Beaver Creek Wetlands Association
Volume 29, No. 3
Summer 2015
Calendar
July
July 24-26
Midwest Native Plant Conference
August
Aug. 15 & 16
Fairborn Sweet Corn Festival
September
Swamped!
Photo by Jim Amon
Sep. 12 & 13
Beavercreek Popcorn Festival
Yikes, what happened to the trails at Koogler Wetland and Prairie Reserve? Recent rains caused some serious flooding! In some places the trail
was under nearly 3 feet of water and the boardwalk was displaced in another site. It is likely that some repair will be needed. The loop trail is walkable,
but be careful in uneven sections.
Sun., Sep. 20, 2:30 p.m.
Monarch Tagging at Koogler Wetland/Prairie Reserve
In this Issue
Flooded Trails.............................. 1
President’s Message.................. 2
Volunteer Corner........................ 3
Science Corner............................ 5
Things to Look For..................... 5
New Bridge, Phillips Park....... 6
Mayflies.......................................... 7
Nest Box Notes............................ 8
Eagle Scout Project.................... 8
Purple Loosestrife Update..... 9
BCWA Annual Meeting............. 10
Bird Sightings.............................. 10
Endowment Fund...................... 11
www.beavercreekwetlands.org
2
gic plan for the Wetlands organization. Though not finalized, as yet, the
process has brought to our attention
several issues which I plan to address in the coming year. Over 2000
acres of the Beaver Creek and Little
Beaver Creek watersheds have been
protected. While we will continue to
seek opportunities to protect more
wetlands and buffer zones in these
corridors, our focus now needs to
shift to enhancing, restoring and
preserving these unique habitats. I
am already working with our land
management committee to develop
a strategy to protect our most pristine areas and from there, working
toward enhancing critical wetland
habitats.
A second issue we have discovered in the strategic planning
process is that we need to be more
visible to the public in order to generate support for protecting the wetlands. Toward that goal, I will work
with our public relations committee
to increase our use of social media,
develop our speaker’s bureau and
offer more programs to the public.
With more programs and increased
awareness of the BCWA, we hope
to attract new members as well as
more volunteers to help us preserve
these unique habitats.
I look forward to meeting as
many of you as possible. Check for
our scheduled programs and look
for us at festivals, parades and other
special events www.beavercreekwetlands.org. Better yet, stop by
when we are working in one of the
beautiful wetland areas. See you in
the wetlands!
—Jim Schneider
BCWA president, Jim Schneider
Photo by Jim Amon
Hello! I’m Jim Schneider, newly
elected president of the Beaver
Creek Wetlands Association. For
those who do not know me … a little
background.
I worked for Greene County Parks
for 21 years. As Assistant Director
and Project Manager I had many opportunities to work with members
and volunteers from BCWA. I especially worked with Brother Don Geiger from UD and Dr. Jim Amon from
Wright State. On several occasions,
as the BCWA volunteers worked on
projects at Creekside Reserve, I was
able to bring out the county’s equipment to assist them in their efforts
to remove invasive plants from the
park. I was always impressed with
their hard work and their willingness to get dirty.
After I retired in 2008, I wanted
to stay active in the parks and continue to see them improve. BCWA
seemed like the perfect way to
meet that goal. As I remove invasive plants, plant native species and
build boardwalks and trails, I am
reminded of what kept me in the
parks and recreation profession for
35 years … seeing the public enjoy
the fruits of my labor.
I am honored to serve as President of the Beaver Creek Wetlands
Association and at the same time I
feel under-qualified to assume this
role. As I look at the credentials
of past presidents and look at the
knowledge and expertise of my fellow board members, I am humbled
by their qualities. But, I believe in
the work that we do and believe that
it benefits today’s and tomorrow’s
generations and I pledge to give my
best to protect the Beaver Creek
wetlands and continue that role of
conservation in our community.
In the past year the board has
been working on an updated strate-
Photo contributed by Jim Schneider
President’s Message
A soggy place to sit! Koogler
Wetland and Prairie Reserve, shown
after the recent heavy rainfalls.
Spotted Turtle—Summer 2015
Like many organizations, the BCWA has a core group of dedicated
volunteers who show up week after week, making slow but steady
progress in the effort to control invasive plant species or replant a
cleared area. They are in it for the long haul and realize that results
often take quite a bit of time and persistence to become apparent.
Over the past few years, BCWA has been contacted by several corporate and student groups searching for a service project.
There is nothing like the immediate impact of a group project!
Whether it is a site cleanup, trail building, a wetland restoration planting, or a honeysuckle removal project, a large group can immediately
see the impact their efforts have made!
—Debbie Karr
Spring Volunteer Activity
BCWA’s 2015 volunteer season
began with requests for group
service projects from two student
groups from the University of
Dayton and a corporate group, all
scheduled in April.
On April 11, students from the
UD Sustainability Club planted
native spicebush, bladdernut,
wafer ash, and red bud in areas
previously cleared of non-native
honeysuckle at Hagenbuch Reserve. When the planting was completed, they helped to break up the
remaining dead honeysuckle to
hasten its decomposition. Sustainability Club volunteers were Abby
Aceto, Jason Demeter, Jill Foster,
Ellen Hall, Dillon Moher, Patrick
O’Brien, Emily Rockwell, Ryan
Sara, Kevin Shanahan, Matt Sheridan, Magdalene Stirn, and Peter
Tierney.
A cleanup project of the littered
US35 embankment overlooking
Zimmerman Prairie was scheduled
for the UD TriBeta students the
following week, on April 18. This
was coordinated with the City
of Beavercreek Public Services,
which provided reflective safety
vests for the volunteer group
working near the highway and
disposed of the pile of material
collected (The aluminum cans and
plastic bottles were separated for
recycling). Thanks to the folks at
McAfee Sports Center for permitting us to use their parking lot to
stage this project! TriBeta volunteers included Becca Creed, Lindzi
Hoersten, Stephanie Pohlman, and
Matt Riccetti, assisted by Abby
Aceto, Meg Maloney, and David
Sachs from the Sustainability
Club, who came back for a second
project!
The coordinator for LJB Inc. was
looking for a family-friendly Earth
Day project for their corporate
group on April 25. Multiple activities were planned for Koogler Wetland/Prairie Reserve—a cleanup
project, shrub planting, and seed
sowing. Unfortunately, the weather
did not cooperate. Rain moved in,
but they stuck it out, even having a
soggy picnic lunch afterward! The
shrubs were all planted and seeds
of floodplain species were sown
in areas cleared of honeysuckle
by the UD TriBeta group last fall.
Many bags of trash were collected
and a few more tires were pulled
out of this site. Again, the aluminum cans and plastic bottles were
Photo by Richard Swigart
Volunteer Corner: The Impact of Group Projects
Volunteers from LJB, Inc.
separated for recycling. Beavercreek Township disposed of the
material collected at this site.
LJB volunteers included Braxton
Campbell, Eddie Drow, Dianne
Lawson-Smith, the Metz family
(Holly, Jacob, Mike), the Mueller
family (Greg, Shannon, Phillip, &
Lillian), Chad Rigsby, Mike Shell,
the Sleimers family (Andrew,
Beth, Danny, John, & Lucia), Phillip Smith, Rod Sommer, and Alex
Zelles.
Members of the Youth Group for
Indian Culture continue to come
out individually to assist BCWA’s
regular volunteers with a variety
of tasks at multiple sites. Spring
volunteers from this group included Arihant Chordia, Om Desai,
Sanjana & Venugopal Yerubandi.
In addition to assisting with the
previously mentioned group projects, BCWA’s regular volunteers
continue to meet on Saturdays
and Sundays to care for sites in
the wetlands. Under the direction
of Don Geiger, the Saturday morning crew works at multiple sites
along the Little Beaver Creek. The
focus this spring has been removing vegetation along Creekside
Trail at Zimmerman Prairie, and
More Volunteer News on page 4
See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org3
then removing the dilapidated
fence. The purpose of this activity
is two-fold—most of the vegetation
is non-native and creeps into the
remnant wet prairie, plus it opens
up the view so users of the bike
path can actually see the prairie.
At BCWA’s Hagenbuch Reserve,
volunteers planted additional native shrubs on the south side of the
Little Beaver Creek. Other sites visited this spring were Little Beaver
Creek Prairie for poison hemlock
control and Hershner Reserve for
sweetflag control. While rearranging tarps used to solarize sweetflag
at this location, the crew was dismayed to see the number of Callery
pear saplings in the prairie. We
finished the May work sessions by
lopping and treating many of this
increasingly problematic species.
Under the direction of Jim Amon,
the focus of the Sunday work crew
has been the boardwalk at Siebenthaler Fen—raising the last of the
submerged sections and trimming
overhanging vegetation so the way
is passable for visitors. A massive
logjam was discovered at Koogler
Reserve in the tributary stream
along New Germany Trebein Road,
causing water and trash from the
road to flow through the sedge
meadow (which created the need
for a cleanup project). The initial
attempt to dislodge it was unsuccessful. After the LJB project, additional native shrubs and sedges
were planted along the creek
where honeysuckle had been previously removed, and then wetland
plants were plugged in the prairie
swale in the front of the park. One
of our new volunteers tackled the
common nightshade that was overrunning parts of the sedge meadow
near the boardwalk. What a mess!
We looked like we had been mud
4
Photo by Richard Swigart
Volunteer News, Cont’d from p. 3
LJB, Inc., a local company, sent a volunteer crew to Koogler Wetland/Prairie
Reserve for a cleanup project. They also planted shrubs and sowed seed.
Despite a miserable rainy day, they were good sports and even stayed to enjoy
their picnic lunch outdoors.
wrestling! (Go, Claire!)
In addition to the regularly scheduled weekend projects, volunteers
met during the week to take care of
issues as needed. Control of persistent reed canary grass continues at
the Tower Wetlands, the conservation easement in Beavercreek Township. The trails at Fairborn Marsh
and boardwalk at Koogler Reserve
need to be mowed or trimmed. All
the new shrubs planted this spring
require watering when rainfall is
inadequate. Work also continues on
the Monarch Waystation at Hagenbuch Reserve, with a small group
meeting on Thursday mornings. The
focus is on removal of the problem
biennial weeds—sweet clover, red
clover, teasel, and Queen Anne’s lace
with additional planting planned to
fill in the bare spots. All the shrubs,
sedges, and forbs planted this spring
were grown at the greenhouse at
Wright State University or at the
homes of some of our volunteers,
requiring lots of care and time.
Land management volunteers for
these activities include Deb Adams,
Carol Amon, Nancy Bain, Eric Bee,
Alex Bee, Skip Beehler, Ryan Bouffioux, Bill Byrd, Steve Carnegis,
Spotted Turtle—Summer 2015
Matt Cary, Aaron Deckard, Lois
Gschwender, Debbie Karr, Mat
Kirsch, Greg Notestine, Claire Rutiser, Ranga Sundar, Jim Schneider,
Richard Swigart, Hitesh Trivedi,
Chris Valadez, and Tom Whitman.
Volunteers also helped to prepare mailings at the Coy House office and staff the booth at festivals
and events. The membership drive
and annual meeting envelope stuffing parties were attended by Dorothy Bordewisch, Ann Byrd, Steve
& Susie Demmy, Lois Gschwender,
Judy Renz, Judith Streiff, Richard
Swigart, Dave & Mary Townsley,
and Brian Woodruff. There were
two events this spring: the Knollwood Garden Party and EarthFest.
Nancy Bain, Ann Byrd, Steve &
Cathy Carnegis, Dave Duell, Rob
Evans, Rob & Niki Foor, Nina Griffin, Denny Jarvi, Jean Kash, Marilyn
Rodney, Dave Shumway, Bill Skelly,
Veeraraghavan & Ranga Sundar,
Richard Swigart, Mike Zimmerman
all worked a shift at one or both of
these events.
What a busy spring we have
had in the Beaver Creek wetlands!
Thank you all for your time and
efforts!
—Debbie Karr
“Like a canary in the coal mine”
is an old saying noting that canaries were placed in mines because
they were super sensitive to toxic
gases that might endanger the miners. Well, frogs work that way
in the wetlands. Their skin is
very moist and tender and
can absorb essential oxygen
from air. The tenderness
of this skin can help us
know if something is in the
environment and is threatening the habitat long before
other, more resilient species are
affected.
Although we would rather not
use chemicals like herbicides to
manage our wetlands we sometimes have to do just that. One
of the nice observations I make
almost every time I am out there,
where we are desperately trying
to eliminate Reed Canarygrass, is
the abundance of frogs and other
amphibians that are likewise our
“canaries”. I also look at the insect
population because it is so important to the pollination of the enormous variety of plants in our fens.
They seem to be doing just fine.
Lots of things are now in bloom
and I literally see dozens of butter-
flies, beetles, flies, gnat, bees, spiders, wasps and crane flies swirling
and crawling around the blossoms.
Every species of plant seems to have
a different complement of insects so
that, in total, the insects I see make
up hundreds of species. Without
a full census of what is there and
what role they play we can’t be sure
whether there are enough pollinators. We can, however, look at the
success of pollination by seeing if
most of the plants are producing viable seeds. They are doing fine thus
far!
Management of a complex resource like the Beaver Creek Wetlands is an enormous task. When we
are focused on removal or control of
one species it is easy to forget that
we are treating more than just that
target. Collateral damage (to insects,
frogs etc.) can, and certainly does
occur, but we need to look “outside
of the box” and consider the potential harm that would occur
if we did not exert control on
non-native species that are
very aggressive.
You can see the consequence of some of our management by walking the trail,
especially the wooden first part,
at Siebenthaler Fen. Flooding by
beaver, several years back, drowned
many trees and understory plants
and when the flooding was gone,
aggressive Reed Canarygrass took
over forming a near monoculture.
Carefully timed spraying with a
grass specific herbicide has removed
most of the Reed Canarygrass and
an amazing variety of sedges and
forbs have sprung up from dormant
seeds to replace it. Take a look and
see what I mean. The number of
species can be estimated without
knowing the names of the plants,
just simply by recognizing the different kind of leaves and seeds they are
producing. Awesome.
—Jim Amon, Technical Advisor
Things To Look For This Summer
The Marsh Marigolds, Irises, and
Great Angelica will have completed their blooms by time you
see this, but there is more to come.
Right around the fourth of July the
puffy pink flowers of Queen of the
Prairie start the summer fireworks
at Siebenthaler Fen. Look closely
wherever you go because some
of the coolest flowers are the tiny
ones. Go out in the early morn-
ing for a wonderful display of the
morning mist with sunlight filtering
through it casting rays on intricate
spider webs. Early morning is not a
bad time to see a few beaver as well.
Beaver dams come and go so, keep
looking at each of the reserves in
the Beaver Creek Wetlands. Some of
the prairie flowers will be beginning
their display there too. At Fairborn
Marsh stop at the observation deck
and look out in the open water areas
for herons, ducks and an occasional
Belted Kingfisher, and check out the
prairie where you will see a new
Bluebird Trail. At the Phillips Park
and Beavercreek Wetland Nature
Preserve it is pretty easy to find dozens of bird species along the trails.
Take your camera and binoculars
and have a great time.
—Jim Amon
See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org5
Photo of Bullfrog: Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources, Div. of Wildlife
Science Corner: How Is A Frog Like A Canary?
New Bridge Connects Rotary Park with Phillips Park
Advantage on Troy Street in Dayton was hired to design and build
the new bridge. Trail-Works was
brought in to manage the project for
the Township Trustees.
The original bridge over Beaver
Creek was built in the 1990s with
the help of Greene County Park staff
with materials salvaged from used
county highway bridges. After several floods and continued erosion
threatened the bridge, the Township crews raised the bridge and
reinforced the banks to keep it in
service. But time and weather took
its toll and the decision was made to
close the bridge for the safety of the
visiting public.
Plans for the new bridge were
completed in March of this year.
Construction started in in midApril and the bridge was finished in
mid-May. The new bridge is slightly
longer at 45’, is 6’ wide and is more
accessible than the old bridge. Visitors, at first, may think the bridge is
unfinished because of its rusty appearance. However, the trusses are
made of weathering steel, a process
that uses the surface oxidation to
seal the steel from further oxidation. The deck is a fiber-reinforced
composite material. These materials
were selected to significantly reduce
future maintenance costs for the
Township. Life expectancy for the
bridge is 75-100 years.
Having a new bridge in place
provides renewed opportunity for
the public to make a long hiking
loop through Rotary Park, Phillips
Park and the Beaver Creek Wetlands
Nature Preserve. All three parks are
part of areas protected by the Beaver Creek Wetlands Association .
—Jim Schneider
Photos by Jim Schneider except as noted
The Beavercreek Township
Trustees have reconnected Rotary
Park and Phillips Park with a new
bridge over the Beaver Creek. The
original bridge had been closed
for 3 years when it became unsafe
due to age and flooding. Finding
a workable solution took time. A
local consultant mentioned that
there was a bridge company in
Dayton that could design and build
a suitable structure that would
meet the needs for a replacement
bridge. In September of last year a
plan started to come together.
Once it was discovered that a
local company could design and
build a new bridge, the Trustees
employed Mitch Cosler, a local
engineer, to provide survey work
and coordinate approval of the new
structure with the County Floodplain Administrator. Composite
(L-R) Bridge workers make adjustments to the structure. Far right: Carol Amon
enjoys a walk across the new bridge.
6
Spotted Turtle—Summer 2015
Photo by Jim Amon
(L-R) The new bridge is lifted from its trailer and carefully lowered into place.
Adult Mayfly
3. They have three interesting
stages of life: First is the larval
stage where they stay in the
water under rocks and stones;
second, after a year (more or
less), the nymph stage sheds
its skin to become a winged
subadult also called a dun fly;
finally, a few months later,
that creature makes its final
molt changing into a sexually
mature adult, called a spinner
or imago. These flying adults
lay eggs in the water to complete the lifecycle.
4. Mayfly nymphs help keep our
streams and creeks clean.
Feeding on fine, dead organic
matter, the nymphs work as
decomposers and help to
recycle nutrients back into
plants.
5. They are pollution intolerant,
thus help us understand how
nature works. Yes, the winged
adults can become nuisances:
Communities around Lake
Erie are famous with stories
about piles of adult mayflies
everywhere as they die by
the millions soon after spring
mating. Yet, in the 1960s and
70s, when mayflies disappeared, people realized that
was because the waters had
become polluted, so took
steps to clean up the lake.
Now, realizing how important
mayflies are as indicators of
water quality, people must
keep vigilant to ensure all
of our lakes and rivers stay
clean. Concerns with Lake
Erie’s recent algal blooms
have put Ohioans on mayfly
alert- lower mayfly numbers
may indicate a water quality
problem. Perhaps putting up
with a few weeks of mayfly
mess isn’t so bad after all.
Mayfly Emergence
(Gibraltar Island, OH)
6. Birds and fish eat them, making mayflies an important
part of the aquatic food web.
7. You can develop a new skill.
If you’re bored on a summer
day, find a local creek that’s
clean and clear to wade in.
Lift up rocks in a riffle to
check out the underside for
the nymphs. You’re likely to
find mayfly nymphs that can
be identified by the long and
sometimes feathery (usually
three) tail appendages. Inspect for the nymph—it could
also be a stonefly (in the same
family) or a damselfly.
8. Becoming adept at identifying
these small creatures is fun
and challenging. Mayflies are
in a group of important creatures benthic-aquatic macroinvertebrates, which refers to
animals that lack a backbone,
are big enough to be seen
with the naked eye, and spend
at least a part of their lives in
Ohio Sea Grant 2012 Mayfly Emergence - Photo: Jeff Reutter
1. You don’t have to swat them,
since mayflies really aren’t
flies—just beneficial insects
residing in streams and
ponds.
2. Mayflies don’t bite! The sole
purpose of the adults—ranging from 2.5 inches (Hexagenia bilineata—the one that
bombards the communities
around Lake Erie) to less than
an inch—is to reproduce,
so the flying adults have no
mouthparts or only greatly
reduced ones.
August 2012, Middlebury College Magazine
Ten Reasons to Love Mayflies (Ephemeroptera)
Mayfly, Larval Stage
or on the bottom (benthos) of
a body of water.
9. Once you become good at
identifying some common
mayflies, you’ll find there’s
more to learn. North America
has about 600 species, some
of which have recently become extinct, making the case
that more people need to
study the quality of habitats
where mayflies live.
10. You can enjoy finding out
more about mayflies at www.
MayflyNews.net. Keep track
of mayflies that begin their
pile up in May or June. Read
how communities get along
with these prolific insects that
enrich our lives
—Nancy Bain
See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org7
A
s of June 1, 2015, the nest
box trail at Fairborn Marsh
currently has a number of
Tree Swallow nests as well
as a Carolina Chickadee and House
Wren nest with 7 eggs in each! An
Eastern Bluebird did attempt a nest
there but abandoned it in the presence of some Tree Swallows. This is
not unusual as the actual trail was
not established until April when the
Tree Swallows were already returning from winter migration. Bluebirds
can sometimes be shy on a new trail;
however, there is still plenty of time
this season for them to select a site if
desired. Tree Swallows will typically
not start a new nest after mid-July,
but some Bluebirds nest through
August. A few reports in recent
years from northeast Ohio indicated some Bluebirds nesting there
through early September. If Bluebirds have a good food source in the
winter, they will over-winter in the
area (sometimes in larger flocks),
and they may be more “familiar”
with the housing next season. They
can start pondering housing op-
tions as early as mid-March. If you
stop by Fairborn Marsh, you will see
a beautiful sight of at least 8 Tree
Swallows foraging in the air over the
prairie, as they eat insects aerially
and of course also bring them back
to their nestlings. They eat mosquitoes and provide some of nature’s
free mosquito control! Some Tree
Swallows have also been spotted
over the adjacent neighborhood and
once perched on a street sign. Other
swallow species may also forage
aerially together, and since the end
of April, I have also, at various times,
spotted Purple Martins (foraging at
a higher altitude than the others),
Barn Swallows and Northern RoughWinged Swallows among the Tree
Swallows.
—Bethany Gray
Additional update as of June 18:
Total successful fledglings to date:
15 Tree Swallows, 7 Carolina Chickadees, and 7 House Wrens. An Eastern Bluebird has been heard singing
in the area of Nest Boxes 5 and 6. It’s
possible there is a nest in a natural
cavity nearby.
I worked with the Beaver Creek
Wetlands Association to improve
the Fairborn Marsh Wetland for
my Eagle project. I built a 5-foot
by ten-foot boardwalk over a large
eroded dip in the hiking trail, and I
laid geotextile fabric and aggregate
to make other sections of the trail
less muddy. Planning was the hardest part of the project.
I definitely enjoyed working with
the Wetlands Association to earn
my Eagle Scout rank and I enjoyed
improving the quality of the trail so
that others could enjoy their wetland walks. I would like to thank the
Beaver Creek Wetlands Association
for all their help in completing my
project.
—Isaac Graham
Photo by Bethany Gray
Nest Box Trail Notes
Tree Swallow has found a home!
Photo by Richard Swigart
Eagle Scout Project Completed At Fairborn Marsh
(l. & above) Isaac Graham & Crew
8
Spotted Turtle—Summer 2015
Purple Loosestrife Notes
(Left) Purple Loosestrife-eating beetle, and (right) Purple Loosestrife with damaged, brown area.
(Left) Undamaged Purple Loosestrife, and (right) in bloom. This is on Ohio’s top ten list of invasive plants!
See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org9
Photos by Jim Amon, except lower right image, from http://ohiodnr.gov/invasiveplants
About five years ago we introduced some special beetles that eat Purple Loosestrife, a beautiful but invasive
wetland plant, near Hunter’s Point South of Fairground Rd. The pictures here show a beetle (very tiny adult), a
plant with damage done by these beetles and their caterpillars, and a plant without the damage by the beetle. After
five years we are beginning to see some real impact on the invasive plant, and the beetle population has increased,
spreading over a wide area – wherever the loosestrife is found. We estimate that in about two years we might see
some significant reduction of the Purple Loosestrife.
—Jim Amon, Technical advisor
Here are few photos of some birds
seen recently. We hope you have
a chance to visit and likewise see
these cool inhabitants.
At Siebenthaler Fen:
Photo by Jim Amon
With the help of funding partners,
projects on enhancing and protecting the wetlands in the Beaver Creek
corridor are ongoing.
A Board of Trustees election was
conducted, where Rob Evans and Alexandra Zelles were newly elected.
Nancy Bain, Lois Gschwender and
Jim Runkle were voted in as continuing trustees.
Rob Evans introduced guest
speaker, Mike Enright, who is the
Conservation Manager for Five
Rivers MetroParks. Mike gave a
presentation entitled “The Great
Miami Mitigation Bank-From Corn
Fields to Wetlands.” Mike began his
presentation with an explanation
of what a mitigation bank is. This
was followed by the realization, by
Five Rivers MetroParks, that there
existed a need for one, due to inquiries from various entities. He then
talked about the search for a suitable site for creation of a wetlands
mitigation bank. A property that had
been proposed to be converted to a
landfill, but the rezoning of which
had been turned down due to neighbors’ complaints, and was again on
the market. He then talked about
obtaining funding for the project
and the actual acquisition of the
property. The planning, construction
and results were then illustrated in
his presentation. A lively and engaging question and answer session
then followed. In conjunction with
his talk Mike led a hike at the Great
Miami Mitigation Bank on Wednesday, May 27, 2015 at 6:30 p.m.
—Richard Swigart
Cedar Waxwing
Photo by Jim Amon
Our annual meeting was held May
19, 2015 at Bergamo Center, Mount
St. John.
The meeting kicked off with
several announcements. Lois
Gschwender was recognized as Volunteer of the Year in recognition of
all that she has done over the years
as a valued member of the association. Her accomplishments include
her many hours working on Habitat
Management, serving on the Board
of Trustees, attending seminars of
interest to the BCWA and being our
facilitator for the BCWA Strategic
Plan.
Debbie Karr was recognized as a
departing Trustee and Alex Zelles
was welcomed as a new trustee.
Rob Evans was presented with
an award commemorating his five
years of service as President of the
BCWA and his contributions as site
designer at Koogler Wetland/Prairie
Reserve, webmaster, and service on
BCWA committees.
Rob Evans’ successor in the
leadership of BCWA is Jim Schneider (read his comments inside this
newsletter).
BCWA’s past year highlights
were presented by Treasurer Doug
Hull, who narrated Jim Amon’s
PowerPoint presentation illustrating the work of our volunteers and
partners. Topics ranged from chainsaw safety and usage, to herbicide
application and a classroom setting
on what wetlands are, where our
volunteers learned about habitat
management and invasive control.
Birds We’ve Seen!
Redheaded Woodpecker
At Fairborn Marsh:
Photo by Richard Swigart
2015 BCWA Annual Meeting
Blackbilled Cuckoo
A Reminder:
If you are not yet a member of the Beaver Creek Wetlands Association, go to www.beavercreekwetlands.org to
join!
10
Spotted Turtle—Summer 2015
Join the BCWA Today!
Spotted Turtle Name and Logo:
Noted area wildlife artist Charley
Harper generously donated the art
for our logo in 1988. His work has
been adopted by the National Park
Service and is appreciated worldwide. Our newsletter recognizes
the Spotted Turtle as an icon for the
many rare animals and plants protected in the Beaver Creek Wetlands.
Submissions, Questions, or Comments: We rely on members like
you to make this newsletter the
product of many diverse voices. If
you have an idea for an article or a
picture to include, please send them
to admin@beavercreekwetlands.org
Also, we welcome any comments or
questions. For submissions, questions, or comments, please include
“newsletter” in the subject line of
your e-mail. We reserve the right to
edit for content or clarity.
Change of Address/Email
Members, please don’t forget to contact us if you move or change your
email address: admin@beavercreekwetlands.org. We want to ensure
that you receive your issue of The
Spotted Turtle!
Donations of Land/Easements: If
you are interested in donating land,
placing an easement on property,
or remembering the BCWA in your
will, please don’t hesitate to call the
Beaver Creek Wetlands Association
at (937) 320-9042.
BCWA Annual Report: Copies are
available by request. E-mail the
office at admin@beavercreekwetlands.org or call (937) 320-9042.
Founded in 1988, the Mission of
the Beaver Creek Wetlands Association is to protect the wetland
ecosystem in the Beaver Creek
watershed through partnerships, community networks, and
public education.
Help reclaim our local wetlands corridor
and restore its natural beauty and function.
Your member dues fund land acquisition,
education programs, habitat restoration
and management of our preserve.
Please make your check payable to BCWA and
mail to: BCWA, P.O. Box 42, Alpha, OH 45301
Name
A 501(c)(3) land
trust organization.
Your donation is
tax deductible.
Address
Phone Email
Choose your member level:
$5
Student
$10
Senior (60+)
$15
Individual
$25
Family
$35
$50
$100
$1,000
Contributing
Supporting
Patron
Life
Planned Giving •
Endowment Fund
Our Endowment Fund has grown
to more than $201,063.57. A recent
bequest was left in the form of a life
annuity. Such planned giving can
result in tax savings and/or income
to you, while leaving a legacy of
conservation.
The BCWA Endowment Fund is a
permanent savings plan to help ensure that BCWA continues to protect
wetlands for future generations. The
BCWA Endowment Fund may accept
many types of planned, deferred,
and outright gifts that can actually
increase the value of your estate,
enabling you to do more with what
you leave for others.
Spotted Turtle Society members include anyone who has made
a gift to the Beaver Creek Wetlands
Association Endowment Fund.
I would like to learn more about
gift options to help grow the Beaver
Creek Wetlands Endowment Fund.
Please contact me about planned giving.
I have already included BCWA in my
estate planning. I would like to become a member of the Spotted Turtle
Society.
I wish to make an outright gift payable to ‘”BCWA Endowment Fund”.
Please return to:
Beaver Creek Wetlands Association
Attn: Endowment Committee
P.O.Box 42, Alpha, Ohio 45301
For information on a variety of planned giving options, call or write to us, or contact The Dayton Foundation directly.
See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org11
P.O. BOX 42
ALPHA, OH 45301
Address Service Requested
NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
XENIA, OHIO 45385
PERMIT NUMBER 76
Moving? New e-mail address?
Don’t miss an issue! Call 937-320-9042
or email:
admin@beavercreekwetlands.org
Label (1” x 2-5/8” ) here.
Place carefully to
cover bottom line completely
but do not touch top line.
The Spotted Turtle | Volume 29, No. 3 | Summer 2015
Officers
Spotted Turtle Editors
Jim and Carol Amon
Jim Schneider, President
Sue Rytel
Hitesh Trivedi, Vice President
Deborah Karr
Richard Swigart, Secretary
Doug Hull, Treasurer
Webmaster
Jim Amon, Technical Officer
Rob Evans
Published by Oregon Printing
www.oregonprinting.com
Visit Us on Facebook & Online
www.beavercreekwetlands.org
Contact Us
Deborah Karr
Administrative Coordinator
admin@beavercreekwetlands.org
President
president@beavercreekwetlands.org
Photo by Jim Amon
Trustees
Jim Amon
Nancy Bain
Roger (Skip) Beehler
Rob Evans
Donald Geiger
Lois Gschwender
Denny Jarvi
Shannon Mueller
James Runkle
Sue Rytel
Jim Schneider
Richard Swigart
Hitesh Trivedi
Alex Zelles
Mike Zimmerman
Technical Advisor
technical@beavercreekwetlands.org
Webmaster
webmaster@beavercreekwetlands.org
Newsletter
newsletter@beavercreekwetlands.org
Seen in the Wetlands:
Male Ebony Wing Damselfly