Rational for Choice of Survey Area

 Rational for Choice of Survey Area

Wetlands are one of the most biodiverse habitats that can be encountered across the flat plains and rolling hills of Ohio. With examples, such as the unique freshwater coastal wetlands found along the Lake Erie shoreline, famed as one of the best birding areas in the United States during the spring migration along the central flyway as birds make a pitstop to cross over the lake. However, Ohio’s wetlands are not only for the benefit of birds, but also to “One-third of all threatened and endangered species and nearly all of the fish in the Great Lakes basin rely on wetlands” (Holtshouse, 2018) to provide “…important fish spawning and nursery areas, as well as nesting, resting and feeding areas for waterfowl” (Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, 2016). These services not only benefit Ohio’s biosphere, but transfer benefits to human society as well: storing excess stormwater that would otherwise contribute to destructive flooding, act as nature’s kidneys filtering out pollutants such as heavy metals and agricultural runoff, and also provide opportunities for hunting, fishing, watersports, and birdwatching.

However, Ohio’s wetlands have long been under threat, with only 1.8 percent remaining, and having been historically ranked as one of the states to have lost the most acreage of wetland habitat with “90 percent of Ohio’s wetland resources have been destroyed or degraded through draining, filling or other modifications”, from 5,000,000 acres to around 483,000 acres (Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, 2016). This can be attributed to two primary factors, the loss of the Great Black Swamp that was centered around the Maumee river located in northwestern Ohio, as it was converted to agriculture in the 1800s, and the loss of 96 percent of Ohio’s coastal wetlands to coastal development.

Therefore, we arrive at the rational for why I selected the wetlands of Ohio, like Sandy Ridge Reservation and Sheldon Marsh, as the survey areas for my project. For Sandy Ridge Reservation in particular, a number of unique features and its location sealed it as survey point. Firstly, its location as the closest wetland to my residence allows for it to be easily accessed for 5 minute point counts and vegetation surveys. Secondly, the location boasts a number of Palustrine wetland habitats; including forested wetlands, marsh habitat, open water and scrub/shrub wetlands. That will be beneficial for the Dendrology, general ecology, and classification and taxonomy refresher assignments that will be assigned later on in the course.

Works Cited:

Division of Surface Water, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. “Ohio Wetlands.” Environmental Protection Agency, 2016.

Holtshouse, Amy. “Getting Our Feet Wet.” The Nature Conservancy, 3 Oct. 2018, www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/ohio/stories-in-ohio/getting-our-feet-wet/.