Winter 2016 - Beaver Creek Wetlands Association

Beaver Creek Wetlands Association
Volume 30, No. 1
Winter 2016
Speakers for Annual Spring Meeting
We are proud to announce that
Hope Taft and Aaron Rourke from
the Little Miami Watershed Network
have agreed to be our speakers for
the BCWA’s 28th Annual Meeting on
May 17, 2016. Hope, a former First
Lady of Ohio while her husband Bob
Taft was Governor, is involved with
numerous conservation efforts in
Greene and other counties and Aaron is president of Rivers Unlimited.
Both are involved with Little Miami
River Kleeners, which coordinates
the Little Miami River clean up every
year in Greene County. Aaron also
has led our team from the wetlands
on the river clean up several times.
Since the Beaver Creek wetlands are
part of the Little Miami watershed,
their presentation will be of value
and interest to all our members.
More information about the Annual
Meeting will be in the spring edition
of The Spotted Turtle and a special
mailing to the membership.
—Jim Schneider
Calendar
January
Sunday, Jan. 31, 2-4 p.m.
Bluebird Workshop (RSVP needed)
Beavercreek Fire Station #1
2195 Dayton-Xenia Road
February
February 12-15
Great Back Yard Bird Count
Sunday, Feb. 21, 2-4 p.m.
Cabin Fever Hike at Phillips Park
March
Saturday, Mar. 5, 10 a.m. - Noon
Skunk Cabbage Hike at Siebenthaler
Fen
Sunday, Mar. 6, 2-4 p.m.
Go Native! Native Plant Workshop
(RSVP needed)
Beavercreek Fire Station #1
2195 Dayton-Xenia Road
April
Sunday, Apr. 17, 2-4 p.m.
Spring Hike at Creekside Reserve
In this Issue
What a Difference 24 Hours Makes!
BCWA President and BCWA Highlighted by Ohio Watershed Network
Take a look at the web address below for a fine article on our organization as part of an interview with our president Jim Schneider. It is a little too
large to include here, but well worth looking over. Nice pictures, too.
http://ohiowatersheds.osu.edu/resources/best-practices/profiles-watershed-leadership-beaver-creek-wetlands-association
Annual Meeting Speakers....... 1
President’s Message.................. 2
Volunteer Corner........................ 3
Citizen Science............................ 5
Christmas Bird Count............... 6
Upcoming Workshops.............. 7
Seed Preparation........................ 8
News and Reminders............... 9
Save the Date................................ 10
Endowment Fund...................... 11
www.beavercreekwetlands.org
Beaver Creek Wetlands Association:
Combined Federal Campaign
#72199
President’s Message
what they don’t understand and if
they can’t get out and in it, they can’t
understand it.” To that end, over the
years Beaver Creek Wetland Association volunteers have helped build
numerous trails and boardwalks
that enable people to get out into
the wetlands. We want to reach out
to more people and demonstrate the
value of the wetlands to the public.
We are expanding our reach through
social media and expanding our
program offerings to attract more
people to explore the wetlands and
to appreciate their value.
For 2016 we have programs or
hikes scheduled every month of the
year. In January, we have a program on bluebirds and are offering
bluebird boxes for those interested
Photo: Jim Amon
2015 was a busy year for the
wetlands. The favorable weather
allowed our volunteers to work
into December on invasive control, clean up and seed collection
in the wetland areas - much later
than in years past. Our Monarch
Waystation at Hagenbuch Reserve
received official designation. We
participated in two Fourth of July
parades. We initiated a bluebird
box program at Fairborn Marsh.
Nearly 400 folks came out for
hikes and programs we offered in
2015. But there is always more we
can do.
In an interview this past year
by Joe Bonnell of the Ohio Watershed Network for their newsletter,
I stated: “People don’t support
Fairborn Marsh in Winter
2
Spotted Turtle—Winter 2016
in helping this species expand.
We will be hiking this winter to
look for birds and animal tracks;
hiking in the spring to find Skunk
Cabbage and looking for early
migratory birds. Come summer,
our hikes will celebrate Moms
and Dads, accompany our annual
meeting and search for summer
wildflowers. With the approach of
autumn we will once again participate in the Monarch tagging
program and have programs to
classify and look for signs of local
wildlife. At the end of year we will
offer a program to help wildlife
prepare for winter and help with
the Audubon winter bird count.
We hope you will join us for any or
all of these programs and hikes.
—Jim Schneider
For land management volunteers, fall means honeysuckle
control. Whether using a foliar
spray after native vegetation has
gone dormant (to prevent damage
to desirable plants) or using “lop &
squirt” technique—cutting it down
and treating the remaining stump,
fall is the optimum time for effective treatment. Honeysuckle and
other woody invasive plants were
targeted throughout the wetlands
corridor, from Hagenbuch Reserve
and Creekside Reserve along the
Little Beaver Creek, to Phillips
Park, Koogler Wetland/Prairie
Reserve, and Fairborn Marsh along
the main channel of the Beaver
Creek.
A less strenuous, but no less
important, fall activity is collecting
seeds of both wetland and prairie
species. This locally collected seed
will be used to improve habitat
where invasive species have been
removed, either by direct sowing
or by growing plants and transplanting where appropriate.
Other land management activities this fall included treating a
patch of Phragmites, a non-native
grass species, which was found
in the constructed wetlands in
Creekside Reserve. Narrow-leaf
cattails, another species spreading at the expense of native wetland plants, were targeted at both
Koogler Reserve and Zimmerman
Prairie. Boardwalk repair continued at Siebenthaler Fen, as did
periodic trimming of overhanging
vegetation. At the Monarch Waystation, the small volunteer group
worked on end of growing season
maintenance—deadheading the
more prolific seed producers and
removal of tree seedlings. Prairie
dropseed, a low-growing native
grass, was planted along the edge
to better define the border of the
Waystation. This will also create
an esthetically pleasing transition
from the more formal landscape of
the 9/11 Memorial and Beavercreek
Station to our informal butterfly
meadow across the bikeway.
Land management volunteers,
under the direction of Don Geiger
(Saturday crew) and Jim Amon (Sunday crew), included: Deb Adams,
Carol Amon, Nancy Bain, Melissa
Bartell, Eric Bee, Skip Beehler, Jim &
Ann Byrd, Jayne Chen, Alex D’Angelo,
Sarah Fieldhammer, Bill Gruner, Lois
Gschwender, Julia Hall, Kayla Haman, Anna Kamnyev, Debbie Karr,
James Lucot, Meg Maloney, Laura
May, Travis Meidinger, Sean Peters,
Tri-Beta Honeysuckle Conquerers at
Koogler Wetland/Prairie Reserve
Steve Peters, Jankees Post, Claire Rutiser, Jim Schneider, Nicholas Spivey,
Sundar and sons Aadi & Ranga,
Richard Swigart, Hitesh Trivedi, Tom
Whitman, Jonathon Wright, Alex
Zelles, and Mike Zimmerman. In addition, a group of University of Dayton Tri-Beta volunteers participated
in a special honeysuckle removal
project, and included: Maria Anderson, Lauren Asman, Jessica Bond,
Katie Brown, Joseph Emery, Lesley Klein, Claire Mitchell, Michelle
Rabara, Krissy Tinkle, Brian Wagner,
and Taylor Wouters.
In addition to participating in
hands-on land management activity,
BCWA volunteers staffed the booth
at the Beavercreek Popcorn Festival, the display table at the Wright
State University Volunteer Fair and
the CFC Kickoff and Charity Fair
to provide information about the
Beaver Creek wetlands to participants. Others came in to the office
at the Coy House to assist with
the fall fundraising mailing. And
many participated in the Monarch
Tagging and Edible Entomology
program in September, at the
public event and the additional
programs scheduled for groups of
students and scouts. Participants
in these events were: Deb Adams,
Jim Amon, Nancy Bain, Melissa
Bartell, Eric Bee, Skip Beehler, Ann
Byrd, Carole Dudley, Dave Duell,
Rob Foor, Lois Gschwender, Denny
Jarvi, Debbie Karr, Michaela Lanter,
Meg Maloney, Shannon Mueller,
Dane & Priscilla Mutter, Neils &
Sally Sator, Jim Schneider, Chris
Simmons, Richard Swigart, Hitesh
Trivedi, Alex Zelles, and Mike Zimmerman.
Thank you, BCWA volunteers,
for all you do to benefit the Beaver
Creek wetlands!
Note to Volunteers
Land management volunteer
activity will resume as weather
permits in early spring. E-mail
notices of the planned Saturday
and Sunday activity are sent to all
on the volunteer list, normally on
Thursday afternoon. Each notice
provides the date, time, meeting
place and details of the planned activity so you may choose whether
or not to join us and so you may
be prepared for the work and site
conditions. If you are interested in
joining in, please be sure to sign
up to receive the e-mailed notices
by going to www.beavercreekwetlands.org/supportus-volunteer.
html or contacting the BCWA office
at admin@beavercreekwetlands.
org or 937-320-9042.
—Debbie Karr
See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org3
Photo by Richard Swigart
Volunteer Corner: Fall Volunteer Activity
Volunteer Corner, Continued
Koogler Cleanup and Bioremediation
Crews from our usual volunteers were
joined by Tri-Beta students (a Biology Honors
group) from the University of Dayton to remove a large stand of honeysuckle at Koogler
Reserve. The cleared area will be planted with
a variety of deep-rooted prairie and woodland
plants with the hope that their deep roots will
clean up the groundwater entering the fen at
the reserve. For reasons unknown the water
that emerges is contaminated with phosphorous at levels much higher than normal and
this contaminant seems to be fostering the
growth of several invasive and fast growing
plants. The project will reduce invasive honeysuckle, improve the upland where it grew and
help control the invasion in the fen.
—Jim Amon
Tri-Beta Students from U.D., with BCWA Volunteers, Clearing
Honeysuckle at Koogler Wetland/Prairie Reserve
Eagle Scout Project
The Logjam in Little Beaver Creek
4
Volunteers Can Only Make a Dent in This Mess! See Story, Below.
The Mess in the Creek
A large, multi-trunked tree fell across the Little Beaver Creek
at Hagenbuch Reserve, with one of the trunks right at water
level. As a result, it acts as a strainer and catches everything
floating down the creek—plastic bottles, cans, bits and pieces
of Styrofoam, and balls of every type—tennis balls, basketballs, volleyballs, soccer balls, footballs, golf balls, and even an
eyeball (a ping pong ball painted to look like an eye)! What’s
upstream? All this trash originates from US 35, RT 835, western Beavercreek, and Kettering. This unsightly mess is visible
to users of Creekside Trail. Unfortunately, the logjam is beyond
the ability of our volunteer crew to safely remove. Until arrangements can be made to have it removed by a contractor
with heavy equipment, our volunteers periodically clean up the
collected trash. The first cleanup filled sixteen 7-bushel garbage bags, subsequent cleanups yielded several bags each, and
eight bags were removed on December 31st.
This logjam was a blessing in disguise after a truck ran off US
35 and down the embankment, resulting in a diesel fuel spill
into the creek. The logjam prevented the spill from spreading
farther downstream. The Ohio EPA directed the cleanup by a
contractor on this occasion.
—Debbie Karr
Spotted Turtle—Winter 2016
Photos by Richard Swigart
The Koogler Trail Revamp project by Vidur
Prasad is designed to help repair parts of the
trail that have been eroded or covered in mud
due to the creek overflow caused by a dam
built by beavers and by a logjam. The project
will involve laying Geo-textile on the trail, and
then covering it with several inches of gravel,
thereby reducing the chance of weeds. A cover
of 3” gravel (20 cubic yard of chips and dust)
on the trail will also provide good solid walking
surface for visitors. This project is necessary
as many parts of the wetland are inaccessible
to the general public for many days during and
after heavy rains. This project will require approximately 100 hours of the group’s volunteer
time. Vidur is currently awaiting approval from
the Boy Scout council.
—Hitesh Trivedi
Monarch tagging recap
Nearly 200 people came to
Koogler Wetland/Prairie Reserve
to participate in BCWA’s 6th annual
monarch tagging program held in
September. For many, this program
is their first visit to a reserve in the
Beaver Creek wetlands! In addition to the public event, there were
additional programs scheduled by
request for homeschool students,
Brownie Troops, and a Junior Girl
Scout Troop. And the monarchs
were everywhere! Their numbers
were higher than anticipated for
the 2015 fall migration and for
2015 Christmas Bird Count
Fourteen Beaver Creek Wetlands
Association volunteers participated in the Christmas Bird count
on the morning of Sunday, January
3. The group met at the barn at
Phillips Park and divided into three
teams to cover four Beaver Creek
Wetlands sites. Under a cloudy sky,
temperatures ranged between 3033°F, with NW winds 10-15 mph.
The Creekside Reserve team
included Deb Adams, Lois
Gschwender, Debbie Karr, Lee and
Carol Smith, and Jim Schneider.
This group walked on Creekside
Trail bike path west from Factory
Road, then entered the reserve and
Great Backyard Bird Count
February 12-15, 2016
The annual Great Backyard Bird
Count is hosted by Audubon, the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology and
Bird Studies Canada during a 4-day
period in February. It is sponsored by the Wild Birds Unlimited
franchise. The global data that is
retrieved is valuable to scientists.
Everyone is invited to participate
by submitting the number and species of birds they spot in their own
the first time in 4 years, we used all
100 of the tags purchased. My hope
is that this resurgence in numbers
means that people have heeded the
plea to plant milkweed for monarchs
to compensate for habitat loss all
over the eastern US & Canada.
From September 16-26, we
tagged 100 monarchs, all wild, 70
males and 30 females. All but two
were tagged and released at Koogler
Reserve. We even tagged one at our
Monarch Waystation at Hagenbuch
Reserve!
—Debbie Karr
walked the wooded path next to the
Little Beaver Creek on the trip out,
then circled back on the service road
and bike path creating a loop trail
with minimal overlap. Habitats included woods, riparian, prairie strip
(under power lines).
The Phillips Park team included
Jim Amon, Richard Swigart, Alex
Zelles, and Mike Zimmerman. This
group surveyed the pond, then
walked along the wooded trails beside the Beaver Creek, through the
well fields to BCWA’s 21-acre prairie
and conservation easement called
Tower Wetlands, which includes
sedge meadow and wet woods.
backyard or at places with public
access. They can participate either
once or multiple times throughout
the count. This is a good opportunity to submit birding data from one
or more of the sites in the network
of the Beaver Creek Wetlands. There
are often scheduled counts for this
event held at some other parks
and preserves, including Aullwood
Audubon Center. There will also be
Easy Does It: Tagging and Releasing
a Monarch Butterfly
The third team included Blythe
Hazellief, Anna Kamnyev, Dave
Nolin, and Christine Simmons. They
visited both Siebenthaler Fen and
Koogler Wetland/Prairie Reserve,
both of which include sedge meadow, wet woods, and riparian habitats along the Beaver Creek.
34 different species were observed in the Beaver Creek Wetlands
for the 2015 Christmas Bird Count.
One real treat was seeing four Pileated Woodpeckers at the same time
as three Red-tail Hawks.
—Debbie Karr
Continued on Page 6:
Christmas Bird Count Results
a free event at Glen Helen’s Trailside Museum on Saturday, Feb. 13
from 10 am - 5 pm. Visitors can help
count birds at their feeders and take
information about how to further
participate at home. For more
information and instructions about
how to participate, visit the following
Website: www.gbbc.birdcount.org
—Bethany Gray
See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org5
Photo by Richard Swigart
Citizen Science
Christmas Bird Count
Continued from Page 5
Location
Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose
Mallard
6
Red-tailed Hawk
1
Belted Kingfisher
1
Turkey Vulture
Cooper's Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
1
6
2
1
1
1
1
12
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Northern Cardinal
Eastern Towhee
American Tree Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
American Goldfinch
Total Species (by site)
6
44
15
1
3
1
1
1
3
3
5
4
4
2
1
48
4
14
3
1
4
20
2
Koogler Wetland/
Prairie Reserve
Siebenthaler Fen
1
1
2
7
1
1
4
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren
Phillips Park & well
field, Tower Wetlands
& Prairie
1
3
6
2
3
1
1
1
1
4
2
2
42
34
6
5
4
2
5
16
1
5
2
2
4
1
26
1
105
4
4
1
9
17
Spotted Turtle—Winter 2016
2
9
Photo Belted Kingfisher by Rick Luehrs
Creekside
Reserve
Upcoming BCWA Activities!
Bluebird Workshop
Learn about Eastern Bluebirds
and other cavity-nesting birds and
how you can help them as they
face loss of nesting habitat, harsh
winters, pesticides, and competition from non-native species. Learn
how to monitor nest boxes, share
data, and cultivate plants that help
bluebirds. Workshop is free. RSVP
required. You may register for the
workshop through the homepage of
BCWA’s website www.beavercreekwetlands.org or, if you prefer, you
may RSVP by contacting the BCWA
office at 937-320-9042.
The workshop will be presented
Photo by Jim Amon
Sunday, January 31, 2016
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Beavercreek Fire Station #1 Meeting Room
2195 Dayton-Xenia Road
Above: Find the Bluebird ...
by BCWA member Bethany Gray,
who is the Ohio Bluebird Society
contact person for Clark and Greene
Counties. Bethany and husband Jordan established and monitored the
nest box trail at Fairborn Marsh for
BCWA and have recently completed
a trail at Greene County Parks &
Trails Russ Reserve. Additional nest
box trails are planned for Koogler
Wetland/Prairie Reserve and Phillips Park in 2016.
If you are interested in this
workshop, but are unable to attend,
Bethany will also conduct a Bluebird
Workshop at Glen Helen Nature
Preserve on Saturday, February 27,
2016. For details and to register,
please contact Glen Helen or visit
their website www.glenhelen.org.
Go Native! A Hands-on Exploration of Native Plant Seeds and Seedlings
A Family Activity (Children must be accompanied by adults)
Sunday, March 6, 2016
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Beavercreek Fire Station #1 Meeting Room
2195 Dayton-Xenia Road
Did you know you can help pollinators - bees, butterflies, birds, and
even bats - by growing native plants
in your own yard? Some plants need
insects or birds to take pollen from
one plant to another so they can
make seeds.
Your friends at BCWA will help
you “go native” at home with seeds
from our wetland areas. Everyone
will learn a lot!
• What is a native plant?
• Why would I want native
plants in my own yard?
• Will my plant grow if my yard
is not a wetland?
• When will my plants bloom?
• What will eat my plants?
Participants will see photographs
of what the plants look like when
grown and photographs of what the
plants attract. They will learn the
benefits of native plants to the environment and look at some charts
to get an idea of how big the plants
will get.
There will be a chance to explore
seeds up close and personal at the
microscope work station—some
are really cool looking and oddly
shaped. We can talk about why
seeds come in so many shapes and
sizes!
Participants will become plant
caretakers by selecting three seedlings (from several varieties) to put
in pots and take home to nurture
until spring. Most of the selections
need bright sun and lots of moisture
to get them ready to plant in the
home garden when spring arrives.
Participants can help the wetlands, too, by transplanting at least
one plant to be used in one of our
restoration projects in the Spring.
There will be plenty of information to take home, recommended
readings and sources for plants and
seed for those with an interest in
creating a native plant garden!
Please register for the workshop
through a visit to BCWA’s website,
www.beavercreekwetlands.org or
you may call the BCWA office at 937320-9042.
On the next page of this newsletter, check out pictures of seed being
prepared for the workshop!
Continued on PAGE 8:
Seed Preparation Pictorial
See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org7
Continued from PAGE 7
Preparing Seed for Planting
Photos by Jim Amon
“Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me
that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.” - Henry David Thoreau
Volunteer Christina Simmons pours
out sand for seed stratification.
Adding moisture. The seed mixture
will be refrigerated for a few weeks.
winter-like conditions in our bags
of seed mixed with moist sand and
placed in the refrigerator. Later on,
we will simulate the end of winter
dormancy by planting the seeds
in soil-filled pots to germinate in
bright sun with lots of moisture (ah,
springtime).
Our emerging seedlings will be
brought to our native plant work-
shop in March, where they will be
transplanted and reared by kids.
Eventually these plants will be
placed in back yard gardens, and
some others will be planted in our
wetland restoration areas. We hope
that these native plants will be
enjoyed by pollinators and people
alike!
Photos by Jim Amon
Seed Preparation? What’s the
point? Why not just stick the seed
in the ground in the spring, you
might ask?
With seed stratification, we
give Nature a helping hand in the
germination process. Many native Ohio plant seeds overwinter
in dark, moist, cold ground or leaf
litter. We artificially create these
Here, she adds purple coneflower
seed to the sand.
Seeds of Intrigue: Clockwise, from top left. Bristly Sedge (Carex comosa); Nodding Bur Marigold (Bidens cernua);
Redbud (Cercis canadensis); Wingstem (Verbesina spp.); Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium spp.); Milkweed (Asclepias spp.)
8
Spotted Turtle—Winter 2016
News and Reminders
Fund Sharing: Businesses and
Individuals Help BCWA
Many businesses are now offering to provide selected non-profit
groups like BCWA with a small
percent of their profits if customers
designate their favorite charity for
the contribution. Amazon (Amazon
Smile program), Kroger and Dorothy
Lane Market* provide that service
and there may be many more. Just
look on their web pages or check
with the store to see if they participate.
Some BCWA members are enrolled in their employer’s matching
gift programs, while other members’ employers provide matching
gifts through the Benevity platform.
Depending upon the program, participation can increase the impact
of our members’ donations two- to
four-fold!
In a different way some large
funding programs have annual fund
raising campaigns that help us.
BCWA participates in the Miami Valley Combined Federal Campaign on
an annual basis. If you work for the
federal government please consider
the BCWA when you make your CFC
pledge—our number is #72199.
*Club Dorothy Lane Market If you are
a member of Club DLM, you can designate the BCWA as your preferred charity
by going to their website www.dorothylane.com/clubdlm/goodneighbor.
pl and entering your name and BCWA’s
Charity ID 671.
Fall Campaign
Many thanks to our donors for
your support of the “Plant Native”
fall campaign. As of Dec. 31, $16,622
has been raised for restoration efforts. We will be busy planting when
spring arrives!
Your Email Contact Info
Every year numerous opportunities for BCWA members are communicated by email from our Administrative Coordinator. To receive these
in a timely way, your email address
is critical. The alternative contact
method is by regular mail and that
can be costly. You can always call our
office on any question at 937-3209042 or email at admin@beavercreekwetlands.org. So, if you have
not done it already, please let our
coordinator have your email address
as soon as possible. Thanks!
Donated Red Maple Tree
In early spring, the League of
Women Voters of the Greater Dayton
Area honored BCWA with its first
Jo Columbro Memorial Environmental Award. In association with
this award, Siebenthaler Nursery
donated a cultivar of a native Red
Maple tree, which was dug from
their nursery in late fall and planted
at Fairborn Marsh near the entrance
in December.
Legislative Win: Land Trust Alliance
Announcement
You may have heard about the
bipartisan major budget and tax
compromise bill recently passed
by Congress. Some of the biggest
winners of all were landowners,
land trusts and charities in general.
This legislation made permanent
the tax incentive for farmers, ranchers and other individuals who place
a conservation easement on their
land preserving natural resources
forever. It also made permanent the
IRA charitable rollover. Once signed
into law the incentive will be applied
retroactively to start Jan. 1, 2015.
The vote also reauthorized the
Land and Water Conservation Fund,
a means to acquire and restore
conservation land, for three years
and increased its funding from $306
million last year to $450 million this
year. The Land Trust Alliance wanted to thank all of you who reached
out to legislators to educate them
about both the importance of this incentive and the critical role that land
trusts play in communities across
the country.
—Abstracted from
Rand Wentworth
President, Land Trust Alliance.
Greene County Parks Levy Passes
In our Fall newsletter, we discussed the upcoming levy for our
county parks, reminding BCWA
supporters how closely the upkeep
of our wetlands locations is tied to
the fortunes of our partners at the
Greene County Park District. We
were consequently quite pleased
when voters went to the polls in November and approved the five-year,
.9 mill levy.
Xenia Gazette reported that parks
district will use the additional funds
to resume work on maintenance
projects that had been deferred due
to state budget cuts. Beaver Creek
wetland sites that will potentially
benefit from the additional funding include Cemex Reserve, Beaver
Creek Wetland Nature Reserve, and
Creekside Reserve.
Greene County Parks & Trails
Director Chrisbell Bednar told Xenia
Gazette that approximately one third
of the annual funds would be designated by the park district for trail
maintenance, another third for capital improvements and the remaining
portion for day-to-day operations
and park management.
—Abstracted from
Xenia Gazette, 11/4/15
See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org9
Save the Date! BCWA Activities and Hikes Planned for 2016
Event Name
Date
Location
Time
Bluebird Workshop
Registration Required
Jan. 31
Beavercreek Fire Station #1
2195 Dayton Xenia Road
2-4 p.m.
Native Plant Seed Sprouting for Kids
Registration Required
Mar. 6
Beavercreek Fire Station #1
2195 Dayton Xenia Road
2-4 p.m.
Cabin Fever Hike
Skunk Cabbage Hike
More Activities Coming Up ...
Feb. 21
Mar. 5
Phillips Park
Siebenthaler Fen
2-4 p.m.
10 a.m.-Noon
We have lots of fun, educational activities in store, but we are still working out a few details! Watch The Spotted
Turtle newsletter and our website for further information.
• Spring Hike, April 17 at Creekside Reserve (Park off Factory Road at Bikeway), Time TBA
• Mother’s Day Hike, May 1 at Phillips Park; Time TBA
• Spring Bird Census, April 29-May 13 at locations throughout the wetlands, details TBA
• Annual Meeting, May 17 at Bergamo Center, details TBA
• Bluebird Hike, May 21 at Fairborn Marsh, 10:00 a.m.
• Father’s Day Hike, June 18 at Cemex Reserve, Time TBA
• Butterfly Survey, July 16 at Siebenthaler Fen, Time TBA
• Summer in Bloom Hike, August 14 at Siebenthaler Fen, Time TBA
• Animals for Kids, September 18 at Siebenthaler Fen, Time TBA
• Monarch Tagging, September 17 at Koogler Reserve, Time TBA
• Halloween Hike, October 23 (rain date Oct 30) at Siebenthaler Fen, Time TBA
• Tree Leaf ID Hike, November 6, Location and Details TBA
• Bird Friendsgiving, November 20 at Beavercreek Fire Station #1, 2195 Dayton Xenia Road, Time TBA
A Wetland Fairy Tale
It is little known that fairies are born from milkweed pods. When conditions are just right they leave the pod carrying a single milkweed seed.
When they find a just right habitat for that seed to grow, they touch the
earth and plant the seed and then fly away. For most of us, we will never
see them again. Where they go no one really knows, but it is rumored
that they guide Monarch Butterflies to milkweed plants. Occasionally,
you just might see one, but it is very rare. I found this one sleeping.
As you can see when they sleep they fold
their wings into a ball that looks a bit like a
lantern. I made a bed for this one. Rest, my
precious, the milkweeds need you.
—Jim Amon
Order your 2016 BCWA Calendar, a
few are still available at:
www.beavercreekwetlands.org
Or call 937-320-9042!
10
A Special Thanks to Weekend Crews
We want to say a heartfelt thanks to our regulars who come out on
weekends to help restore and maintain the wetlands. This group is an
amazing constant. They are people we can depend on week after week.
They work hard and are so great to work with. It is such a wonderful feeling to work with these dedicated individuals. Thanks to all of you.
Sincerely,
Don Geiger and Jim Amon
Spotted Turtle—Winter 2016
Join the BCWA Today!
Spotted Turtle Name and Logo:
Noted area wildlife artist Charley
Harper generously donated the art
for our logo in 1988. His work has
been adopted by the National Park
Service and is appreciated worldwide. Our newsletter recognizes
the Spotted Turtle as an icon for the
many rare animals and plants protected in the Beaver Creek Wetlands.
Submissions, Questions, or Comments: We rely on members like
you to make this newsletter the
product of many diverse voices. If
you have an idea for an article or a
picture to include, please send them
to admin@beavercreekwetlands.org
Also, we welcome any comments or
questions. For submissions, questions, or comments, please include
“newsletter” in the subject line of
your e-mail. We reserve the right to
edit for content or clarity.
Change of Address/Email
Members, please don’t forget to contact us if you move or change your
email address: admin@beavercreekwetlands.org. We want to ensure
that you receive your issue of The
Spotted Turtle!
Donations of Land/Easements: If
you are interested in donating land,
placing an easement on property,
or remembering the BCWA in your
will, please don’t hesitate to call the
Beaver Creek Wetlands Association
at (937) 320-9042.
BCWA Annual Report: Copies are
available by request. E-mail the
office at admin@beavercreekwetlands.org or call (937) 320-9042.
Founded in 1988, the Mission of
the Beaver Creek Wetlands Association is to protect the wetland
ecosystem in the Beaver Creek
watershed through partnerships,
community networks, and public
education.
Help reclaim our local wetlands corridor
and restore its natural beauty and function.
Your member dues fund land acquisition,
education programs, habitat restoration
and management of our preserve.
Please make your check payable to BCWA and
mail to: BCWA, P.O. Box 42, Alpha, OH 45301
Name
A 501(c)(3) land
trust organization.
Your donation is
tax deductible.
Address
Phone Email
Choose your member level:
$5
Student
$10
Senior (60+)
$15
Individual
$25
Family
$35
$50
$100
$1,000
Contributing
Supporting
Patron
Life
Planned Giving •
Endowment Fund
Our Endowment Fund contains
more than $186,152.84. Did you
know you can leave a bequest in
the form of a life annuity? Planned
giving can result in tax savings and/
or income to you, while leaving a
legacy of conservation.
The BCWA Endowment Fund is a
permanent savings plan to help ensure that BCWA continues to protect
wetlands for future generations. The
BCWA Endowment Fund may accept
many types of planned, deferred,
and outright gifts that can actually
increase the value of your estate,
enabling you to do more with what
you leave for others.
Spotted Turtle Society members include anyone who has made
a gift to the Beaver Creek Wetlands
Association Endowment Fund.
I would like to learn more about
gift options to help grow the Beaver
Creek Wetlands Endowment Fund.
Please contact me about planned giving.
I have already included BCWA in my
estate planning. I would like to become a member of the Spotted Turtle
Society.
I wish to make an outright gift payable to ‘”BCWA Endowment Fund”.
Please return to:
Beaver Creek Wetlands Association
Attn: Endowment Committee
P.O.Box 42, Alpha, Ohio 45301
For information on a variety of planned giving options, call or write to us, or contact The Dayton Foundation directly.
See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org11
P.O. BOX 42
ALPHA, OH 45301
Address Service Requested
NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
XENIA, OHIO 45385
PERMIT NUMBER 76
Moving? New e-mail address?
Don’t miss an issue! Call 937-320-9042
or email:
admin@beavercreekwetlands.org
Label (1” x 2-5/8” ) here.
Place carefully to
cover bottom line completely
but do not touch top line.
The Spotted Turtle | Volume 30, No. 1 | Winter 2016
Published by Oregon Printing
www.oregonprinting.com
Spotted Turtle Editors
Jim and Carol Amon
Sue Rytel
Deborah Karr
Webmaster
Rob Evans
Visit Us on Facebook & Online
www.beavercreekwetlands.org
Contact Us
Deborah Karr
Administrative Coordinator
admin@beavercreekwetlands.org
President
president@beavercreekwetlands.org
Photo by Rick Luehrs
Officers
Jim Schneider, President
Hitesh Trivedi, Vice President
Richard Swigart, Secretary
Doug Hull, Treasurer
Jim Amon, Technical Advisor
Trustees
Jim Amon
Nancy Bain
Roger (Skip) Beehler
Rob Evans
Donald Geiger
Lois Gschwender
Denny Jarvi
Shannon Mueller
James Runkle
Sue Rytel
Jim Schneider
Richard Swigart
Hitesh Trivedi
Alex Zelles
Mike Zimmerman
Technical Advisor
technical@beavercreekwetlands.org
Webmaster
webmaster@beavercreekwetlands.org
Newsletter
newsletter@beavercreekwetlands.org
Red Headed Woodpecker at
Siebenthaler Fen