New improvements, facilities coming to Tri-State native plant nursery

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - Shaker Trace Nursery, a facility under Great Parks, is getting a new look. The $11 million project is slated to be completed this fall.

The 50-acre nursery, with the help of park employees and volunteers, grows and harvests native plants for Great Parks and their partners. The native plants are then used for restoration projects nearby.

Kari Horn, a natural resources manager for Great Parks, says the project includes new facilities and improvements to old facilities. She says that a new seed-processing facility is what makes this project unique.

“There will also be a ‘state of the art’ seed storage facility that’s climate-controlled, so that we’re really able to keep the seeds viable for a longer period of time,” Horn said.

On the property is a historic barn, which Horn says was built in the 1890s. She says the barn will serve many purposes.

“We can invite in not only our volunteers to do work and our employees to do work, but also we can host school groups,” Horn said. “We could have different workshops on native plants and how they’re good for your house and the environment at large.”

While construction can disrupt the local environment, Horn says there have been extra steps taken to keep the Earth in mind.

“This barn is, and was, home to a big colony of big brown bats. We’ve set aside some space inside the barn separate from any human habitation,” Horn said. “We’ve seen them coming back.”

Renovations are slated to be complete in the fall of 2025. Besides the seed-processing facility and the repurposing of the barn, improvements include a new greenhouse, site improvements, and upgrades to utilities.

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