Good Morning, Everyone. In an earlier post, Bill Whan expressed concern about the removal of ash trees along the Magee Marsh Boardwalk and asked if BSBO (Black Swamp Bird Observatory) had any thoughts on this issue. I hesitated to post anything to the ListServ in regard to the ash tree issue at the Magee Marsh Boardwalk since Mary Warren had mentioned it in a post to the ListServ a few weeks back. I did not want to appear as though I was trumping a state employee's remarks with my own. We did post our thoughts and encouraged comments on the BSBO Facebook page as well as the Birding Ohio Facebook page. At first, we were obviously concerned for the impact on the birds that rely on that habitat. The beach ridge habitat at Magee is one of only four remaining beach ridges in the area. The others are Navarre Marsh (located behind the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station), Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge, and Darby Marsh. These areas of wooded habitat right along the Lakeshore provide critical resting areas for migratory birds, and any alteration of the habitat--whether natural or human-induced--is cause for great concern. When we learned of the trees that had been removed -and the alarming number of additional trees that appeared marked for removal - we immediately telephoned the Ohio Division of Wildlife (ODOW) asking for some insight into to their plans. We were assured that they only planned to remove the trees that posed an immediate safety hazard, and that the additional marked trees were those that they were going to monitor over the course of the next few years. The ODOW press release on the matter stated their intent to allow the native trees to return on their own. But, BSBO is currently working on a proposal to ODOW that would allow us to generate funds to replace the lost ash trees with trees that are native to the beach ridge habitat through a Carbon Offset Program made available to participants traveling here for The Biggest Week In American Birding. Carbon Offset programs allow travelers to calculate their "carbon footprint" and donate funds to help purchase trees that will sequester an equal amount of carbon. We've discussed the idea with ODOW and they are willing to look at our proposal. A similar program was offered by OOS to participants of the 2011 Midwest Birding Symposium - and those funds were donated to Black Swamp Conservancy as "seed money" to help acquire additional habitat adjacent to Meadowbrook Marsh. Whether or not we can pull this off in time for the 2012 festival remains to be seen, but we'll keep you posted. I think this would be a good way for people to give back to this incredible birding area that the wildlife agency maintains and offers free of charge for birders. Another way to give back and support wildlife diversity in the state is to purchase the Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp. You can do that by calling BSBO at 419-898-4070 or through our secure online store, here: http://www.bsbobird.org/BSBO_Online_Swamp_Shop.htm#CONSERVATION_STAMPS_&_OTH ER_ITEMS We'll even throw in a free keychain-style holder to display your stamp. I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the ListServ subscribers who support BSBO. With the support of caring people like you, BSBO - a nonprofit organization - is able to offer our songbird banding and migration programs for schools absolutely free of charge. These programs reach thousands of students each year and instill the importance of conserving stopover habitat. But to be honest, the most important thing these programs do is help kids fall in love with birds. And that's the first step in building support for conservation. You protect what you love - and when given the opportunity to see a Blue Jay or goldfinch or cardinal up close, it's darn-near impossible not to be captivated by birds. Thanks again. Now go outside and enjoy the sunshine! Kim Kimberly Kaufman Executive Director Black Swamp Bird Observatory 13551 West State Route 2 Oak Harbor, Ohio 43449 419-898-4070 www.bsbobird.org www.ohioyoungbirders.org www.biggestweekinamericanbirding.com Become a fan of BSBO and the Ohio Young Birders Club on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/bsbobird http://www.facebook.com/ohioyoungbirders Follow BSBO on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bsbobird BSBO is proud to sponsor BIRDING OHIO on Facebook ______________________________________________________________________ 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: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]