Winter 2015 - Beaver Creek Wetlands Association

Beaver Creek Wetlands Association
Volume 29, No. 1
Winter 2015
Some 70 persons participated in
the Third Annual Wetlands Summit
sponsored by the Ohio Wetlands
Association (OWA) at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center in Columbus. The summit dealt with various
aspects of wetland restoration and
honored several organizations for
their contributions to wetland conservation in Ohio. The Beaver Creek
Wetlands Association received an
award for their multifaceted educational efforts as they put together an
outdoor classroom for all people.
Mark Dilley addressed site
selection for wetland restoration
projects. Dark areas in Google Map
aerial photos were interpreted to
identify distribution of hydric soils
and placement of drainage tiles in
fields, key information for planning
wetland restoration. Examination
of a time-series of these photos
provided a history of events. These
observations together with infor-
In this Issue
OWA Leadership Award.......... 1
President’s Message.................. 2
Volunteer Corner........................ 3
Sand Hill Crane Sightings....... 4
Plastic Bags & Bottles............... 5
Rare Plants.................................... 6
Science Corner............................ 7
Collaboration............................... 8
Management Notes................... 9
The Future of BCWA................. 10
Endowment Fund...................... 11
www.beavercreekwetlands.org
(L-R) OWA vice president Mick Micacchion, OWA president Ray Stewart,
and BCWA Trustee Don Geiger
mation from the National Wetland
Inventory were used to assist planning of wetland restoration. John
Watts of the Columbus MetroParks
referred to historical accounts of the
existence of large areas of Madison
County too wet to support agriculture. Identifying these historic
areas has enabled the Park District
to restore large, diverse reserves of
wetlands and prairies characteristic
of this region of the state.
Bill Mitsch referred to the historic
importance of the Black Swamp
region in the Northwest corner
of Ohio. All but a few acres of this
immense wetland were tiled and
drained for agriculture in the 1800s.
This wetland loss led to a major loss
of the associated ecological services.
As a consequence, this large region
has become a major source of nutrients from farm run-off that contribute to creation of the huge low oxygen dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.
Mitsch stressed the importance of
SAVE THE DATE: February 7 Winter Hike
wetlands drained for agriculture and
described his mission of reversing
their loss. Mitsch is chair of the U.S.
National Ramsar Committee, which
supports the goals and objectives
of the International Convention on
Wetlands established in Ramsar,
Iran in 1971. This convention also
established a List of Wetlands of
International Importance.
The November 2014 Newsletter
of the OWA details the process of
nomination to the Ramsar list. Criteria relevant for possible use by the
Beaver Creek Wetland Association in
nominating a wetland site include:
• contains a representative, rare,
or unique example of a natural or
near natural wetland type within
the appropriate biogeographic
region; or
• supports vulnerable, endangered,
or critically endangered species
or threatened ecological communities; or
• supports populations of plant
and/or animal species important
for maintaining the biological
diversity of a particular biogeographic region; or
• supports plant and/or animal
species in a critical stage in their
life cycles, or provides refuge at
a critical stage in their life cycles,
or provides refuge during adverse
conditions.
Recognizing the Beaver Creek
Wetlands under Ramsar would provide international recognition of its
—Don Geiger
importance. 10 a.m., Community Park, Fairborn (691 East Dayton Yellow Springs Road)
Photo by Mark Dilley
BCWA Receives Award for Leadership in Wetlands Education
President’s Message: What Can We Do?
frustrations on bush honeysuckle
to greeting people at the region’s
festivals. We publish a quarterly
newsletter and have just started
reaching out to our members
monthly via email with our new
Member Notes. What other things
can we do?
We want to get the word out
about the Beaver Creek Wetlands
and we want to make it more than
the hidden gem it is today. It could
be anything. It may be a simple
request, such as we had when one
of our members asked us if would
please have a hike on a Sunday, instead of always on Saturday. Maybe
you have an idea for a big project or you have seen an effort by
another conservation organization
that would be good for BCWA. Do
you know where we could expand
our educational outreach? Would
you like to see a specific hike?
How about a place we could use
additional signage? Is there a
specific subject you would like us
to discuss in the Spotted Turtle
newsletter? Anything! Let us
know! Go to:
http://beavercreekwetlands.
org/whatcanwedo.html and let
us know what ideas you have. We
would be so very grateful!
Now, I was kidding earlier, I do
want to thank all our volunteers
for the all the hours and dedication to the Beaver Creek Wetlands. We couldn’t do this with
you. Thank you and I am looking
forward to another year.
See you in the wetlands,
Rob Evans
BCWA President
Photo by Rob Evans
Typically, my winter newsletter message is a reflection on the
accomplishments of the Beaver
Creek Wetlands Association. I
make a checklist of projects and
say thank you to all the hard work
our volunteers have put in, not
only doing restoration work, but
making each reserve such a wonderful place to visit. Not this time.
I want to ask all our members,
“What can we do?”
We want to get your input.
What can we do that we aren’t
doing now? We currently have all
sorts of programs throughout the
year, from our citizen science butterfly programs to hikes in each of
our reserves. Our volunteers give
presentations to groups and take
them on guided hikes of the wetlands. We have all kinds of volunteer projects, from taking out life’s
Frost-kissed goldenrod in the Beaver Creek Wetlands. The winter is a good time to evaluate our past successes, our
current challenges, and the future of our organization. We welcome your input!
2
Spotted Turtle—Winter 2015
Every fall, land management
volunteer efforts are focused on
reducing the amount of honeysuckle throughout the wetland
corridor. This time of year is the
window of opportunity for effective control of this invasive
shrub—it remains green through
October into November when
most of the native vegetation has
gone dormant. In fact, it was still
green after the mid-November
cold snap and the first snow of the
season!
The Saturday morning crew,
which works along the Little
Beaver Creek under the direction
of Don Geiger, spent four work sessions removing woody invasives
like honeysuckle, Callery pear, and
autumn olive, plus tree saplings
from the constructed wetlands
along US 35 at Creekside Reserve.
Another session involved rearranging the tarps used to solarize sweet flag in the Hershner
wetlands on the other side of the
highway. The rest of the season
was spent cutting and chipping
honeysuckle at BCWA’s Hagenbuch
Reserve, along Creekside Trail.
Under the direction of Jim
Amon, the Sunday volunteers
continued the arduous task of raising the boardwalk at Siebenthaler
Fen. The loop boardwalk needs
continual trimming during the
growing season to keep it passable
for visitors. In addition to these
tasks, volunteers cut and treated
the large honeysuckle along the
Beaver Creek and chopped it up to
help expedite its decomposition.
Honeysuckle is very brittle and
breaks down quickly, especially
when in contact with the ground.
It will be interesting to see what
will sprout in this area now the
honeysuckle has been cut down.
An area slightly downstream was
Photo by Richard Swigart
Volunteer Corner
TriBeta biology majors serve on a project at Koogler Reserve
cleared several years ago; now wafer
ash, nannyberry viburnum, gray
dogwood, and wahoo are growing in
its place. At Koogler Wetland/Prairie
Reserve, some planting took place—
buttonbush and sedges were planted to compete with narrowleaf cattail at the edge of the fen—but again,
honeysuckle control was the main
activity. BCWA was contacted by the
volunteer coordinator for University
of Dayton Tri-Beta, an honor society
for biology majors, looking for a service project for its members. A honeysuckle removal project at Koogler
Reserve was offered and accepted,
and for four Sunday work sessions,
Tri-Beta members joined BCWA
volunteers for this task. What a difference! Check out the trail heading
counterclockwise from the parking
lot to see what they accomplished!
Another group, the Youth Group for
Indian Culture, consisting of middle
and high school students, continued
to assist with land management
activities at multiple sites.
In addition to the two regularly
scheduled weekend work sessions,
volunteers met during the week to
take care of issues as needed. A few
volunteers continued work at the
Monarch Waystation at Hagenbuch
Reserve through early fall by remov-
ing biennial weeds, planting a few
more native plants, and preparing the adjacent area for spring
planting. Others concentrated on
continuing honeysuckle control at
Fairborn Marsh. This has been a
years-long effort—the benefit is a
more diverse understory replacing
the monoculture of honeysuckle in
the wooded areas.
Volunteers participating in
these land management activities
included:
Individuals: Deb Adams, Carol
Amon, Nancy Bain, Eric Bee, Skip
Beehler, Jim and Ann Byrd, Steve
Carnegis, Matt Cary, Aaron Deckard, Lois Gschwender, Debbie Karr,
Robert Magley, Meg Maloney, Al
Munoz, Jim Schneider, Laura Smith,
Richard Swigart, Hitesh Trivedi,
and Tom Whitman. Groups: TriBeta: Sam Cicconetti, Jacob Clancy,
Erin Clark, Raphael Crum, Sarah
Feldkamp, Molly Gaskell, Christa
Greenwood, Sydney Hattendorf,
Sarah Kane, Sarah Lesiecki, Margarita Mendoz, Sara Mohamed,
Lydia Payton, Dante Pezzotti,
Marie Pinto, Stephanie Pohlman,
Benjamin Schmeusser, Claire Schweikert, Sarah Stalder, and Shelby
Stoermer. Youth Group for Indian
Culture: Vidur Prasad, Anukriti
continued on page 4
See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org3
4
there is always something interesting to see—at this time of year, it is
the variety of seeds and the different methods of seed distribution. Of
course, we inadvertently discovered
several different species of “sticktights,” which have the most annoying method of distributing seeds!
One of the interesting finds on this
walk was a very colorful caterpillar. No one knew what it was, but
we could identify the plant it was
eating—a goldenrod species. Thank
goodness for the Wagner Caterpillars of Eastern North America field
guide with its host plant index! It
was the larva of the Brown-hooded
Owlet moth. The moth is rather
nondescript, but its caterpillar is
striking, sporting nearly every color
of the rainbow! It was still there the
following day, so the participants
of another guided fall hike could
observe it as well.
In addition to these outdoor activities, there was an administrative
volunteer opportunity as well. Jim
and Carol Amon, Nancy Bain, Ann
Byrd, Margie Perenic, Jim Schneider, Richard Swigart, and Mike and
Diana Zimmerman came to the
office in the Coy House to prepare
the fall fundraising mailing in midNovember.
Thanks, volunteers, for all you do
to take care of the properties in the
Beaver Creek Wetlands, explore the
different sites with visitors, educate
the public about their value to the
region, and garner support for the
continuation of BCWA’s mission!
—Debbie Karr
Remembering Al Munoz
Long-time BCWA supporter and
volunteer Al Munoz passed away
unexpectedly on December 15, 2014.
A coworker at PE Systems called the
BCWA office to inform his friends here,
since being a part of the volunteer
crew taking care of the wetlands was so
important to Al. We will miss him.
Spotted Turtle—Winter 2015
Photo by Jim Amon
Volunteers, continued from page 3
Tayal, Sanjana and Venugopal
Yerubandi.
Other volunteer activities: Many
volunteers came to Koogler Reserve to assist with the Monarch
Tagging event in late September—
there were 143 participants at the
public event with 68 participants
in additional group programs,
most of whom had never visited
this park. We tagged a total of
88 monarch butterflies this year,
which is a tremendous improvement over last year. Thank you
Nancy Bain, Rob Evans, Don Geiger,
Lois Gschwender, Denny Jarvi, Debbie Karr, Al Munoz, Sue Rytel, Jim
Schneider, Chris Simmons, Richard Swigart, Hitesh Trivedi, Mike
Zimmerman for exploring the park
with the participants, helping the
kids identify butterflies and other
insects they captured, tagging and
releasing monarchs, assisting with
the popular “edible entomology”,
and controlling parking to keep
everyone safe.
BCWA set up its display and provided information about the wetlands at the Beavercreek Historical
Society’s Heritage Day at Wartinger
Park in September and at the
Little Miami Watershed Festival at
Caesar’s Creek Visitor Center and
the Combined Federal Campaign
Kickoff and Charity Fair at the Nutter Center in October. Participants
in these activities included Deb Adams, Nancy Bain, Lois Gschwender,
Debbie Karr, Sue Rytel, Jim Schneider, Chris Simmons, Hitesh Trivedi,
and Richard Swigart.
Lois Gschwender, Debbie Karr,
and Richard Swigart explored
Koogler Reserve with a small group
from the Dayton OSU Alumnae
group in mid-October. Most of
the flowering plants had finished
blooming except for some of the
asters (the fen asters were spectacular at this site this year!), but
Sandhill Crane Sightings
Jane Henry:
Happy Thanksgiving! Thought
of you today and what you (Jim
Amon) said in the latest BCWA
newsletter—about often seeing
Sandhill Cranes on Thanksgiving
Day. Sure enough on the drive back
from Hueston Woods Lodge (where
I gathered with a large group of
family) I looked up to see several
dozen Sandhill Cranes while driving up Rt. 127 from Oxford to Camden. You got that prediction right!
Sue Rytel:
On Thursday, November 20, I
walked out of White Hall on the
Wright State University campus at
5:00 p.m., at the end of my workday. On this day, I was greeted by
the distinctive sound of an overhead flight of Sandhill Cranes! The
noise was super loud because they
were flying much lower than other
times when I’ve observed their
migration. Best of all, the slanted
rays of the sun illuminated the
birds beautifully. Another fascinated spectator in the parking lot
watched with me as the cranes
circled over our heads for a few
moments. Suddenly another flight
of cranes approached from the
other side of the campus, and the
two groups merged into one. We
watched them all head south, forming several ragged lines in the sky.
Listen to Sandhill Cranes:
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=oOctNGaJy_4
Plastic Bags, Bottles and Life at Sea
Litter ...
As I pondered the fate that
awaited that wandering bottle, I
also wondered about all the other
objects that had set off on similar
journeys but had ended up in colonies along the shore of the creek.
In these communities there were
plastic and Styrofoam cups, plastic
bottles and aluminum cans, plastic
rings from six-packs and plastic
bags from stores. There were also
things such as a flip-flop, a sneaker
and a softball.
All of these objects aren’t necessarily stranded. The life expectancy
of these objects range from fifty
years for the Styrofoam cups to
two hundred years for the aluminum cans and up to four hundred
years for plastic bottles. Glass is
in a category all of its own with
an undetermined life expectancy
in geological terms. With a high
water event, it is possible for these
stranded objects to continue their
journeys downstream, following the
course of our original bottle.
The course of our original bottle
is open to speculation. Assuming it
can avoid pitfalls along the way, our
bottle’s cruise could be a long one. If
it doesn’t get stopped by deadfalls,
sand bars, locks or dams, our bottle
could make its way from the Little
Beaver Creek to the Beaver Creek.
From there, it is a short trip to the
Little Miami River and on to the
Ohio River. From there it is a scenic cruise to the Mississippi River.
Once it navigates this mighty river, it
will find itself in the Gulf of Mexico
where its final destination could be
one of almost infinite possibilities.
Depending upon weather systems
and ocean currents, it could find
itself on any of the beaches along
the gulf coast to one of the beaches
Refuse ...
on one of the Caribbean islands. If
our bottle caught the gulf current, it
would have a chance to land anywhere along the east coast of North
America or it could make landfall in
Europe, anywhere from Sweden to
the British Isles to France or Spain.
Our bottle would not be alone on
its voyage. It was estimated in 2001
that as many as eight million items
of litter entered the oceans every
day. Of all those pieces, it is believed
that three million of them come
from land based sources, the rest
from watercraft discharges, both
accidental and intentional. The land
based sources can also be either deliberate or accidental. These sources
can be many, from coastal landfills to
storm surges to rivers and streams
flowing to the oceans carrying materials such as our bottle.
From surveys done around the
world’s oceans, it appeared that
there were approximately forty six
thousand pieces of litter per square
mile of ocean, on average. An analysis of this litter showed that it consisted of plastics in 75% of the litter
in the North Pacific to up to 95% in
the North Atlantic.
This litter is largely made up of
plastic bags, bottles and six-pack
rings. Lost and discarded fishing
lines and nets, along with items such
as Styrofoam coolers, cups and takeout food containers, also contribute
to this debris. The expected lifespans of the various types of plastics
were noted earlier but does plastic
ever really go away?
Mineralization is the technical
term for compounds breaking down
into their constituent parts, for plastics this would be carbon dioxide,
water and inorganic molecules. The
problem with the most commonly
used plastics is that they never
Waste ...
continued on page 6
See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org5
Photos by Richard Swigart
While walking a trail along the
Little Beaver Creek, I noticed a
plastic bottle floating in the current. As I watched the bottle on
its journey downstream, hesitating as it encountered eddies and
other obstacles, I wondered where
its voyage had started. The bottle
continued on its trip down the
stream and as it disappeared from
view around a curve in the creek, I
couldn’t help but wonder where its
journey would end.
fully degrade; they break down
into smaller pieces instead. These
pieces can be small enough to be
considered microscopic in size but
they are still plastic.
The impact of all this plastic is
manifold. Wildlife is impacted both
directly and indirectly by this plastic debris. The most direct damage
comes from entanglement or entrapment and from ingestion. The
indirect threats to wildlife include
destruction of habitat, both on the
seabed and on the shore line, and
transportation of toxic substances
and possible non-native and inva-
sive species.
This brings us back to our plastic bottle floating down the Little
Beaver Creek. Will our bottle make
it to the ocean, to end up on the
seabed or some distant shore? The
probabilities of our bottle traveling
these distances are small but the
possibility of it creating any of the
same problems on its journey along
our fresh water streams and rivers
is always there. Wherever our wayward bottle ends its trip, it should
be a reminder that the land and sea
are connected, that we all live on the
same world.
For more information, please go
to the United Nations Environment
Programme www.unep.org or the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (www.noaa.gov),
from which I obtained way more
than I could use in this story about
one wayward bottle.
—Richard Swigart
The question seemed simple:
“What’s the rarest plant in the
Beaver Creek Wetlands?” asked
a passerby at the BCWA booth at
the Yellow Springs Street Fair last
summer. We who were working
that shift looked at each other for
an answer. None of us knew. So I
decided to find out.
First I put the question to our
technical advisor, Dr. Jim Amon,
who emailed me a list of eight
candidates. Next I emailed BCWA’s
Founding Father Dave Nolin, Director of Conservation for Five Rivers
MetroParks. “Good question about
rare plants,” he wrote, adding,
“There is more than one way to categorize a plant as rare.” No kidding,
I thought, as I researched the surveys, documents and websites on
rare plants that he had attached and
referred me to. As my 3x5 cards became 5x8s became legal pad sheets,
I realized that a definitive answer
was beyond my capacity to write
about. For knowledge of rare plants
from a scientific view requires a
grasp of complexities. How many
of us can speak at length about the
Floristic Quality Assessment Index;
the Coefficient of Conservatism; obligate, facultative, and upland plants;
and differences between state and
federally listed plants? Such matters
are best left to bona fide scientists.
Yet, rare plants are not simply about
technical matters, either.
For example, one of our wetland
plant surveys had been done by my
good friend Dave Dister, a former
field biologist for Dayton Woolpert,
now retired to Ludington, Michigan. I called to ask him what rare
plants mean to him. Dave recalled
when he was asked to survey Beaver
Creek Wetlands in 1996, he jumped
at the chance. “Fens are rare,” he
said, which improves the chance to
discover an endangered or threatened plant—a feather in the cap of
any botanist. But there’s more to
such pursuits. Dave pointed out that
by “looking for new county records,
(we) lessen the gaps in our knowledge about plant distributions,”
which raises our understanding of
how rare plants form the foundation
of healthy ecosystems that benefit
wildlife as well.
Debbie Karr, BCWA administrative coordinator, has another take on
the meaning of rare plants. One of
continued on page 7
Carex Grayii
Turtlehead
Queen of the Prairie
Microplastic Marine Debris
Photos by Jim Amon
The Rarest Plant In The Wetlands
6
Spotted Turtle—Winter 2015
Photo: NOAA.gov
Bottles, continued from page 5
Rarest Plant, continued from page 6
her favorite stories is of the recent
discovery of Swamp Candles (Lysimachia terrestris) at Siebenthaler
Fen described in The Spotted Turtle
Summer 2014. She and Jim Amon
had noticed this unfamiliar plant
within 24 hours of each other and
upon researching it found that it
had never been reported in Greene
County. Even though it is common
in other parts of Ohio and neither
threatened nor endangered, it is still
a rare sighting. Debbie recognizes
that when we do conservation work
in the wetlands, our focus is invasive
species. “You quickly learn what
is wrong with a place,” she said,
“but it’s hard to turn that around.”
By practicing observational skills,
however—such as going on guided
hikes, learning to use field guides,
and just following through on one’s
curiosity, we become alert to subtleties in the landscape that lead us
to rare discoveries that otherwise
would escape us.
Responses from others I talked
with added more variety to the
question, and the surmise that it’s
impossible to answer. For it’s not
just nature that’s complex, but also
human interaction with and conceptions of nature. So what’s the rarest
plant in the wetlands? I’d say, “How
much time do you have?”
—Nancy Bain
When a local government receives
a request to develop a parcel of land
the planners ask what the developer is going to do to control water
leaving the developed site. This is
important because, prior to development, rainfall often had many
options as it moved through the site.
It could soak into the ground, run off
following the contours of the land
or evaporate. Things like the slope
of the land, soil permeability, and
cover with plants all influenced the
water’s path to nearby water bodies
(things like streams, ponds or wetlands). After development, roads,
homes, concrete storm sewers,
sidewalks and human-designed flow
paths become the major controlling
factors. Often all runoff is concentrated to a single exit whereas prior
to construction many exits were
possible. To prevent erosion and the
associated sediment ripped from
any exposed soil, planners have to
slow down the output from the site
using structures called retention
ponds or detention basins.
The idea of both of these structures is to ensure that the velocity of
the water, a major factor in erosion,
is not greater than the preconstruction velocity. The detention basin is
usually a shallow depression, like an
empty pond. Water from storms, col-
lected in gutters and culverts, flows
to the basin. The outlet, placed at the
lowest part of the basin, is designed
to be so small that water can exit
only at a slow rate, so water temporarily fills the basin in a large storm,
then trickles out without erosional
damage beyond the exit point. The
basin needs to be large enough to
hold back the occasional large rain
event, say one that happens once in
25 years. A retention basin is much
the same but the outlet is several
feet above the bottom, so that water
below that point stays in a pond. The
basin slopes above the pond surface
need to be far enough above the
water to contain that 25 year event.
Like the detention basin, the retention basin releases the water slowly,
avoiding downstream erosion.
Neither of these structures deals
with the volume of water. In newly
developed sites the roads, home
and sidewalks prevent rainfall from
entering the soil. This extra water
makes its way to the retention or
detention basin, so now a greater
amount of water will leave the site
than prior to construction. In addition, the water is now discharging from a single point rather than
the thousands of paths it may have
taken prior to construction. Yes, that
could be a problem.
In some communities water is
allowed to flow back into the soil
while it is held in these basins. That
reduces the volume to be discharged
and puts water back into aquifers
where it would have gone prior
to development. The aquifer supplies our drinking water and locally it feeds the springs and seeps
that make our wetlands so great.
Planning boards, city councils and
developers need to do their best to
make sure these structures are well
designed and protect streams, wetlands, wildlife and the aquifer.
—Jim Amon
Retention Pond
Detention Basin
Photos by Jim Amon
Science Corner: Retention and Detention Ponds
See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org7
Food, Fens and Friends: Collaboration is Fun and Effective!
Cutting and treating invasives
Naturalists, students from Wilmington College and West Carrollton
High School, Friends of Little Miami
State Park, Little Miami River Kleeners, Clinton County Open Lands,
Inc., Friends of Little Miami State
Park, staff from the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park from
Chillicothe, and even folks from Oak
Openings in the Toledo area.
This host of volunteers included
botanists, park personnel, wood cutters armed with saws, loppers, and
power equipment, stump treaters
with spray bottles, trail builders and
installers, and a whole set of folks
who were keeping it all organized
during registration, work and travel
to the lunch meet-up site.
The Beaver Creek Wetlands Association crew was stationed at the
northern end of the fen. We could
Wow! Stiff Gentians, revealed.
hear the drone of the chainsaws
as we approached our team, and I
asked Cris Barnett of Greene County
Parks about the plan for the day. She
explained that we would be removing non-native and native plants,
including shrubby cinquefoil, ninebark and pagoda dogwood! The goal
was to slow the incursion of shrubby
species, revealing other valuable
plants – some state listed – growing
in the fen. Also being removed were
several large sycamore trees.
As we were escorted to our
work area, I looked underfoot and
admired an exposed area of black,
hydric soils with water trickling
through it … laced with the gray
marl and travertine deposits for
which this fen was named. As we
went to work lopping and treating
Solarizing with black plastic
invasive shrubs, the irony of cutting back these species was not lost
on us … these are among the very
species that we strive to protect and
plant in the Beaver Creek Wetlands
sites. Many of us grow these plants
in our yards at home as food and
forage for wildlife (see Jim Amon’s
comments on management, p. 9)!
As the shrub layer was removed,
though, we were delighted to reveal
numerous delicate-looking blue
wildflowers – stiff gentian – still in
bloom, despite the cold weather. In
another area, by the narrow stream,
a Greene County Parks employee
pointed out an endangered species
of mint that had been discovered as
the site of a footbridge was being
excavated.
After just a few hours of work by
so many, the fen was transformed
to a much more open site. Chilly
volunteers headed down the trail
for lunch at Constitution Park. The
continued on page 9
A Reminder:
If you are not yet a member of the Beaver Creek Wetlands Association, go to www.beavercreekwetlands.org to
join!
8
Spotted Turtle—Winter 2015
Photos by Richard Swigart
On November 1, 2014, Beaver
Creek Wetlands Association volunteers participated in a restoration and site enhancement event
at the Travertine Fen State Nature
Preserve, located in Spring Valley.
The event was organized by the
Cincinnati Wild Flower Preservation Society, Greene County Parks
and Trails (Preserve Custodian),
Ohio State Botanist Rick Gardner,
the Division of Natural Areas and
Preserves (DNAP), the Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association (ONAPA), and the Friends of
the Little Miami River State Park
(FLMSP).
The first of November dawned
frozen and cloudy, ushered in by a
light dusting of snow. As we pulled
into the town of Spring Valley, we
were amazed to see a large field
full of cars, and streams of people
heading down the bike path on the
north side of town. Trucks with
equipment were parked along the
trail, and a staging area was located down the trail to sign up volunteers for the event and distribute
tools and supplies for the project.
Various bumper stickers, jackets, and logo items identified the
impressive roster of participants.
In addition to the organizers, there
were SW Ohio Certified Volunteer
Food, friendship, and warmth
Greene County Parks crew had a
nice bonfire waiting to warm us,
and we were very grateful for the
hot food and drink. Organizers and
leaders of the many groups who
turned out for the event spoke about
their part in the preservation effort,
and we felt ourselves to be among
kindred spirits.
Those who volunteer in this manner are connected by a myriad of
interlocking beliefs and values. We
preserve special places, rare species
of plants and animals, water sources, and property values. We support
the recreational and scenic value of
these wild places. We teach others
about the value of these places. We
research and learn about wetlands
and water, about land and geology.
We clean up areas that have been
sullied by human thoughtlessness.
We enhance our physical connections, such as watersheds, bike
paths, and trails around our living
and working spaces.
After the event at Travertine Fen,
organizer Christine Hadley followed
up with an email stating that 134
volunteers and workers came out
on that chilly, gray day. I thought of
our mission statement: The Beaver
Creek Wetlands Association seeks
to protect the wetland ecosystem in
the Beaver Creek watershed through
partnerships, community networks
and public education. Our organization nurtures and treasures its partnerships. Or, as Christine put it so
well: “I know the best people and I
have great friends!! THANK YOU.”
—Sue Rytel
Decisions on removing invasive
plants or animals, restoring damaged or threatened habitats are not
easy. The decisions we make are
based on what we observe in similar habitats. Managers have often
traveled far and wide, even outside
of Ohio, looking for similar situations and consulting others on the
outcome of their management decisions. Sometimes we talk to people
familiar with the land use history of
a site and make decisions based on
known disturbances and try to mitigate those problems. For example,
road construction, drainage changes, agricultural impacts and even
unusual weather events may have
had impacts. Because we are trying
to protect the best possible aspects
and most ecological character of a
site we often have to do things that
control a species that is usually
desirable. At one site at the most
northern part of the Beaver Creek
Wetlands corridor horses were pastured on a fen and while the horses’
Boardwalks: Good and Bad!
Photo by Jim Amon
Comments on Management
Fringed Gentian, one of the beautiful
fen plants being squeezed out
grazing did some damage, the real
problem arose when their activity caused a normally useful spring
brook to erode a deep ditch. The
ditch acted as a drain drying the fen.
With water levels down, Shrubby
Cinquefoil, a statewide “fen indicator plant” began to dominate the fen
squeezing out numerous other fen
species. The solution we would like
to apply will dam up the “ditch”. As
water levels rise we will need to be
watchful that the rising water levels
don’t wipe out the few remnants of
rare species that have colonized the
edge of the ditch. We are working
on just how to do that. It will cost a
bit of money and it will take years of
careful oversight to do it right.
—Jim Amon
Patched up for now
Oops: Tree down at Siebenthaler Fen!
Photos by Jim Amon
Photo by Richard Swigart
Collaboration, cont’d from page 8
New Bench at Koogler Reserve
New Section at Koogler Reserve
See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org9
The Future of the Beaver Creek Wetlands
10
the Land Trust Alliance have been a
drive are important to our current
model of success and BCWA intends effort, but through the endowment
to keep those connections.
fund you can also make
We have acquired land or
contributions of stock,
Keeping this
been leaders in helping
paid up insurance, and
beautiful and
our partners do the same,
unique resource things of value like that. Or
but we need to take care
alive and well for you can make a contribugenerations to
of what has been saved.
tion of plain old money. We
come
BCWA has been active in
know that not everyone
restoring and enhancing
can afford something exmuch of what has been
tra. If you are interested in
acquired and, day-to-day volunteers making a donation just let us know.
fight invasive species, educate the
If you know people, businesses or
public and work with officials. The
anyone who can help, let them know
Wetlands Association is essentially
about the endowment. Contribuacting like a park district – no small
tors to the endowment fund become
task with volunteers.
members of The Spotted Turtle
The future is endless and so is our Society, managed by our friends at
need to care for what we have saved. the Dayton Foundation.
Keeping this beautiful and unique
All contributions are taxThe Spotted
resource alive and well for gendeductible. We estimate
Turtle Society
erations to come must be the goal
that a nest egg of about
for you, for me and for the BCWA.
$4 million dollars will
Acquiring land, building boardwalks enable BCWA to carry on
and opening these resources to the
well into the foreseeable
public provided an initial excitefuture.
ment but that wanes with time, and
—Jim Amon
the public begins to take the Beaver
Creek Wetlands for granted. After
more than a generation of conservation many people still don’t know
that BCWA, as an organization of
volunteers, exists. We now need to
go out and educate the next generation and get them committed to the
same preservation each of us has
supported. The endowment fund is
meant to help us do just that.
The Endowment Fund
The endowment fund anticipates
that we will, at some point, need
to have additional funds for those
special projects or to fund things
that volunteers could not manage without outside help. There
are many ways you can assure the
future of the Beaver Creek wetlands
for everyone. Your annual dues and
Your donations at work: BCWA crew
at Koogler Reserve, Winter 2014
contributions to our yearly fund
Photo by Richard Swigart
A developer contacted BCWA
not long ago asking if we were still
interested in some of his land along
Beaver Creek. Of course we are
interested, but nothing is free. Even
if he donates the land we will still
have expenses. It reminds me of the
puppy that shows up on a cold winter’s night, abandoned by its owner.
Over the next decade the costs keep
coming to keep this new member of
the family well.
The Beaver Creek Wetlands Association has been over 26 years in the
making, and has nearly 2000 acres
under various kinds of
protection. What is next?
What is
It looks like all of us have
Next?
a good thing going, so
how do we go forward?
In a look to the future,
several years back, BCWA established The Beaver Creek Wetlands Association Endowment Fund with the
goal of eventually saving and investing enough money that they could
do special projects and maintain the
health of the wetlands far into the
future with the interest gained from
that fund. We are not
there yet.
How do
BCWA is justifiably we envision
proud of accomplish- our future?
ments made when
staffed, almost 100%,
by volunteers, but
recognizes that there is more to do
than volunteers alone can do. To
help, it has established a network of
supporters. If you are reading this
you are part of that network. You are
a part of BCWA so when you read
we did this and we did that… we are
talking about you and the many others who make the BCWA successful.
Our partnerships with various agencies, like local and state parks as
well as national conservation leaders like the Nature Conservancy and
Spotted Turtle—Winter 2015
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 do-
nating 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 has grown
to more than $192,442.63. A recent
bequest was left in the form of a life
annuity. Such 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
The Spotted Turtle | Volume 29, No. 1 | Winter 2015
Officers
Spotted Turtle Editors
Jim and Carol Amon
Rob Evans, President
Sue Rytel
Jim Schneider, Vice President
Deborah Karr
Richard Swigart, Secretary
Doug Hull, Treasurer
Webmaster
Jim Amon, Technical Officer
Rob Evans
Trustees
Jim Amon
Visit Us Online
Nancy Bain
www.beavercreekwetlands.org
Roger (Skip) Beehler
Donald Geiger
Contact Us
Deborah Karr
Lois Gschwender
Administrative Coordinator
Denny Jarvi
admin@beavercreekwetlands.org
Deborah Karr
Shannon Mueller
President
James Runkle
president@beavercreekwetlands.org
Sue Rytel
Jim Schneider
Technical Advisor
Richard Swigart
technical@beavercreekwetlands.org
Hitesh Trivedi
Mike Zimmerman
Webmaster
webmaster@beavercreekwetlands.org
Published by Oregon Printing
www.oregonprinting.com
Newsletter
newsletter@beavercreekwetlands.org
Photo by Jim Amon
Label (1” x 2-5/8” ) here.
Place carefully to
cover bottom line completely
but do not touch top line.
Volunteer and trustee Skip Beehler
using a donated cyclebar mower