Heroes of Ohio's wildlife habitat

It was just prior to 1960 when the ringneck pheasant began disappearing from Ohio's landscape. Many blamed any bird sporting talons or sly Br'er fox roaming the shared farmlands, while some felt that pellet fertilizers and insecticides were the culprits. The truth was found within the quickly evolving farming practices that were helping to feed a growing world population. Drainage technology had improved and agricultural equipment became more efficient, resulting in "waste" ground being turned into farmable fields while livestock numbers were deeply downsized in favor of grain crops. This diminished the diversified patchwork plantings that had included the required timothy, clover and alfalfa to feed cattle and horses, and was accompanied by the removal of pastures and the fence lines that once held them. This sudden loss stunned hunters and outdoor enthusiasts as well as the farmers sitting atop the tractors. Who could have imagined that Ohio's most popular game bird — a bird whose population was estimated at 5 million in 1940 — was vanishing? We collectively sat back and played that old "Shoulda-Coulda-Woulda" game. Specialized state-run poultry farms were built to raise pheasants to augment the birds' numbers. Surely, adding them to the field would help the diminished wild population survive. The program, which is best viewed as put-and-take proposition, helped ease the perception of loss and continues to provide hunting opportunities. But it does little to add to the pheasant population. In the awakening conservation movements of the early 1970s, many well-educated wildlife biologists began sitting down with their counterparts across the Midwest. It was clear that the quickly occurring habitat losses were the causative factor of the ring-necked pheasant's population crash. Evidence also revealed that other upland bird numbers were slipping — including meadowlarks, bobolinks and bluebirds. While some portray landowners as the heavy in this story, don't believe for a moment that they didn't care about what was happening. While they were eking out a living, they were also attuned to these changes. Most wanted to achieve a sustaining balance for both their farm and the critters with which they shared the land. The Ohio Division of Wildlife (DOW), whose mission is to conserve and improve fish and wildlife resources and their habitats, began to closely evaluate how to update its wildlife management programs. They recognized that roughly 95% of Ohio's 26.5 million acres are privately owned and nearly 14 million of the remaining acreage is involved in agriculture. In contrast, the division manages or cooperates in managing about 750,000 acres, making it very clear where wildlife needed habitat help. The federal government was also looking at shrinking wildlife habitat, loss of wetlands, water quality and erosion issues. Legislation was formulated to address these concerns through various farm bills administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Farmers were going to need help navigating these new conservation programs. It was about 1980 when the DOW responded by developing the private lands biologist position who would specialize in assisting landowners in building sustainable wildlife management programs on their own property while maintaining a working farm. Conservation plans were implemented to take advantage of applicable federal funding and before long, Ohio's wildlife habitat base improved. National conservation organizations were also using their influence and expertise to help guide how such expenditures were best pressed. Ducks Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Federation and Pheasants Forever became leaders in conservation development and helped coordinate funding and interest in the programs. The new private lands biologists worked closely with these groups and the farm services agencies to successfully implement the renewed interest in conservation practices. This professional collaboration has achieved much during the past 45 years. Wetlands have been restored, improved and created, grassland buffers along watersheds planted, erosion-protecting windbreaks installed, and marginal farmlands have become filtering safeguards that improve water quality. All of it increasing Ohio's homes for wildlife. Do you need to be a farmer to get help from a Division of Wildlife private lands biologist? Not at all. If you have land that you believe may be able to provide improved wildlife habitat, these folks are there to answer your questions. They can offer personalized information on managing your land, from stream corridors to pastures, prairies, woodlands and urban landscapes. To contact one of Ohio's private lands biologists: • Northwest Ohio — Mark Witt, 419-889-3706, mark.witt@dnr.ohio.gov • Central Ohio — Emilee Hardesty, 614-314-1315, emilee.hardesty@dnr.ohio.gov • Northeast — Ryan Jackson, 330-245-3023, ryan.jackson@dnr.ohio.gov • Southeast office — John Morton, 740-589-9957, 614-403-6353, john.morton@dnr.ohio.gov • Southwest office — Caleb Shields, 937-347-0926, caleb.shields@dnr.ohio.gov Don't forget to support your local Pheasants Forever Chapters and the other habitat conservation organizations in your community. "Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife are in fact plans to protect man." — Stewart Udall Along the way Spring is a great time to plant shrubs and trees. This year, with 212 plants on the way, I'm pretty sure my back will be complaining for a few days. Then again, it will be a very satisfying type of pain — the kind that will return dividends for generations. If you're considering some shrubs for spring plantings, here are some suggestions that you can use to attract butterflies. As a bonus, all are native to North America. • Summersweet — Perfect for a spot in your yard that stays consistently moist. This flowering shrub needs lots of moisture to thrive. It grows in any light condition, although part shade is best. • Spicebush — Flowers in very early spring. Early butterflies may visit, but the real draw comes when the leaves appear. It's the host plant for the spectacular spicebush swallowtail, a large black butterfly with iridescent blue patches on its lower wings. Grow spicebush in well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. • New Jersey tea — Sometimes used as a tea substitute during Revolutionary War years (although it doesn't contain caffeine), New Jersey tea throws deep roots, making it drought-tolerant but hard to transplant. Give this low-growing summer bloomer well drained soil in full sun to part shade. • Virginia sweetspire: Boasts drooping spires of tiny white flowers that open from base to tip over days or weeks. For best flowering, give it full sun for at least part of the day. Sweetspire loves wet soil and is best grown in massed plantings, as they tend to look a little weedy when grown singly. • Buttonbush — This wetland native draws butterflies of all sizes when it blooms in summer. Plant it in moist areas, including along the edges of ponds and streams. Woodlands butterflies like tiger swallowtails are especially drawn to buttonbush. • Meadowsweet — Spiraea alba should not be confused with Filipendula ulmaria, a nonnative plant with the same common name. Native meadowsweet likes wet soil in full sun, where it rewards you with large cone-shaped clusters of white flowers all summer. It's a host plant for spring azure butterflies. • Elderberry — Give these flowering bushes plenty of room to spread and grow then watch as bees gather on flowers and as birds flock to the fruit. Although it prefers full sun and moist soil, it tolerates drier conditions once it's established. Elderberry suckers form large and lush thickets, which are perfect for hiding songbirds. What am I planting? 50 American plum, 40 silky dogwood, 110 Norway spruce, six white oak, and six elderberry. I'm going to be a bit busy. Step outside •March 5: Wyandot County Pheasants Forever banquet, 5 p.m., Upper Sandusky Elks Ballroom. Cost is $55 per person, $70 for couples, with 100% of proceeds used to fund local conservation projects. Visit https://pfqf.myeventscenter.com/browseByState/OH/1 for tickets and information. • March 5-6 and March 12-13: Hueston Woods State Park Maple Syrup Festival, noon to 4 p.m. Enjoy a hayride from the beach into the sugar bush, followed by a hike through the 200-acre "Big Woods," also designated as Hueston Woods State Nature Preserve. A pancake breakfast is available at the lodge, with maple syrup on sale throughout the day. • March 5-6: Malabar Farm State Park Maple Syrup Festival, noon to 4 p.m. Historic and modern demonstrations, horse-drawn wagon rides, food and maple products to taste and buy. Visitors may also take self-guided tours of the historic "Big House." • March 12: Blanchard Valley NRA Banquet and Fundraiser, 5:30 p.m., Old Mill Stream Centre, Hancock County Fairgrounds. Includes dinner, raffles, auctions and a chance to win exclusive NRA guns, gear, décor and collectibles. For tickets, contact Will Miller at 419-889-5280 or Blanchardvalleynra@gmail.com or visit www.friendsofnra.org • March 12: 30th annual Hancock County Pheasants Forever banquet and fundraiser, 5:30 p.m., Old Mill Stream Centre, Hancock County Fairgrounds. Cost is $70 per person, $100 per couple, catered by Oler's Bar & Grill. Includes silent and live auctions, raffles and games, with 100% of proceeds used to fund local conservation projects. The local chapter has raised over $750,000 since its first banquet. Contact Mark Plesec at meplesec@coopertire.com Abrams is a retired wildlife officer supervisor for the state Division of Wildlife in Findlay. He can be reached at P.O. Box 413, Mount Blanchard, OH 45867-0413 or via email at jimsfieldnotes@aol.com