BSBO has learned that the Magee Marsh Boardwalk is currently closed for the
removal of Ash Trees impacted by Emerald Ash Borer.  The current plan is to
have the East end and big loop open again sometime this weekend and the
remainder of the boardwalk open sometime next week.  The West end of the
boardwalk will be closed again the week of July 9th in order to cleanup the
debris left from the felled trees. According to our contacts at Ohio
Division of Wildlife, the company contracted to remove the trees felt they
had no choice but to drop the trees in the safest way for their employees,
and word has it that the area at the West end of the boardwalk looks pretty
bad right now. Let's keep our fingers crossed that the area rebounds
quickly.  This is a powerful reminder of the damage that invasive alien
species (such as the Emerald Ash Borer) can cause.

Everyone at BSBO would like to thank the Magee Area Manager Patrick
Baranowski for keeping us in the loop on the situation.  Patrick and his
staff have many different habitats to maintain and several different
audiences to serve and they do a great job of striking that balance. There
are a lot of state and federal regulations to comply with, and it isn't
always easy to understand the hows and whys of habitat management.
Admittedly, we were very unhappy about the decision to remove the dead Ash
Trees from that area.  However, during a wicked wind storm up here this
spring, a large tree blew down and landed right across the boardwalk.  It
was a vivid reminder to us all that removing trees that pose a safety hazard
to the public is necessary.

Have a great weekend!

Kim
Kimberly Kaufman
Executive Director
Black Swamp Bird Observatory
Oak Harbor, Ohio 43449
419-898-4070

2011 League of Ohio Sportsmen Conservation Organization of the Year Award
2012 Eastern Maumee Bay Chamber of Commerce Prism Award for Community
Improvement

www.bsbobird.org <http://www.bsbobird.org/>
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