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/> www.ohioyoungbirders.org <http://www.ohioyoungbirders.org/> www.biggestweekinamericanbirding.com <http://www.biggestweekinamericanbirding.com/> BSBO on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/BSBOBIRD> and Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/BSBOBIRD> OYBC on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/ohioyoungbirders> BIRDING OHIO <http://www.facebook.com/groups/BirdingOhio/> 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]