DOWNLOAD PDF MAGEE MARSH WILDLIFE AREA/OTTAWA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

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1 Chapter 1 : Magee Marsh State Wildlife Area Refuge Visitor Center Parking Observation Platform Refuge Boundary Public Road Wildlife Drive Wildlife Drive (seasonal) Earthen Dike Metzger Marsh. From the microscopic photosynthetic bacteria to the majestic bald eagles, these swampy sanctuaries are an example of the largest petri dishes on the planet. They also are a sight to behold, in person, and as close as you would like to get. During the next six months, birders, budding biologists, hikers, amateur ornithologists, walkers, beginning botanists, photographers, and wildlife enthusiasts will have the opportunity to explore the natural wonders of Magee Marsh Wildlife Area and the neighboring Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, while being led by an experienced guide. The Hike the Dikes program is free, open to all ages and interest levels, and each hike will be piloted by a trained and knowledgeable escort. Participants along on the hikes will receive a full primer on the wide range of local wildlife that call the marshes home, a group which includes birds, reptiles and amphibians, butterflies, and marsh mammals. There also will be plenty to learn about the wetland plants and the critical roles these watery buffers play in keeping contaminants out of our lake. The guided hikes take place on the second Saturday of each month, April through September, with the first hike scheduled for April That outing also could serve as a good introduction to some of the sites that will be popular viewing points during the Biggest Week in American Birding festival, which runs May Each walk is hosted by one of the partner agencies, with the hikes starting at 9 a. The host agency will determine the starting locations for each hike. Any hiker who attends three or more of the events will receive a free hiking stick. More information is available by calling Magee Marsh Wildlife Area at ext. The class, which is taught by certified instructors, will be offered in two segments from 8: The instructors suggest a minimum age of 12 for those enrolling in the course. Ohio and Michigan have laws mandating boater education for boat operators of a certain age, but the course is a superb foundation or refresher for boaters of any age and experience level. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will provide citizens with the opportunities to share input and ideas on policy decisions, programs and other aspects of natural resource management and outdoor recreation opportunities at a series of meetings in April. Some of the sessions offered include: Belle Isle Park Advisory Committee, from 9 to 11 a. Partners for Clean Streams will conduct a spaghetti dinner fund-raiser from 5 to 7 p. For information or to RSVP, call Tickets will be available at the door. This is a rifle only shoot. Please keep your comments smart and civil. To post comments, you must be a registered user on toledoblade. To find out more, please visit the FAQ. Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem? Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet. Page 1

2 Chapter 2 : Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge TrekOhio Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge or Magee Marsh Wildlife Area. Detail map. For overview map see below. Overview Map. Directions: From Cleveland. Take Rt 2 west past Sandusky and Port Clinton. These are all good places to enjoy nature. These are excellent places, too, to pitch a tent and to go camping with friends. The mile stretch of shore in Lake Erie will give any tourist or a traveler that needs a breather. The Marblehead and Catawba peninsulas of the lake will offer any kind of tourist the view they need. Vacationers can stroll these parks, enjoy the breathtaking views and even do a bonfire in the middle of the forest. They can go trekking. They can explore the wild and enjoy the calm of the trees. Explore the Victorian houses near the lake. All of these are excellent places to dig into the history of the lake. This is also another good way for people to appreciate the diversity of the region. Take selfies with the glacial grooves of the lake and admire the smooth ruts in the glaciers. Take witness at the bedrock near the lake. Take photos of the Victorian-era homes that are displayed around the towns. You can also explore Lake Erie by biking. Take a guided bike tour from a reliable tour center, and spend the entire day exploring the place. Unique and cool Michigan gifts and gear at https: This park has carnivals, and a Ferris wheel for everyone in the family to enjoy. The roller coasters in the park are also the attraction of Lake Erie. This place may not be for the faint-hearted. This area of lake Erie may not be for those who are scared of heights. But, if families are not up for the challenge, they can just go for the Ferris wheels and carousels. They can ride those instead of pushing their adrenaline to the limits with dangerous rides. For those who want to try the rides, the 17 roller coasters available will offer a lovely view of the lake. This may make up for the fact that the roller coaster is such a difficult challenge to take. Find your next favorite Michigan shirt, hat, or koozie at https: In Lake Erie, you can find coyotes, foxes, and deer. At the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, you may be able to see all the sampling of all the animals that reside in Lake Erie. You can do a lot of bird-watching in this area. The entire 25 miles of enclave in the marsh will be a fascinating place for families. Families and friends can also enjoy the boardwalk in the Toledo area. You can also go to the warbler migration in the wildlife area in the early Mid-May. There are countless spots in the forest that you can explore. The wildlife in marsh will give you all the adventure that you need. The Wildlife Area used to be a settlement until it was no longer so when the marsh was drained in the s. Page 2

3 Chapter 3 : ODNR Coastal LE Access - Ottawa NWR I had heard of the famous Magee Marsh for a few years and always wanted to go. Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. 77 reviews It is responsible for. The biggest beneficiary of all, however, may be the lake itself. History The property, known historically as Howard Farms, is the last remaining large tract of land in the Western Lake Erie marsh region. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife has been interested in the property for more than 20 years, but was not able to come to terms with the owner. Starting with farmland 18 months ago, Metroparks restored most of the 1,acre property to a functioning wetland near the Lake Erie shore. As a marsh, it will filter runoff water before it reaches Lake Erie and provide important spawning habitat for fish and stopover habitat for a variety of birds. And it will create additional opportunities for visitors to enjoy the outdoors. Metroparks and the Division of Wildlife entered into a management agreement for fishing, hunting, trapping and wildlife recreation and conservation at the marsh. Converting Howard Farms into Howard Marsh required additional partnerships and funding. Metroparks contracted with Ducks Unlimited, the international wetlands conservation organization, to design the wetland habitat infrastructure, and with SmithGroupJRR, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, to design the public amenities infrastructure. Also nearby is Maumee Bay State Park. Combined, these Lake Erie marshlands create a complex of habitat that is critically important because more than half of the endangered and threatened birds in the state require wetlands for part of their life cycle. Historically, 37 species of warblers and over species of birds have been seen at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, making it recognized worldwide as a top birding destination for songbird migration. Annually, 70, to 80, people visit Magee Marsh in the six-week period from mid-april through May during the songbird migration. Marshes are also important breeding grounds for fish in a region that calls itself the Walleye Capital of the World. Protecting the Lake A Natural Filter While Western Lake Erie is an international destination for birding, fishing and boating, it has also made national news in recent years because of water quality issues. Contributing to the water quality woes is the loss of natural wetlands, which function like kidneys, filtering out excess nutrients, like phosphorus, that cause algal blooms while providing critical fish and wildlife habitat. Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems on Earthâ comparable to rain forests and coral reefs, says the U. These systems support more than one-third of the threatened and endangered wildlife species in the United States, while providing natural water quality improvements and flood protection. In western Lake Erie, where just 10 percent of the original,acres of wetland remain, every acre counts. The largest new wetland restoration project underway on the Great Lakes, Howard Marsh, will take hundreds of acres near the lakeshoreâ approximately now and in the futureâ from a willing landowner out of agricultural production and re-create a marsh wetland as buffer between land and lake. Page 3

4 Chapter 4 : Magee hikes are a good intro to birding the marsh - The Blade For gun hunts, on the day of your hunt you must check in by a.m. at the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, or contact them by a.m. at For archery hunts, you must check in between a.m. and. Located on the scenic shore of Lake Erie, Crane Creek State Park offers a vast freshwater marsh and spacious sandy beach for enjoyment. This coastal environment is home to more than species of birds. Herons, waterfowl, warblers, gulls and the magnificent bald eagle make this park one of the best birdwatching areas in the country. Nature of the Area Crane Creek is located along the shores of Lake Erie, one of the largest freshwater bodies in the world. Lake Erie is the result of the massive ice sheets that entered Ohio during the ice age. As the ice melted, the area from Fort Wayne, Indiana to western New York was covered by a large lake. Eventually, the lake shrank in size as waters drained from the state leaving a vast area of swamps and marshes. The wetlands of the Crane Creek area are remnants of those ancient swamps. These Lake Erie marshes provide food, shelter and nest sites for many species of waterfowl, birds-of-prey, songbirds and others. The bird population grows enormously during spring migration as weary migrants take refuge in the marsh and rest for a time before winging northward across Lake Erie into Canada. Throughout summer, swallows in flight delight the eye, while ducks, geese, coots and egrets are easily sighted in their natural habitat. In the winter, short-eared owls can be seen hunting over the open meadows and marshes. Careful observers may see the elusive bittern or horned grebe. The Lake Erie shoreline provides one of the last strongholds of the bald eagle in Ohio. Several nesting pairs have been reported recently in the Crane Creek vicinity. Numerous reptiles, amphibians, mammals, fish and insects inhabit the marshes including the fox snake, northern water snake, painted turtle, green frog, bullfrog, spotted salamander, raccoon, muskrat and a variety of wetland insects. History of the Area The Crane Creek area was originally part of the Great Black Swamp, an enormous flat plain miles long and 30 to 40 miles wide. For many years, the swamp was a tremendous barrier to western settlement. In, a law was passed providing for a system of ditches to drain the land. Eventually, after a period of intense lumbering and draining, the swamp nearly vanished as it became a major agricultural area. The area gained fame during the late s as one of the best waterfowl hunting areas in the United States. Most of the land in the area was purchased by wealthy sportsmen, so that by as early as, much of the wetland area was being operated for private shooting. By, the entire 30, acres of marshlands along the Lake Erie shore from Toledo to Sandusky was under private club ownership. In, a total of acres, which included a strip of marshlands and sand beach three miles long, was purchased by the ODNR Division of Parks and Recreation. The purchase was made in collaboration with the ODNR Division of Wildlife which purchased some of the marshlands behind the beach for the purpose of developing a public duck hunting area. A segment of the beach was opened to swimming in Undoubtedly, the creek owes its name to the great blue herons and egrets--often misidentified as cranes--which are abundant in the marsh habitat. Page 4

5 Chapter 5 : Local ebird Tips - Black Swamp Bird Observatory The Hike the Dikes program is free and open to all ages and interest levels, and provides opportunities to explore the natural wonders of Magee Marsh Wildlife Area and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. All walks are led by a trained and knowledgeable guide. An egret lying in wait for its prey at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Entrance to the refuge is off of State Route 2 in Ottawa County. While we were there, two swans were preening next to a pond in front of the visitors center. Swans grooming themselves near pond by visitors center From the visitors center we drove to the trail head. It featured an elaborate information kiosk. The trails are small one lane gravel roadways that criss-cross between a series of ponds and wetlands. Observation platforms are conveniently placed for wildlife viewing. There is a trail that connects Ottawa with adjacent Magee Marsh. Dogs are permitted at the refuge. Information kiosk near trailheads. Nearby there was a picnic table and vault latrines. Trail map posted at kiosk. There were primitive benches to the side of the trail. There is an observation platform near the tree to the right. Below are some views from the observation platform. Part of the trail ran parallel to something resembling a canal. Canal In the shrubs and trees bordering the wetland there were small birds. Yellow warbler Some of the vegetation fringing the wetland had wildflowers during our visit in May. Buttercups Fleabane Ottawa also includes two other nearby locations â Navarre and Darby Marsh which are not open to the public. Neither of these sites are open to the public. Update from Deb I had an opportunity to talk with some more knowledgeable people about the nest that the egret is standing on in the above photos. Egrets, like Great Blue Herons, nest high above in trees. It turns out that egrets will happily eat up Canada geese goslings. Birding Resources â Our collection of links to websites, articles, maps, and videos related to birding in Ohio. Points to information on birding hotspots, organizations, events, and more. Heron Rookeries Heronries in Ohio ; although the birds pictured in the nests here are Great Blue Herons, egrets have similar nests. Chapter 6 : Lake Erie Lodge Hotel near Maumee Bay State Park, Anchor Point The Ottawa National Wildlife Refugee is located next to Lake Erie between Magee Marsh and Metzger Marsh. It is a great place to go birding because it is another stop-over during the spring / fall bird migration, particularly for water birds in the spring. Chapter 7 : Birding at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area Ohio Ornithological Society open marsh magee causeway ottawa national wildlife refuge open marsh magee marsh wildlife area, northwest ohio birding map of produced by kenn kaufman for the. Chapter 8 : Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge About Magee Marsh Wildlife Area. Magee Marsh is acres of wetlands situated on Lake Erie. It has been named as one of the top ten bird watching sites in the country. Chapter 9 : Howard Marsh Metroparks Toledo Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge The refuge includes over 9, acres, not all of which is open to the public. An excellent visitor's center provides a great overview of the refuge and information on accessibility. Page 5