SANDUSKY, OH -- Each year, Lake Eries coastline becomes increasingly attractive to tourists who come to see its quality wetlands, teeming with endangered species such as bald eagles, river otters, terns and trumpeter swans.
Lake Erie and its surrounding wetlands harbor wildlife that add to the beauty and diversity of Ohios coastal landscape, said Steve Barry, wetlands project leader for the ODNR Division of Wildlife. In Ohio, wetlands are the form of habitat at highest risk of loss and of the highest benefit to endangered species. In fact, two-thirds of Ohios threatened and endangered species require wetlands during some point in their life cycle.
Prior to settlement, Ohio contained an estimated five million acres of wetlands. Today, about 10 percent of that amount remains - approximately 500,000 acres. To offset this loss, the Division of Wildlife is continuing its efforts to rehabilitate and create more wetlands in the Lake Erie watershed and across the state.
In addition to purchasing more than 1,500 acres of wetlands in Ohio in the last 10 years, state wildlife officials have worked to develop more than 17,700 acres of degraded wetlands.
Such habitat restoration projects involve improving areas where fish and wildlife breed or spawn, feed, rest, and hide from predators. The division has restored approximately 10,000 acres of wetlands in the past decade, many of which lie along the Lake Erie shoreline.
State wildlife biologists point to the success of numerous projects at restoring coastal wetlands, including a project at Magee Marsh State Wildlife Area adjacent to Turtle Creek. High water levels in the mid-1950s destroyed the dike that protected this area from Lake Erie erosion and tides. The degradation also prevented access by marina owners along Turtle Creek to Lake Erie due to years of siltation filling the main channel.
ODNRs Division of Wildlife partnered with marine owners, Ducks Unlimited and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation to rebuild 8,000 feet of dike using silt from the channel and placing new dike protection along the channel and lake.
In the first year after restoration (1995), a survey by northwest Ohio-based Black Swamp Conservancy documented 185 species of birds using the newly restored wetland.
Coastal wildlife have also benefited from ODNRs aggressive restoration and education programs. Among the more successful programs are the restoration of the bald eagle and common tern.
Following is an update of wildlife management efforts for some of the states endangered species that inhabit Lake Erie and adjacent marshes.
Bald Eagle - Record hatches over the past decade have contributed to a bald eagle baby boom in Ohio with more than 500 young fledging from Ohio nests over the past 10 years. This year a modern record 74 nesting pairs produced 106 eaglets. When Ohios Eagle Restoration Program began in 1979, only four nesting eagle pairs existed in the Great Lakes region; all four along Lake Erie in Ohio. Today, Ohios eagles have expanded their range with nests now located in more than 25 counties.
Trumpeter Swans - Trumpeter swans, North Americas largest waterfowl, were once nearly depleted from their range across the northern third of the continent from loss of wetland habitat and unregulated harvest for their meat and plumage. The Division of Wildlife initiated the trumpeter swan reintroduction program with the first release of 15 swans at Magee Marsh State Wildlife Area in 1996. Since then, 125 swans have been released onto prime Ohio wetlands. Some of the swans were obtained from other states, while some were obtained as eggs from wild nests in Alaska and reared until old enough to be released into the wild.
The number of trumpeter swan pairs is gradually increasing at Lake Erie marshes in Lucas and Ottawa counties, and along Sandusky Bay in Sandusky County. They also inhabit wetlands in Ashland, Lorain, Muskingum, Trumbull, Wayne and Wyandot counties. Ohios trumpeter swan population had a record breeding season this year with 31 cygnets, at least 14 of which are known to have fledged.
Common Terns - The first record of common terns in Ohio was in 1838. Although these birds occur statewide during migration, nesting colonies have always been restricted to western Lake Erie. In recent history, nesting colonies were found only at man-made sites in Maumee Bay and Sandusky Bay. Habitat loss and competition from gulls have been the major factors in depressing their population. Artificial nesting platforms constructed by state wildlife biologists at Pipe Creek State Wildlife Area and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge have helped production of young for these two tern colonies. These structures, built on pontoons that float apart from shorelines, appear to have reduced predation (by snakes and raccoons) and storm damage to colony nests.
River Otters - River otters are making a strong comeback in Ohio since 123 otters were released in four eastern Ohio watersheds between 1986 and 1993. Wildlife surveys and increased reports of observations by Ohio residents show river otters are reproducing and expanding their range across the state. River otters have been reported in 52 different watersheds encompassing 51 Ohio counties. Reproduction has occurred in at least 10 watersheds. Six otters were recently captured and fitted with radio transmitters at the Killbuck Marsh State Wildlife Area in northeast Ohio. This study will measure mortality and dispersal of the species. Otters are native to Ohio, but were lost from the state in the mid-1800s due to habitat loss and water pollution. Otters are currently a candidate for de-listing as a state endangered species because of their increased numbers and distribution. ODNR biologists currently estimate more than 2,100 otters exist in Ohio.
State wildlife biologists efforts to protect endangered wildlife and promote wildlife diversity are partially funded by the sale of the Ohio conservation license plates, including the bald eagle and cardinal plates. Programs are also supported by taxpayer contributions to the Wildlife Diversity and Endangered Species Fund through a check-off option on the state income tax form.