Thanks Sheryl for noticing our efforts on the garlic mustard removal.
We have some dedicated volunteers who help with that project and we are
happy to say that we did not find much this year.
When we first started this project over 6 years ago, people told us that
we were nuts and that we would never make a difference. Now they say,
thanks for doing it , it looks great!
We hope to be planting some native wildflowers and seed in the next
couple of weeks . It has also been suggested that we try to inventory
the plants that are coming up now that the garlic mustard has been
reduced.
Anyone interested in helping with that?
Thanks again and Happy Birding!
Mary L. Warren
Wildlife Communications Specialist
Magee Marsh Wildlife Area
13229 W. State Route 2
Oak Harbor, OH 43449
419-898-0960 #31
FAX: 419-898-4017
[log in to unmask]
Keep the WILD in Ohio, learn how you can help @ wildohiostamp.com
"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in
order."
John Burroughs
-----Original Message-----
From: Ohio birds [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Sheryl Young
Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2011 7:20 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Another "Thanks" due Magee Volunteers
Mary Warren did a great job thanking those who made the Biggest Week in
America Birding a wonderful experience for all, but I would like to give
one more big "Thank You."
Thank you so very much to Mary and all her many volunteers who put in so
much time and effort pulling Garlic Mustard! It is boring, backbreaking
work, but without your efforts we would been very frustrated trying to
view the many wonderful ground dwelling species. I saw quite a few
Lincoln's Sparrows this year but I doubt I would have seen any had the
garlic mustard not been controlled. Our native vegetation did a good
enough job concealing Mourning and Connecticut Warblers, but without the
efforts of these people much of the boardwalk areas of Magee would have
been carpeted with a mini-forest of garlic mustard - the way so many
locations look now. Imagine how many thrushes and Ovenbirds we would
have overlooked and how much time we would have spent waiting for
White-throated Sparrows, Catbirds, and assorted blackbirds to reveal
themselves clearly enough to be identified.
I won't expound here on the evils of garlic mustard but it is so very
much more than just an annoyance to birders. It impacts the entire
ecosystem to the detriment of almost every other species of plant and
animal not only by shading out other plants but also by producing
chemicals with profound effects on other plants including trees.
Let the folks at Magee inspire you to help control garlic mustard in
other areas. Join garlic mustard pulling teams. Learn to recognize it
both as a first year seedling and as a flowering second year plant.
Each plant produces a tremendous amount of tiny seeds and those seeds
can remain viable for seven years. If you visit a garlic mustard
affected area, clean your shoes afterwards to avoid transporting the
seeds to other locations. Garlic mustard often gains a toehold in an
area along trails this way so if you see plants beginning to grow in an
area pull them before they can produce seed. Adult plants are tough and
will continue to ripen their seed even after being pulled so ideally
they should be bagged and disposed of but if you are not able to do
that, at least pulling them and throwing them on the trail for others
to trod upon will help (stripping the flower buds from the plant after
pulling helps even more).
Once again, thank you Magee garlic mustard pullers! Your efforts show
that control is possible. Keep up the battle, and hopefully more of us
will join in at Magee and other locations.
Sheryl Young
Sandusky
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______________________________________________________________________
Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.
You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
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Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]
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