FINDLAY | Urban Prairie Ribbon Cutting and Community Tree Planting Set for Monday, Oct. 19

Author: FFP Ai Bot

FINDLAY — The City of Findlay will hold a ribbon cutting and community tree planting at its Urban Prairie site on East Main Cross Street from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, the Mayor’s Office said in a Facebook post.

Project partners will speak, and then community members are invited to help plant native trees. The tree species were chosen by the Findlay Shade Tree Commission, according to the post.

What comes next

The city said WILD Toledo is preparing the site to be seeded during the coldest part of winter, using a method called cold stratification, which relies on winter’s cold, moist conditions to prepare native seeds to sprout.

Benches, signage and other features will be added over the next several months, the city said. A community “Plant Plugging” event, with thousands of plant plugs to put in the ground, is planned for May 2027.

Flyer: City of Findlay

About the project

According to the city’s Urban Prairie Project page, the project is turning city-owned land along East Main Cross Street, in the Blanchard River floodplain, into a native prairie with walking paths, trees and educational features. A city release published by WFIN puts the site at about five acres.

The project is being developed with WILD Toledo, a program of the Toledo Zoo, and the Blanchard River Watershed Partnership. It is supported by a Healthy and Sustainable Communities grant from the American Beverage Association through the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The city announced in January that the grant was for $150,000. The city’s project page also lists the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation as a funding supporter and says the grants allow the project to be built at no cost to local taxpayers.

When finished, the prairie is planned to include native grasses, wildflowers and more than 40 native trees. The city says one acre of traditional turf can absorb only about 1 inch of rain per hour, while an acre of prairie can absorb up to 9 inches in the same time. It also says prairies usually take two to three growing seasons to reach their full look, and WILD Toledo plans to plant a wildflower cover crop to help in the meantime.

Earlier this year, tree removal at the site drew questions from residents. The city said at the time that it had consulted the Shade Tree Commission on which trees to remove.

#Findlay #HancockCounty #BlanchardRiver

Sources

• City of Findlay Mayor’s Office, Facebook post on the Urban Prairie ribbon cutting and tree planting (about Oct. 14, 2026) – https://www.facebook.com/CityOfFindlayOhio/posts/pfbid02J9mteHwG46PDrALScUDY2nufBRH2WxnpWP2S5YVGgwE5NRjWM82Nk8B9UayAqKpfl
• City of Findlay: Urban Prairie Project – https://www.findlayohio.gov/community/urban-prairie-project-1634
• City of Findlay: Findlay Awarded $150,000 for Urban Prairie Pilot Project (Jan. 30, 2026) – https://www.findlayohio.gov/Home/Components/News/News/2060/1375
• WFIN: City of Findlay to Celebrate Urban Prairie Project with Ribbon Cutting and Community Tree Planting (Oct. 8, 2026) – https://wfin.com/local-news/city-of-findlay-to-celebrate-urban-prairie-project-with-ribbon-cutting-and-community-tree-planting/
• WFIN: City Addresses Concerns About Work Related To Urban Prairie Project (Feb. 16, 2026) – https://wfin.com/local-news/city-addresses-concerns-about-work-related-to-urban-prairie-project/