About

In 1989, the Diehl Family Foundation launched a program that would turn 250 acres of overworked farm land into what now exists as the Thoreau Wildlife Reserve. Soil preparation for the planting was done that fall and the following year a dam was erected to impound the water to form what is now Walden Pond. A meadow was seeded, the prairie planted and the first trees of the pine plantation were established.

Over the following two decades much work was put in by the landowners, family, and local workers and volunteers to continue to heal the land and restore it to a more historically “natural” state. The property now includes various ecosystems including wetlands, prairie, hardwood forest, & old growth forest. The land is home to many species of wildlife and plants and is an oasis in the midst of much farmland. Students and Faculty from Defiance College have used this area for ecology studies over the years.

In 2020 after many years of preparation and anticipation, the property was opened to the public. Founders & members of the TWR hope that the land can serve the public as a place for education, inspiration, and refreshment and continue to be a sanctuary to many flora and fauna.