Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
In this IssuePresident’s Message ....................2Upcoming Events ........................3Little Beaver Creek Restored ......4Treasurer’s Report .......................5Biocontrol & Beetles ............... 6-7Look for These ............................8Fairborn Marsh Update ...............9Honeysuckle Challenge ............10
Beaver Creek Wetlands Association
The Spotted TurtleVolume 24, No. 3 Summer 2010
CalendarButterfly Survey, July 17Greene County Fair, August 1-7Fairborn Library Talk, August 19Fairborn Sweet Corn Festival, August 21-22 Beavercreek Popcorn Festival, September 11 & 12Combined Federal Campaign Kickoff, October TBA
Annual Meeting and hike inspires members
Speaker Jim McCormac told us about fens and other wetlands in a talk that was fun, extremely informative and illustrated with fantastic photos Jim has taken over the years. Here is a photo from the afternoon hike Jim led.
Following the annual meeting new officers for the BCWA selected by the board were: President: Rob Evans; Vice President: Sue Rytel; Secretary: Debbie Karr and Treasurer: Doug Hull. See photo on page 2. These individuals have already devoted many hours to the benefit of BCWA in numerous capacities and their willing-ness to accept more responsibility is greatly appreciated. The Board looks forward to the leadership they will bring to the future of the Beaver Creek Wetlands.
Mike Enright carries wife Stephanie over deep water at Pickerel Creek on rainy collection day. Beetles are in white bags. See full story on page 6Photo by Richard Swigart
Jim McCormac spots another bird on a hike before the annual meeting.Photo by Rob Evans
A Free Ride for Beetles and Friends
www.beavercreekwetlands.org
2 Spotted Turtle—Summer 2010
President’s Message
A Change of Perspective
Rob
Eva
ns
The other day while working in Creekside Reserve, I had a moment to stop and look at the dramatic changes this reserve has undergone recently. Every weekend I would go there to work, mostly removing honeysuckle and for the last year we have been planting and planting and more planting. As I was enjoying this warm spring morning, I realized that I have been working in this reserve for over 6 years and my entire experience with the Beaver Creek Wetlands Association has always involved Creekside Reserve.
I knew Creekside Reserve so well. I knew all the trees, trails, hills and valleys. I knew where specific woodpeckers hung out, the loca-tion of many deer trails and the best places to sit and listen to the creek. Suddenly, with all the construction and rerouting of the creek, so much is different. Creekside still seems familiar but now has lots of new and exciting things to discover.
As I take over as President of the Beaver Creek Wetlands Associa-tion, I have a similar feeling. I mean, everything is still here. The great people and partner organizations that
so passionately work to protect all these wonderful areas are still here. I will still go out on Saturdays to work at Creekside Reserve to continue restoring this beautiful place. Yet, now I am looking at this organization in a whole new way. Sometimes a change of perspective enables you to look at something quite familiar and discover new possibilities that are before you.
I want to thank Susie Scott for her wonderful leadership over the past 3 years. She has been so out-standing in guiding BCWA into new and wonderful directions. Susie has been an amazing and tireless messen-ger of the BCWA. I have big shoes to fill in taking over for Susie but I am grateful to continue to work with her in our new roles.
I am honored to have been asked to serve as President of BCWA and look forward to working with all our members to continue BCWA’s role in protecting, restoring and enjoying the Beaver Creek Wetlands.
Next time you are out in the Beaver Creek Wetlands, take a mo-ment to look for all the new things to be discovered...and maybe your discoveries will lead to that special role with BCWA.
See you in the wetlands!
Rob EvansBCWA President
Who knows where lurks the Phantom Cranefly? Rob and Richard know!
Your new BCWA officers, clockwise from upper left: Treasurer Doug Hull, President Rob Evans, Secretary Debbie Karr, and Vice President Sue Rytel
Jim
Am
on
See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org 3
Events coming upButterfly Survey July 17th, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PMTrustee Mike Zimmerman plans to resume the yearly butterfly count long held in early July. Plan to show up at the Siebenthaler Fen parking lot at 10:00 am. We’ll walk through the wetlands counting butterflies as we go. Dress appropriately. We should be finished by 2:00 pm. No experi-ence necessary...don’t worry if you don’t know how to identify every butterfly or you don’t own a net. We’ll be glad to provide guidance.
Talk at Fairborn LibraryWe will be doing a presentation at the Fairborn Library on August 19th at 3:00 PM. The theme of their summer reading program is “Making a Splash at your Library.” We will be reading books on wetlands and doing some hands on activities. —Lorie Burger & Chris Sim-mons
2nd Annual Midwest Native Plant Conference August 6, 7 & 8, 2010 Bergamo Center – Mount St. John Preserve
Conference Mission: Connecting People and NatureSaturday night banquet keynote: Julie Zickefoose, widely published natural history writer and artistSunday morning speaker: Judy Semroc, conservation specialist for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.Conference proceeds will benefit:Beaver Creek Wetlands Association, Sunshine Corridor
Project and Marianist Environmental Education Center.http://cincinnatibirds.com/mwnp/ is the Midwest Native Plant Society Homepage. Registration is open.
Festivals - come visit and see our newly restored display. • Greene County Fair—County
Fairgrounds, Xenia; August 1-7• Sweetcorn Festival—Fairborn,
Community Park, August 21-22• Popcorn Festival—Beavercreek,
Dayton-Xenia Road at North Fairfield, September 11-12
BCWA Hike InvitationBCWA is restarting our wetland hikes. Join our trustees and members as we explore the many reserves in the Beaver Creek Wet-lands. Please check the events cal-endar www.beavercreekwetlands.org and look for announcements of the next hike in the Beaver Creek Wetlands.
BCWA Web Page FactsThe Spring Newsletter has been downloaded 253 times. In the first 5 months of 2010 (com-pared to the last 5 months of 2009): • The average time on the website is
2 min 50 sec which is up 33.02%. • There were 1,187 visits to the
website which is up 14.35%. Check out Nature Notes and Science Corner under the Education menu to find all kinds of fascinating articles.—Rob Evans
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY UPDATEThank you to all of our volunteers on all these activities and more.Siebenthaler Fen boardwalk repair: Jim Amon, Joel Harvey, Debbie Karr, Jim Schneider, Dave & Susie Scott, and Richard Swigart
Creekside Reserve planting crews under direction of Don Gei-ger & Michele Banker: Deborrah Adams, Skip Beehler, Lorie Burger, Jim Byrd, Ann Byrd, Aaron Deckard, Rob Evans, Doreen Haupt, Denny Jarvi, Becky Jarvi, Dan Karr, Debbie Karr, Jim Schneider, Grant Sowder, and Richard Swigart, plus the Simon Kenton K-Kids and 18 University of Dayton students
Koogler Wetland & Prairie Reserve preparations for boardwalk building: Jim Amon, Skip Beehler, Rob Evans, Debbie Karr, Richard Swigart
Fairborn Marsh sign installation: Jim Amon, Debbie Karr, Susie Scott
Beetle Collectors: Jim Amon, Mike and Stephanie Enright, Susie Scott, Jim Schneider and Richard Swigart. Carol Amon made the col-lection bags.
Annual membership drive mail-ing and the Knollwood Garden Party: Dorothy Bordewisch; Gayle Prehn; Bruce Ford; Judith Streiff; Robert Louis; Eleanor Young; Susie & Dave Scott; Pat Hefner; Sue Rytel; Arthur Bauer; Pauline Steinbrueck; Dave & Mary Townsley; David Shumway; Mike Zimmerman; Jim & Carol Amon; Jean Kash; Lois Gschwender; Bill Skelly; Carol Dudley; Jean Thompson; Dorothy Muhlhauser; Peggy Bowman; Betty Martel.
Get the latest about Beaver Creek Wetlands Association on Facebook.
4 Spotted Turtle—Summer 2010
The recent restoration of the Little Beaver Creek involved moving sections of the creek to remedy severe entrenchment caused by ur-ban based erosion. Reloca-tion of the channel changed the hydrology of the flood plain and bank and gave rise to three potential new wet-lands. Our first project was to establish a groundwater fed wetland in the vicinity of the parking lot along US35. The stream channel of the Little Beaver Creek at this location was relocated and an unstable and eroded oxbow of the creek was filled. Groundwater that formerly discharged into the creek now flows to the surface and forms a wetland with a sizeable area of satu-rated soil. The fill placed in the former oxbow channel lacked the high level of organic matter characteristic of hydric soil. To address this deficiency the Creek-side Crew hauled countless wheelbarrow loads of wood chips to provide a 4-inch layer of organic matter atop the acre of newly estab-lished wetland. This added mulch is gradually forming a layer of hydric soil that will continue to increase as the lush vegetation con-tributes still more organic matter.
The rich local seed bank [dormant seed in soil] provided an impressive plant community with a diversity of wetland plants that includes dark-green bulrush, soft-stemmed bulrush, rushes and many
Spot the difference: restoration of Little Beaver Creek Wetland
Remarkable before and after views of restoration. Starting with mulch at top, restoration plantings begin greening the site by May 2010. Consistent volunteers in both shots include Ann Byrd at left, Debbie Karr in front, Don Geiger at right, and Richard Swigart (behind the camera). Also shown (L-R) at top rear: Michele Banker and unidentified male, and in bottom rear: Aaron Deckard, Skip Beehler and Jim Byrd.Photos by Rchard Swigart
See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org 5
Treasurer’s Report BCWA remains very strong financially, thanks to the continuing generosity and support of our many loyal members. Although revenues in the form of dues, donations and contributions are down nearly 30% since 2008, we have managed to continue our efforts to protect and preserve the Beaver Creek Wetlands, relying on volunteers, minimizing expenditures and utilizing prior year surplus earnings. With the current slow pace of economic recovery, your continued support remains an essential component as we strive to fulfill the BCWA mission.—Doug Hull
Macintosh HD:Users:markmartel: Martel Art: Clients Active:BCWA:Summer 2010 Newsletter:Original Photos for newltr:Annual mtg:BCWA 2009 statements.xls 2009
BEAVER CREEK WETLANDS ASSOCIATIONStatement of Activities
For the Years Ended December 31, 2009 and 2008
Funds Received: 2009 2008 Membership Dues and Donations 47,300$ 52,792$ Capital Campaign Contributions 11,492 15,605 Grants 2,000 5,000 Investment Income 326 1,499 Other (Prop Tax Refund, Birdathon, Product Sales) 6,864 17,907
67,982 92,802 Operating Expenses: Program Services 31,866 45,393 Interest Expense 113 1,658 Management and General 1,305 1,501 Fund Raising Activities 8,852 9,687 42,136 58,240
Increase in Net Assets 25,846 34,562
Beginning Net Assets 941,839 907,276
Ending Net Assets 967,684$ 941,839$ `
BEAVER CREEK WETLANDS ASSOCIATIONStatement of Financial Position
For the Years Ended December 31, 2009 and 2008
Assets: 2009 2008 Cash & Equivalents 94,812$ 78,616$ Accounts Receivable 1,750 1,750 Property & Equipment 871,974 871,974
Total Assets 968,536 952,340
Liabilities: Current Liabilities 852 12,416 Mortgage Note Payable - (1,914)
Total Liabilities 852 10,502 Net Assets: Unrestricted 967,684 941,839 Temporarily Restricted - - Total Fund Balances 967,684 941,839
Total Liabilities and Net Assets 968,536$ 952,340$
species of sedges. The luxuriant growth that followed also included some non-native invasive plants such as narrow-leaved cattail, reed canary grass and other unwelcome plants. Weeding was followed by the planting of an assortment of shrubs from the native plant nursery at Marianist En-vironmental Education Center. Spe-cies included nine-bark, buttonbush, shrubby cinquefoil, shrubby St John’s wort and dogwood. Plugs of a variety of sedges and forbs were planted and a mixture of seeds of wetland species was broadcast to enrich plant diversity. Our dedicated work crew planted fifty trees to populate the adjacent flood-plain. With the coming of the new season the wetland site has become both a joy to behold and a functional wetland habitat.
Relocation of the stream has given rise to two other wetland sites with considerable potential for continued development. At each site, hillside seeps on both banks supply large areas of potential floodplain wetlands. Reforesting the uplands was accom-plished by nurturing bare-root tree stock in soil for one growing season, and planting them this spring. Over 250 saplings in nursery cans or in ball and burlap were planted by volunteers on upland sites. Species included bur oak, swamp white oak, tulip poplar, sycamore and cottonwood. On the floodplains we planted numerous shrubs and wetland forbs. As with the oxbow wetland, we used plugs and transplants to supplement the seed bank and added mulch to provide or-ganic matter to the newly graded soil. The trees were supplied with slow release fertilizer, mulched in place and protected from undue competition with weed-block fabric. Poles provide a means of locating each tree. In fall trees will be supplied with tree wrap to discourage deer damage.
The dedicated service of the volunteers allowed us to take advan-tage of the resilience of the Creekside ecosystems to establish three excel-lent wetlands for present and future generations to enjoy. —Don Geiger
6 Spotted Turtle—Summer 2010
infestation south of Fairground Road. To insure that the beetles could find one another, mate, produce eggs and survive any predation by birds, spiders and other predators, we released them in a space of about fifty feet by fifty feet. The site is also about as far from homes and the possibility of insecti-cide contamination as we could find. The prevailing wind will blow them toward the greater population of the
Purple loosestrife bio-control underway
BCWA is now in the process of controlling the purple loosestrife that threatens the wetland ecosystem using beetles. The potential to totally elimi-nate it is non-existent. This invader
was introduced from Europe in the 1800s or earlier and by the later part of the 1900s apparently was well adapted to the USA and exploded in popula-tion. It crowds out the diversity we know is essential in wetlands. It does this, in part, because it has no natural enemies in North America. Scientists studying the plant noticed that it does not cause the same problem in Europe and appeared to be controlled by a number of insects that feed on it. After much testing it was determined that a few of those insects might be a possible bio-control agent to use in the USA. Of course, the introduction of another non-native life form to
the North American ecosystem was looked at with great worry. More test-ing showed that some of these insects including two species of Galeru-cella ate and could reproduce only on purple loosestrife. These beetles were brought into laboratories in the US and further tested until researchers were convinced that they could be released into the wild without threat to either the North American ecosystem or to agriculture. Releases began in 1992 and have continued since with no ill effects.
These small beetles, about the length of a small ladybug, but only half as wide, are not strong flyers and it has been noted that they just don’t seem to fly up wind. They do not there-fore spread well on their own. Once they get a short distance from their only host plant purple loosestrife, they begin to starve and can’t reproduce. For that reason they must be collected and imported into new areas of isolated purple loosestrife. At Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area on Lake Erie a release several years ago into a fairly dense bed of purple loosestrife has been quite successful in controlling, but not eliminating, the loosestrife. Interestingly the beetles have spread eastward with
the prevailing wind and within areas of purple loosestrife, but they have not traveled upwind even though the purple loosestrife is there.
We vis-ited Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area in late May and collected beetles. Back in Beavercreek Town-ship we deposited about 2000-3000 adult beetles and
a few of their eggs in the center of a five-acre purple loosestrife
Beetle Larvae on purple loosestrife. Photo by Jim Amon
Ric
hard
Sw
igar
t
Beetles and eggs on purple loosestrife. Photo by Jim Amon
Mating Galerucella beetles on well eaten purple loosestrife. Photo by Richard Swigart
See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org 7
loosestrife and away from residential sites.
We did a smaller release two weeks before the main release, just to watch behavior. The beetles stayed mainly on the one plant they were dropped on, mated, laid eggs, the eggs hatched and we found larvae and adults eating the leaves within one week. In two weeks the plant was sick and by 3 and a half weeks it was dead. The main release is doing much the same but the damage is not as intense because we did not concentrate the beetles as much. The damage they have done so far looks very promis-ing. The hope is that they will have a successful breeding period, survive the winter and come back strong next year and spread just a bit more each year thereafter. Most of our sources say we will begin to see real control of the purple loosestrife in about three years. In the meantime we will need to use chemical controls.
Just so you know, we needed, and obtained, a permit from the Division of Wildlife to import these beetles. The Ohio Department of Natural Re-sources Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area Supervisor, Jim Schott and crew, were very helpful and gave us great advice on how to accomplish this goal. We collaborated with Mike Enright from Five Rivers MetroParks and enabled him to begin an attack on a separate population nearby. —Jim Amon
Adult Beetle on purple loosestrife. Photo by Jim Amon
The Beetle in the Box—read ala Dr. SeussBy Jim Amon
The loosestrife is winning the wetlands are losing what are we to do?Beetles you say, if so lets not delay.
And just how?A beetle bag, and a beetle box you will need Take haste and get them with speed.
They are at Lake Erie Go get them—please hurry.
They will be found on that loosestrife they eat it, you knowlet’s go!
Just grab the top leaves They are in there all overThey are brown and tinyAnd they are crawling about like bees on cloverThey are chewing and munching and providing a showWe need them to eat our loosestrife, you know.
They make little holes and then ones even largerThey chew and they chew and then they move onThey are too busy to notice, so grab them, and shake themThey will fall into the bag
What’s this I see—little white spots scattered here and aboutI think they are eggs—yes, no doubt
Yes take a few eggs, for they will hatch, and put them in a bag, tooBag some here and bag some there
Bag a bunch of beetles Bag them everywhere
We must take them to a new home But just how?Put them in boxesBag bunches of beetles Put bunches in beetle boxes
Or as Debbie Karr put it...bunches of bitty brown beetles bagged in batches, then boxedand brought back to Beavercreekto battle the big, bad (but beautiful) loosestrifeto boost biodiversity in our beleaguered wetlands.
Beetles and eggs on purple loosestrife. Photo by Jim Amon
Check our website for fun Kid’s Corner materials!
8 Spotted Turtle—Summer 2010
the first of three defense strategies this caterpillar employs to aid in its surviv-al. What hungry predator searching for its next meal is going to look twice at something that appears to be a freshly deposited bird dropping? As it grows, the caterpillar retains this coloration, but also becomes a snake mimic, with the swollen false head, eyespots, and color patterns that resemble scales. And if these two mimicry defenses fail and the caterpillar is threatened, it deploys the osmeterium, a red-forked gland that emits a foul smelling com-pound to deter predators. Amazing! All this in a little caterpillar!
For years, whenever a wafer ash was seen along a trail, I stopped to
“Leaflets three, let it be!” We’ve all heeded this warning to avoid contact with poison ivy and the miserable consequences that result. But many other plants have “leaflets three,” a compound leaf with three leaflets, and are commonly mistaken for poison ivy. One local example would be a native shrub or small tree commonly known as wafer ash or hoptree. Even its sci-entific name Ptelea trifoliata indicates this leaf arrangement—“trifoliata”
means having three leaves.The most noticeable difference in
the leaves of these two plants is the stalk length of the end leaflet; poison ivy has a long-stalked end leaflet, while on wafer ash, it is short-stalked. Poison ivy and wafer ash saplings are growing intermin-gled at Siebenthaler Fen along the long straight section of elevated boardwalk paralleling the Beaver Creek, so a side-by-side com-parison can easily be made. But if in doubt, don’t touch!
Wafer ash is in the citrus fam-ily, and all parts of the plant are fragrant—the flowers, leaves, reddish-brown twigs, and bark. It blooms in mid- to late May, but
the clusters of small greenish-white flowers are partially concealed by the foliage and are easily overlooked. But this shrub becomes more conspicuous in late summer into fall as the seeds develop and mature in dense baseball-sized clusters of flat, tan circular “wa-fers” that droop below the leaves. The appearance of the seeds is the origin of the common name “wafer ash.” The other name—“hoptree”—comes from the past use of the seeds as a substitute
for hops in brewing beer.
Wafer ash can be found growing on creek banks and along wood-land edges. As you walk the local trails through these habitats and notice a shrub with three leaf-lets, you may have found a wafer ash. And if so, look closer—you may observe something even
more interesting about this shrub. It is one of the larval food plants for the giant swallowtail butterfly!
With a wingspan of 5-6”, the giant swallowtail is one of North America’s largest butterflies. Its upper wings are dark with distinctive yellow mark-
ings—a band on the forewings from wingtip to wingtip and another band parallel to the trailing edge of the hindwings. The un-derside is primarily pale yellow with black markings and a few blue crescents and or-
ange spots. It lays eggs singly on its
larval host plant. The newly hatched caterpillars are shiny greenish-brown and white in color. This coloration is
Look for these in the wetlands this summer
Giant Swallowtail CaterpillarPhoto Debbie Karr
Wafer Ash Poison IvyPhotos by Debbie Karr
Adult Giant Swallowtail Web photo, http://softsolder.files.wordpress.com
See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org 9
of wetland fed by groundwater that is almost exactly like Siebenthaler Fen. These fens have hundreds of species of plants and animals. There are many points where you have the option to venture from marsh to prairie or prai-rie to marsh; just look for the signs. Toward the southern portion of your trip you can walk out on the observa-tion deck overlooking the open water part of the marsh.
Enjoy your time at Fairborn marsh but be careful to keep on the trails for now. Deep “quick-mud” is in a few off-trail locations and you really don’t want to have that experience. We hope that as we continue to develop the site there will be opportunities to explore off trail in a few places.
We hope to have a trail mowed down the hill that is to the right, north, of the gate. That trail will take you to an active Beaver Pond! You will need boots or be willing to get wet and muddy but it is worth a visit. It is
Fairborn Marsh: A great place to visitOver the past several years, volunteers have been working hard to make im-provements to Fairborn Marsh. Now honeysuckle is coming under control, the prairie is looking good and the oak clusters in the prairie are beginning to look like real trees. We still have much to do but it is worth a leisurely visit.
The best place to begin your visit is where you enter the site at the western end of Deercreek Drive in the Fawn Ridge housing area. You can get there by entering off Trebein Road just north of New Germany Trebein Road. Take Windsong trail to Fawn Drive and turn right then left onto Deercreek Drive. Deercreek Drive dead-ends at the gate to Fairborn Marsh. If the gate is open pull in and park in the grass by the parking sign. The parking area is well drained and good even after most heavy rains. If the gate is locked you can park on Deercreek and walk in through the pedestrian opening. Look for the signs beyond the parking area that will direct you to the prairie or marshes.
In the prairie, grasses will grow to more than head high by fall but we keep a trail mowed so you can eas-ily walk through it with little problem. The trail in the woods takes you along a ridge overlook-ing and often very close to the marsh. The small strip of wetlands between the marsh (tall reedy plants) and the woods is a fen—a kind
really cool to see it in early morning or just about sunset when your chances of seeing wildlife, including beaver, is greatest. —Jim Amon
Mowing at Fairborn MarshWe have been unable to do a planned prairie burn at Fairborn Marsh so we are doing the next best thing to main-tain the prairie: we mow. Jim Mason kindly donated our first full mow-ing and we are working to get some regular mowing under a contract. Burning or in this case mowing helps maintain a grassland and the mowed grasses decay and return nutrients to the soil. Trees and shrubs that would eventually turn the land into a forest are discouraged. In nature, prairies can be maintained by burning or in some cases by drought. Native Americans are thought to have had a culture of occasional burning the local prairies to maintain good hunting grounds. Of
course lightning will also work if the grass is dry. —Jim Amon
New Signs at Marsh When you visit the Fairborn marsh look for the new trail signs that identify the various loops you can take as you enjoy your walk in the prairie, along the marsh or visit the observation deck.
search for giant swallowtail cater-pillars, but without success. That changed last September while I was walking my dog at Phillips Park. From the high vantage point of the bridge leading to Rotary Park, I looked down on a wafer ash grow-ing on the creek bank. It looked like it was covered with bird droppings. Closer inspection revealed fourteen
2” caterpillars and many smaller ones. Awesome! (However, my dog was not impressed!)
See how much can be learned by being curious about something inter-esting or unusual encountered while exploring local natural areas? Initially, attention was drawn to this shrub be-cause: #1 it was not honeysuckle! #2 it looked like poison ivy. Not only did
I learn about a native shrub and how to identify it, but also its value within its habitat and the connection to an insect dependent upon it for survival. Come explore the trails of the Beaver Creek Wetlands and see what you may discover and learn!—Debbie Karr
Photo by Mark Martel
10 Spotted Turtle—Summer 2010
local and county govern-ments, and 100’s of hours at meetings since November 2009, the Dr. Michael Hor-ton Honeysuckle Challenge was a tremendous success.—Jim Mason
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 net-works, and public education.
On April 10, 2010 Fair-born Community Reserve, a 33+ acre property along Beaver Creek was the site of the state’s largest honey-suckle removal project. The property was divided into 24 numbered tracts on both sides of a 1/2+ mile trail. After volunteers were regis-tered and taught to identify the invasive honeysuckle, they were organized into teams of 8 to 10 people and taken to a numbered tract. There they sawed, cut, and stacked honeysuckle and treated the stumps to prevent regrowth.
The all day event was split into two sessions, AM and PM, and box lunches were provided by The Sum-mit at Park Hills. The noon break was a great opportu-nity to mingle, relax, and hear some brief presenta-tions. Marcia Horton was presented a nice certificate and was quite pleased with the turn out and progress made on the property she
and Mike worked so hard to secure and so generously helped fund for the park system.
B-W Greenway spon-sored the Honeysuckle Challenge, which helped fulfill their Clean Ohio Fund obligation. BCWA was the most active partner orga-nization in this event. Its representatives attended all the organizational meetings and provided over 35 of the volunteers the day of the event. Richard Swigart documented the days activi-ties through his wonderful photography. Jim Amon and Don Geiger have agreed to continue to provide consul-tation on future restoration activities including vernal pool enhancement, stream bank stabilization and native tree, shrub, and herbaceous plant selections.
This important stretch of the Beaver Creek be-tween Cemex Reserve and Fairborn Marsh is now well on its way as an improving
Honeysuckle Challenge Honors Dr. Michael Horton
habitat due to the tremen-dous success of this event in removing the invasive honeysuckle in Commu-nity Park Reserve and the Greenway Corridor. Thanks to over 180 volunteers, 15 partnering organizations,
Volunteers attack honeysuckle Photo by Richard Swigart
Honeysuckle staging area Photo by Richard Swigart
See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org 11
Join the BCWA Today!
Choose your member level: $5 Student $10 Senior (60+) $15 Individual $25 Family
Please make your check payable to BCWA andmail to: BCWA, P.O. Box 42, Alpha, OH 45301
Name
Address
Phone
Help reclaim our local wetlands corridor and restore it’s natural beauty and function. Your member dues fund land acquisition, education programs, habitat restoration and management of our preserve.
$35 Contributing $50 Supporting $100 Patron $1,000 Life
A 501(c)(3) land trust organization. Your donation is tax deductible.
2010 Volunteer of the YearOutstanding volunteers are the heart of the Beaver Creek Wetlands Associa-tion. The commitment of individuals makes the difference between success and failure of an organization such as the BCWA. Each year the board se-lects a volunteer to be recognized for their efforts on behalf of the organiza-tion.
The 2010 Volunteer of the Year is Mark Martel. Mark currently serves as a Trustee of the BCWA and as a talented artist and graphic designer he has taken the challenge to create the outstanding newsletter you are now reading! Along with this work Mark has created signage, brochures, letterheads and more. His talents are a huge benefit to the BCWA and we are privileged that he so willingly shares his gifts for the betterment of the organization!
Thank you Mark for all you do for BCWA.
Our Endowment Fund has grown to nearly $100,000 in little over two years. 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 en-sure 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 Asso-ciation 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 AssociationAttn: Endowment CommitteeP.O.Box 42, Alpha, Ohio 45301
Endowment growth nurtured by bequests
For information on a variety of planned giving options, call or write to us, or contact The Dayton Foundation directly.
Name
Address
Phone
Birdathon resultsOur teams found 92 species of birds during the 24 hours that started April 30, 2010 at 5 PM. Friday evening was delightful and I found 44 species in the just three hours at Phillips Park and around the Greene County mitigation area. Saturday was a challenge. Rain, wind and a few rumbles of thunder made for a difficult time seeing or hearing our birds. The orioles sang loudly in spite of all that and we did find a few rare to very rare birds. Among the seldom seen birds were a northern harrier, king rail, red-breasted nuthatch, marsh wren, and a worm eating warbler. That warbler was only a few feet from where we saw him last year - cool! Our team managed to cover most of the Beaver Creek Cor-ridor from CEMEX in the north to the mouth of the creek at the Little Miami and along the Little Beaver Creek at Creekside Reserve. Thanks to all of the amazing stalwart souls who braved the weather and to all of you who made pledges. —Jim Amon
Spotted Turtle EditorsJim and Carol AmonMark Martel
PublisherOregon Printingwww.oregonprinting.com
WebmasterRob Evans
Contact UsAdministrative [email protected]
Technical [email protected]
Visit us Onlinewww.beavercreekwetlands.org
Label (1” x 2-5/8” ) here.Place carefully to
cover bottom line completelybut do not touch top line.
Moving? New e-mail address?Don’t miss an issue! Call 937-320-9042
or email: [email protected]
NONPROFITORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE PAIDALPHA, OHIO 45301PERMIT NUMBER 76
The Spotted Turtle | Volume 24, No. 3 | Summer 2010
OfficersRob Evans, PresidentSue Rytel, Vice PresidentDeborah Karr, SecretaryDoug Hull, Treasurer
TrusteesAja AshDeborah KarrEd PhillipsSusie ScottRichard SwigartMike ZimmermanJim AmonLorie BurgerRob EvansKate HagenbuchMark MartelChristina SimmonsAnn ByrdJim SchneiderDeborrah Adams
P.O. BOX 42ALPHA, OH 45301Return Service Requested
� � � � � � � � � �
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: We rely on members like you to make this newsletter the product of several diverse voices. If you have an idea for an article or a picture to include, please send them to [email protected]. 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.
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 [email protected] or call (937) 320-9042.
