2023 STEWARDSHIP PROJECT REPORTS
|
August a busy month in the field
August was another busy month for our stewardship team with nine projects! Our team decreased in size as Rachael and Jordon went back to college, and Maddie took a full-time preserve manager job at Cedar Bog. We are down to two stewardship assistants now for the fall and winter. We are always looking for more volunteers, so come help us with preserve stewardship soon! In August, we transitioned to working on woody species control. This started at Clifton Gorge (August 1) working on bush honeysuckle, then to Wolf Run Regional Park in Mount Vernon (August 3). We worked on woody species and cattails at Kiser Lake Fen on August 10. We had two days at Myersville Fen as there was plenty to clear in both fen meadows (August 15 and 22). We continued our work at Brinkhaven Barrens (August 17) and Daughmer Savanna (August 24). In the last week of August, we worked at two new preserves for ONAPA, Kitty Todd in northwest Ohio on August 29 and Grand River Terraces on August 31. Several of these projects included working with partners including Knox County Park District, Killbuck Watershed Land Trust, Crawford Park District, The Nature Conservancy, and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. |
Myersville Fen
Kitty Todd
|
Callery pear removed at Honey Run Highlands
Jordan levels invasives at Daughmer Savanna
|
July a month for education and stewardship
In July, the ONAPA stewardship team kept busy with some habitat management and rare plant surveys. We finished up Eastern prairie fringed orchid surveys on July 6 at Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area. A survey for a newly found rare plant, tower mustard, was taken at Cedar Bog on July 27 in an area ONAPA had cleared previously. An educational day was spent at Kelleys Island on July 11, visiting two preserves, the glacial grooves (with its new improvements), and Lakeside daisy sites. On July 20, we visited Gode Prairie and Greenville Falls in Miami County, checking to see if ONAPA may be able to help the park district with stewardship work at these preserves. Habitat management work took place at Daughmer Savanna (July 13), Honey Run Highlands Park (July 18), and Jackson Bog (July 19). Stewardship assistants also helped with an OIPC invasive plant workshop at Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park District in Lima on July 25th. July was full of diverse and educational activities! |
Clearing out around tower mustard at Cedar Bog
Habitat management and plant surveys mark June stewardship projects
Lady Slipper survey at Cedar Bog
June was another busy month for the ONAPA stewardship team, with some habitat management and several days monitoring rare plant populations. We conducted habitat management at Chaparral Prairie June 13, pulling sweet-clover & teasel. At Jackson Bog June 20, woody species were cut in the fen meadows. We did a survey of the showy lady's-slipper population at Cedar Bog on June 15, a follow-up to one we started last year to estimate the number of plants at the preserve. Near the end of June, we spent three days surveying Eastern prairie fringed orchids at eight sites. This important work is done in cooperation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the state Division of Natural Areas & Preserves, following specific survey protocols. Conducting the rare plant surveys is excellent experience for our five stewardship assistants.
|
Pulling sweet-clover at Chaparral Prairie
Prairie fringed orchid survey - Photos by Lydia Radcliffe
|
|
May projects varied and in different regions of the state
Four of the five 2023 Stewardship Assistants
May was a busy month for the ONAPA stewardship program with eight projects and getting the stewardship assistants back on board. We have five stewardship assistants again this season, four who are returning - Madison Brown, Lydia Radcliffe, Rachael Patterson, and Mariola Castrejon. We added one new assistant, Jordan Tackett, who also works for the Richland County Park District.
We had four projects removing garlic mustard and Dame's rocket: Lake Katharine (May 9), Davey Woods (May 11), Irwin Prairie (May 16), and Bonnett Pond Bog (May 30). Two days were spent working with Lakeside daisy projects |
Lakeside Daisy project volunteers
Downed trees that needed to be cleared in the Crane Hollow pine plantation
- monitoring planted plots and collecting seeds. We
helped improve habitat at DuPont Marsh for a rare iris species, in cooperation with DNAP and Erie Metro Parks (May 4). We also assisted Crane Hollow in the clean-up of downed white pines in a plantation (May 17). |
Garlic mustard pulls took up most of April's stewardship project work in the field
|
The ONAPA stewardship team has been busy with garlic mustard, Dame's rocket, butterweed, wintercreeper, and other invasives in April. We also conducted four prescribed burns at Daughmer Savanna, Newell Preserve (Licking Co.), Cedar Bog, and North Kingsville Sand Barrens (Cleveland Museum of Natural History preserve). We had seven stewardship projects at Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area (April 6), Wolf Run Regional Park (April 13), Milford Center Prairie (April 18), Clifton Gorge (April 20), Howard Collier Preserve (April 22), Rhododendron Cove (April 25), and Kendrick Woods (April 27).
At Killbuck Marsh and Wolf Run, we were cutting and treating woody species, but at the other preserves, we 
Collier Woods garlic mustard team (Photo by Lydia Radcliffe)
|
focused on the herbaceous invasive plants, primarily garlic mustard. At Milford Center Prairie, we worked on woody species, common teasel, and other invasives in the recently burned prairie units. We had a great Earth Day at Howard Collier Preserve pulling garlic mustard and enjoying a wildflower hike in the spectacular spring display. Volunteer numbers were down, so come out and join us sometime soon!
|
March projects get a boost from more favorable weather for tackling invasive species
Photo credits: Honey Run prescribed burn, Lori Totman; stewardship projects, Jennifer Windus.
The weather cooperated somewhat better in March than February and we conducted six stewardship projects, plus one prescribed burn at Honey Run Highlands Park (Knox County Park District). We worked at Honey Run Highlands Park (March 2), Zimmerman Prairie (March 9), Killbuck Marsh WA (March 16), Brinkhaven Barrens (March 21), Mentor Marsh (March 22), and Cedar Bog (March 28).
All of the stewardship projects involved cutting woody species and treating the stems with herbicide to prevent re-sprouting. In most cases, except Mentor Marsh where we worked in a buffer woods to the marsh, we were working in open meadow or prairie sites to maintain the habitat for native and rare species such as the Eastern prairie fringed orchid. At Brinkhaven Barrens, we worked with Killbuck Watershed Land Trust to control tree-of-heaven in the woods. At Cedar Bog, we removed invading woody species along the entrance to the preserve which will greatly improve the meadow habitat as you drive into the parking lot.
All of the stewardship projects involved cutting woody species and treating the stems with herbicide to prevent re-sprouting. In most cases, except Mentor Marsh where we worked in a buffer woods to the marsh, we were working in open meadow or prairie sites to maintain the habitat for native and rare species such as the Eastern prairie fringed orchid. At Brinkhaven Barrens, we worked with Killbuck Watershed Land Trust to control tree-of-heaven in the woods. At Cedar Bog, we removed invading woody species along the entrance to the preserve which will greatly improve the meadow habitat as you drive into the parking lot.
February projects in the field concentrate on woody species control
|
Photos by Jennifer Windus
|
In February, a couple projects were cancelled, but we managed to accomplish seven projects at Crane Hollow (February 2), Beck Fen with The Nature Conservancy (February 14), Cedar Bog (February 15, 21, 28), W. Pearl King Prairie Savanna with Columbus Metro Parks (February 23), and Sheldon’s Marsh with DNAP (February 28).
At Crane Hollow, we assisted Crane Hollow Inc. with clean-up of a white pine plantation which we are in the process of removing (planted years ago when it was owned by the Division of Forestry). At the other natural areas, we were removing invasive woody species. It was the first time for ONAPA to work at Beck Fen and W. Pearl King Prairie Savanna, so it was a great opportunity for volunteers to see different preserves with different partners. A super added benefit at Beck Fen was seeing a saw-whet owl at the end of the day – such a treat for all of us! |
|
Two stewardship projects completed and a workshop on woody species ID mark January in the field
In January, we had to cancel a couple of projects, but we had a small crew work at Brinkhaven Oak Barrens with the Killbuck Watershed Land Trust (January 4) and a large group of 18 people work at Cedar Bog (January 19). We also had a volunteer appreciation lunch and winter woody identification workshop with Bob Klips on January 25. The weather was problematic, so only half the volunteers we planned for showed up for the workshop, but we had a great day at Highbanks Metro Park. We learned how to identify woody species in the winter using a key and looked at great specimens provided by Bob. At lunch, with box lunches from Chelley Belly in Delaware, we recognized several volunteers for their contributions to ONAPA. In the afternoon, we went on a short hike at Highbanks to look at woody species near the nature center. |
Workshop with Bob Klips (standing) - Photo by Lydia Radcliffe
|