, and open spaces that define our region before they are permanently lost.

For more information about how you can support land protection or protect your own farmland or natural area, visit our website at wcolc.org or email us at [email protected].