2022 STEWARDSHIP PROJECT REPORTS
|
Several projects continue to focus on herbaceous invasives in May and June
cand started into June with four stewardship projects. We worked at Irwin Prairie in Lucas County on May 24 with seven people pulling garlic mustard in the north woods, hauling out several bags of this invasive plant. On May 31, six people worked at Milford Center Prairie digging out common teasel, pulling sweet-clover and Canada thistle, as well as cutting woody species in the prairie. Smooth rose was in full bloom at this time. Nine volunteers worked together at Brinkhaven Oak Barrens on June 7 to pull garlic mustard and Dame's rocket in the woods, as well as assessing the oak barrens for upcoming projects later in the season. The two oak barrens are looking good after the last several years of woody species control projects there. On June 9, seven people from ONAPA worked with Kyle Bailey from Crawford County Park District at Daughmer Savanna to remove common teasel (very little this year) and other herbaceous invasives, plus woody species that are present in the savanna. |
Smooth rose at Milford Center Prairie
Tim Lavey (left) and Randy Carmel with pulled garlic mustard and Dame's rocket. Randy is president of the Killbuck Watershed Land Trust which owns Brinkhaven Oak Barrens.
|
Volunteers go into the woods after garlic mustard in May
May continued to keep our stewardship team busy in the woods with garlic mustard, Dame's rocket, and butterweed. Photographer and stewardship projects leader Jennifer Windus captured some action shots at Davey Woods (top row) and Fowler Woods (bottom row).
On May 10, seven ONAPA volunteers worked with one DNAP staff person at Davey Woods and pulled 20 bags of garlic mustard and Dame's rocket. The woods was beautiful with spring wildflowers and we had a nice hike after pulling.
On May 11, a small group of five worked at Hueston Woods to remove garlic mustard in the Big Woods. On May 12, ten ONAPA volunteers and two DNAP staff worked at Fowler Woods, pulling garlic mustard and butterweed. Butterweed continues to invade the wet areas of the preserve, so we made a concerted effort to reduce these populations. On May 19, eight ONAPA volunteers worked with preserve manager, Warren Dunegan to pull garlic mustard, Dame's rocket, and butterweed in the upland woods at Olsen Preserve.
On May 10, seven ONAPA volunteers worked with one DNAP staff person at Davey Woods and pulled 20 bags of garlic mustard and Dame's rocket. The woods was beautiful with spring wildflowers and we had a nice hike after pulling.
On May 11, a small group of five worked at Hueston Woods to remove garlic mustard in the Big Woods. On May 12, ten ONAPA volunteers and two DNAP staff worked at Fowler Woods, pulling garlic mustard and butterweed. Butterweed continues to invade the wet areas of the preserve, so we made a concerted effort to reduce these populations. On May 19, eight ONAPA volunteers worked with preserve manager, Warren Dunegan to pull garlic mustard, Dame's rocket, and butterweed in the upland woods at Olsen Preserve.
|
Garlic mustard and Dame's rocket keep volunteers busy in preserves April into May
Spring stewardship projects continue to focus on garlic mustard, Dame's rocket, and butterweed. While garlic mustard populations have been down in some preserves, there is still plenty to pull, especially with Dame's rocket. On April 26, 13 people including four from DNAP, worked at Rhododendron Cove to pull garlic mustard.
On Thursday, April 28, six ONAPA volunteers worked at Clifton Gorge to remove garlic mustard and Dame's rocket. On Thursday, May 5, nine people including one from DNAP, pulled garlic mustard and Dame's rocket at Sheepskin Hollow Preserve in Columbiana County. All three projects had beautiful weather with awesome scenery and an abundance of spring wildflowers in bloom. |
We have been short on volunteers lately, most likely due to the price of gas, but we would love to have more participants. Come join us soon! |
|
|
Winter work ends; spring projects arrive
In between rainy days, ONAPA finished the winter season with a stewardship project at Jackson Bog on March 29, clearing woody vegetation in the fen meadows and along the boardwalk. Twelve volunteers, including three new ones, worked with two DNAP staff to cut and treat invading woody shrubs, such as glossy buckthorn, common buckthorn, dogwoods, and alders. The first two spring projects were to remove garlic mustard at Miller Preserve (April 19) and Lake Katharine (April 21). A small group of volunteers worked with two DNAP staff at each preserve to remove garlic mustard, although there was much less present this year. |
Four prescribed burns completed with partners in April despite wet weather
Several people from ONAPA participated in four prescribed burns this spring where ONAPA was the lead, in partnership with other agencies and private landowners. Jennifer Windus and John Watts were the certified prescribed fire managers on these four burns. It was a challenging April to conduct burns given the wet weather, but we managed to complete the burns, two the Knox County Park District and Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and two for private landowners on their small prairies. We burned three units at Wolf Run Regional Park in Mount Vernon for the park district.
Photos shown here are from the North Kingsville Sand Barrens in Ashtabula County, a preserve owned and managed by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. This is a very significant sand barrens with many rare plants and insects. We burned about a third of the barrens and plan to burn more next year. We had great cooperation from the North Kingsville Fire Department as they helped to manage traffic along the road and the four trains that went by on the south boundary while we were burning! The preserve had not been burned in about 20 years, so the Museum hopes the fire rejuvenates the barrens which has a large wild lupine population.
Several people from ONAPA participated in four prescribed burns this spring where ONAPA was the lead, in partnership with other agencies and private landowners. Jennifer Windus and John Watts were the certified prescribed fire managers on these four burns. It was a challenging April to conduct burns given the wet weather, but we managed to complete the burns, two the Knox County Park District and Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and two for private landowners on their small prairies. We burned three units at Wolf Run Regional Park in Mount Vernon for the park district.
Photos shown here are from the North Kingsville Sand Barrens in Ashtabula County, a preserve owned and managed by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. This is a very significant sand barrens with many rare plants and insects. We burned about a third of the barrens and plan to burn more next year. We had great cooperation from the North Kingsville Fire Department as they helped to manage traffic along the road and the four trains that went by on the south boundary while we were burning! The preserve had not been burned in about 20 years, so the Museum hopes the fire rejuvenates the barrens which has a large wild lupine population.
Cedar Bog Visitor Center backdrop of work area
Clearing brush at Killbuck Marsh
|
Cedar Bog and Killbuck Marsh 'opened'
So far, March has been a productive month and we have had six stewardship projects through March 17.
On March 15, we had a large crew of 20 people working at Cedar Bog to open up meadows for massasauga habitat behind the Visitor Center. Ten ONAPA volunteers worked with DNAP staff, Cedar Bog folks, and research herpetologists to remove invading willows and dogwoods. On March 17, a crew of eight ONAPA volunteers worked at Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area at two different areas where Eastern prairie fringed orchids occur. We are hopeful this clearing will improve habitat for the orchids and we may see more blooming in July. 
Killbuck Marsh overview shows cleared area for more Prairie fringed orchid habitat. Photos by Jennifer Windus.
|
|
Project pace picks up in March
After cancelling several projects in February due to the weather, we were back at work in early March. We now have two projects scheduled each week in an effort to reschedule projects that were cancelled. On Thursday, March 3, seven ONAPA volunteers worked with two DNAP staff on the barrier beach at Sheldon's Marsh removing encroaching woody vegetation such as white mulberry, dogwoods, cottonwoods, and willows. In this effort, we are trying to open up the small openings to encourage beach dune species such as beach grass, wormwood, and other rare beach plants.
On Tuesday, March 8, five ONAPA volunteers conducted hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) surveys at Little Rocky Hollow with two DNAP staff. Fortunately, we did not find any HWA during our four-hour survey, looking closely at the undersides of hemlock branches. These surveys are important each winter to document any new infestations. On Thursday, March 10, five ONAPA volunteers, along with two DNAP staff and five volunteers from Beaver |
Creek Wetlands Association (BCWA), cut woody species at Zimmerman Prairie near Dayton. ONAPA continues to help BCWA and DNAP control woody species to maintain the small wet prairie meadow. BCWA has been doing a great job to restore this prairie, working on woody species and cattails, so this is an excellent partnership.
|
Storms delay projects but finally progress against woody interlopers at Bonnett Pond Bog
|
For two weeks in a row, ONAPA had to cancel scheduled projects at Bonnett Pond Bog and Herrick Fen due to winter storms in northeast Ohio. We were able to schedule a project at Prairie Road Fen on February 10 since there was less snow in western Ohio. Six ONAPA volunteers worked with five DNAP staff to clear woody species such as glossy buckthorn, common buckthorn, and dogwood in areas on the perimeter of the fen meadows. We rescheduled our Bonnett Pond Bog trip to February 16, and, fortunately, the ice on the pond was still frozen so we could access the bog meadow. A small group of seven, including three DNAP staff, cleared woody species on the edge of the sphagnum meadows to open the meadows more. This included removal and herbicide treatment of highbush blueberry and poison sumac. We stacked five large piles of brush on the perimeter of the pond.
|
Bonnett Pond Bog - Photos by Jennifer Windus
|
Frigid January weather does not deter stewardship project volunteers and assistants
|
Despite some cold, blustery winter weather in January, we have continued our winter stewardship projects. On Tuesday, January 11, twelve ONAPA volunteers and stewardship assistants worked with Randy Carmel at Brinkhaven Barrens, a nature preserve owned and managed by the Killbuck Watershed Land Trust. We were
|
cutting and treating woody species in the north barrens,
but it was cold enough to burn a brush pile so people could get warm when needed. On Thursday, January 20, a small ONAPA crew of six worked at Mallard Club Wildlife Area in Lucas County to remove brush in one of the Eastern prairie fringed orchid sites. We made great progress and hope it benefits the orchids this summer. On Tuesday, January 25, eight ONAPA volunteers worked with six DNAP staff at Gallagher Fen to remove woody species in the west fen area. We had planned to work at Cedar Bog, but the preserve manager preferred to postpone for a better weather day. We were fortunate to move the project to nearby Gallagher Fen as we had a beautiful, sunny but cold day there improving the fen meadows. Photos by Jennifer Windus |
|
Cold, blustery January day starts off the 2022 stewardship season at Lakeside Daisy State Nature Preserve
The 2022 Stewardship winter season started January 5, with seven hardy folks from DNAP and ONAPA working at Lakeside Daisy Preserve. Cold and stiff southwest winds buffeted workers who removed red cedars on the new addition, near the glacial grooves area, as well as in the original preserve area. Seeds were also dispersed in cleared areas of the new addition, but the winds grew too strong for seeding by the time we moved to the original preserve to remove cedars. We made some excellent progress improving alvar habitat. At right, seeds are dispersed low to the ground because of windy conditions. Below, cut stumps of cedars on the left are visible in front of the brush removed to open the area for the sun-loving Lakeside daisy. (Photos by Jennifer Windus) |
|
