Black Swamp Audubon Reserve – A Cozy Refuge
In Paulding County, the upper Maumee River is a ribbon that unrolls in lazy loops across flat, mostly rural land. A 73-acre parcel called Black Swamp Audubon Reserve is nestled in one of the loops, with the Maumee forming borders on both the east and west sides of the reserve.
Thank You to Ms. Robertson’s Class
The Black Swamp Conservancy is lucky to have a web of regular volunteers, supporters, and board members who support our small staff. One very helpful asset is the class of Jen Robertson at Bowsher High School in Toledo.
An Outdoor Classroom Takes Root
Students in Otsego are growing their own outdoor classroom on a former farm field adjacent to their school.
Last year, Otsego teachers and students worked with land restoration professionals to reinvent a 16-acre parcel across the street from the school.
Planting Baby Trees
A big planting day is a day of rebirth. When we’re ready to plant, we’ve already graded the site, removed invasive species, and water is moving the way we planned. Then, we add a lot of young life in confidence that we have done everything we can to help them grow.
Show and Tell: the Conservancy Story Documented
“The main character is the land,” said filmmaker Christy Frank talking about the documentary she and collaborator Alex Goetz are working on for the Black Swamp Conservancy. Their story documents how a drab member of the chorus is transformed into a vibrant star actor.
Ephemeral Flowers and Permanent Art
The Greater Toledo Community Foundation helped the Conservancy throw a spring party at our homestead in late April. It was perfect! The spring ephemerals were peaking, making a gorgeous carpet throughout Bell Woods. More than 200 guests took part in hourly tours of the woods with Conservancy staff.
Conserving Family Farms with Easements
Hopeful commercial and real estate developers used to call Jane and Tom Schetter regularly, asking about their 145 acres of farmland and 40 acres of woods just north of Fostoria on a tributary of the Portage River. “Now we can just tell them, it’s in a conservation easement,” said Jane, “and that closes that down.”
Have a Rockin’ Good Time at Sawyer Quarry
A few things are hard to find in northwest Ohio, a good ski slope, and a rock-climbing venue. We can’t help you with skiing, but Sawyer Quarry Nature Preserve is a rare local opportunity to climb.
Long Live the Dandelion
One of the first cheery bursts of color in early spring are also helpful, friendly plants that have a place in your yard and garden. Dandelions are not just a welcome sign that everything around us is waking up, they are also a first food for pollinators, a delicacy for people who know how to forage, and free soil treatment.
Encore! You’re on Herp-Cam
Last year Black Swamp Conservancy was chosen as one of only three organizations in the state to receive an equipment grant from Ohio Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (OHPARC). Staff installed the automated game camera trap in Forrest Woods from April through October and sent the collected photos to OHPARC. This year, OHPARC renewed the grant.
