2021 STEWARDSHIP PROJECT REPORTS​
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First Lake Katharine HWA survey completed and second survey planned

On Thursday, February 4, three ONAPA volunteers and two Crane Hollow staff worked with preserve manager, Coleman Minney to survey for Hemlock Wooly Adelgid (HWA) at Lake Katharine Preserve.  HWA has been found there before and is unfortunately well-established in a large area of the preserve, despite on-going treatments. 

We hiked a large area on the north side of Lake Katharine, surveying the underside of hemlock branches to look for the characteristic white, fuzzy dots (see photo) of HWA at this time of year.  With six of us doing the survey, we hiked in a well-spaced line so that we could survey as many trees with low-hanging branches as possible.  We did find more trees infected with HWA, which was disappointing, but this information will help DNAP determine the best approach for treatment this year. 

We will be doing another survey at Lake Katharine on February 24, so please sign up to help us.  It will be guaranteed to be a beautiful day of hiking!
Three projects start off winter 2021 with removing woody species from open habitat
ONAPA started its winter stewardship projects on Thursday, January 7, at Erie Sand Barrens (photos top right) .  We are happy to have hosted three projects before mid-January, and the weather has cooperated.  At Erie Sand Barrens, seven people from ONAPA and DNAP worked together to clear and treat woody stems growing in one of the high-quality sand barren areas with several rare plants.  It has grown up in aspens, willows, and dogwoods, but we got a great start in opening it up again.  DNAP plans to conduct a prescribed burn at the preserve in the spring, so this should also help to control the woody species.

On Wednesday, January 13, ONAPA and DNAP worked with Beaver Creek Wetlands Association (BCWA) at Zimmerman Prairie near Dayton to cut and treat woody species invading the small wet prairie.  There was a great turnout with 14 people, including six from ONAPA.  BCWA now manages the site in cooperation with DNAP and they have worked hard recently to control cattails and woody species.  They were very grateful to have our help.  We have another project scheduled with them in February. (Photos middle right).

On Thursday, January 14, seven people from ONAPA and DNAP
 worked together at Kiser Lake Wetlands (bottom photos) to cut and treat woody species in the fen meadow in the Grandview Heights section.  This continues the work we did last September. Between both

days, the meadow adjacent to Kiser Lake is looking much more open, so we are excited to see the response this summer.  We removed willows, autumn-olive, dogwoods, multiflora rose, privet, and bush honeysuckle, while avoiding the poison sumac.