Rare, Threatened and Endangered Species on Conservancy Properties
Black Swamp Conservancy protects more than 19,000 acres on 145 properties in Northwest Ohio. The diverse habitats we protect are also home to more than 60 rare, threatened and endangered species of flora and fauna.
H2Ohio Update
Simply put, water is life. Yet, communities throughout the state have long-faced water quality issues caused by nutrient pollution, failing septic tanks, and lead contamination. H2Ohio, a new environmental program recently established by the state, aims to change all that.
A Year of Growth and Learning
This past spring, Michael Schiewer of Herbaceous, ltd. – the first participant in our Food & Farm Initiative – began operations on Conservancy land. As the winds begin to chill and herb beds are put to rest for the winter, we spoke with Mike about his experiences this season.
Preserving Farmland for the Future
Land trusts like Black Swamp Conservancy partner with the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Office of Farmland Preservation and landowners to establish agricultural easements that keep farmland under private ownership and protect it against future non‐agricultural development.
Long-troubled Ohio Water Sources Find Hope in H2Ohio
Do not bathe or wash clothes. Do not cook with tap water. Definitely, do not drink the water. These were our directives in August 2014 after a perfect storm of nutrient pollution, soaring temperatures and swirling winds led to a poisonous algal bloom in Lake Erie that contaminated our local water intake. But Lake Erie was in trouble long before that.
Counting Dragonflies
With more than 164 species identified in Ohio alone, dragonflies and damselflies are an important indicator of the health of our wetlands and water. The Ohio Dragonfly Project, a joint effort between the Ohio Odonata Society and the Ohio Division of Wildlife, is currently underway (through July 10) to update a survey completed between 1991 and 2001.
Forrest Riverland Restoration to Begin
Construction is set to begin this month to create streamside forests and wetlands on a 48-acre site along the Maumee River in Paulding County, which is part of Forrest Woods Nature Preserve. The Forrest Riverland project will expand habitat for birds, animals and fish while reducing nutrients and sediment entering the Maumee.
Planting begins at the Homestead
Our Food & Farm Initiative’s first farm is coming to life, and it’s an experience reflective of all the other farmers in northwest Ohio this spring.
An Absolute Harbinger of Spring
Certainly, one of my favorite Oak Openings Region spring ephemerals, is the Large-flowered Trillium. It will flower, produce seeds and store nutrients for the following spring within a short time. Then it returns underground for the remainder of the year leaving only a bare stalk with seeds into the summer.
Acknowledging Previous Residents Along the Maumee
Some of the earliest visitors to Forrest Woods Nature Preserve took part in many of the same activities we do along the Maumee River today: boating, fishing, hunting and camping. But they were here long before us – likely during the Late Woodland Period (400 – 950 AD).
