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Geauga Soil and Water
Conservation District

Patterson Center
14269 Claridon-Troy Road
Burton, OH 44021
834-1122
Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

District Conservationist: Allen J. Bonnis

Natural resource conservation, erosion and sedimentation control, specifications for drainage systems and ponds, waste management, wind breaks, tree packet sales, and educational services.

Visit our website

Board of Supervisors:

Linda Henry
Kevin O'Reilly
Don Morse (term ends 12-31-2000)
Penny Timmons
Mike Fath (term ends 12-31-2000)
Ken Folsom (term begins 1-1-2001)
Bob Lausin (term begins 1-1-2001)

District Staff:

For questions, contact:

Carmella Shale,
District Engineer/Administrator

Bob Griesmer, District Technician

Mara Simpson, Public Education Specialist

Elaine Chittle, Secretary

All services are provided without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, physical or mental handicap, national origin or politics.

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Crickets in the Classroom

Crickets are wonderfully active insects, making them great for both simple observations and complex behavior studies for all grade levels. Plus, they are easy (and fun) to find just about anywhere or, if all else fails, can be bought in pet shops.

You can find them in the fall before the first frost under objects left in grassy areas, near shrubs or trees. Once you find one, slap a jar over it. Carefully cover the opening of the jar with your hand while you chase the cricket into the jar and turn it upright.

They can be kept in large plastic jars (6" diameter or larger) with about 2 inches of sand in the bottom. Fish bowls and aquariums work well also. Cover the jar with screening secured by a rubber band. If you want the crickets to lay eggs, keep some of the sand damp. Crickets need a place of refuge, like small sections of toilet paper rolls.

They like to eat wet bread, lettuce and dog food. You can give them water by sinking the lid of a baby food jar into the sand so that it is level with the sand.

After all that is done, you can watch their activities. For more information, contact the Soil and Water Conservation District.

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Protect your Local Mosquito and other Pests - Install a Bug Zapper

A study by the University of Delaware at Newark analyzed 13,789 insects zapped by electric traps and found only 31, less than one-fourth of one percent were biting bugs "seeking blood meals at the expense of homeowners." Nearly half were non-biting aquatic insects, and 14% were insects that actually attack pests, such as wasps, ground beetles, and ladybugs.

The Delaware study estimated that about 1 million zappers are sold in the U.S. yearly. The traps used in the study were operated for 40 nights. The seasonal mean catch per night was 445 insects per trap. That means that if, in any given year, 4 million traps are used for 40 nights during the summer, more than 71 billion non-target insects are needlessly destroyed.

Some entomologists say that because so many insect predators and parasites were killed, the traps may actually be protecting mosquitoes and other pests.

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Fish Kills in Your Pond

The most common cause of fish kills in Ohio is suffocation due to lack of oxygen. The principal cause of oxygen depletion is the decomposition of organic matter, especially dead plant material. As aquatic vegetation decomposes, either as a result of herbicide use or natural die-off, the process uses oxygen. During the warm summer months, decomposition may use what little dissolved oxygen is in the water, resulting in an insufficient amount for fish.

Another cause of oxygen depletion is a phenomenon known as "turn over" or inversion. During the late spring and summer, the pond water develops layers as a result of temperature and density differences. Rapid warming in the upper 8-10 feet results in water that is less dense and has a lower oxygen holding capacity than the colder and denser deep water. However, because of photosynthesis and contact with the atmosphere, there is normally enough oxygen to meet the minimum needs of fish.

The cooler layer of water in the bottom of the pond has the potential to hold more oxygen than the top layer because it is denser. But the lack of photosynthesis and decomposition of organic matter actually results in a lower level of dissolved oxygen compared to the top layer

A turnover results when a strong wind, rapid temperature change, or inflow of a large volume of cold water causes the upper layer of water to be replaced by the lower layer of oxygen-deficient water. Fish stay near the surface and, because they cannot get enough oxygen from this new water, die of suffocation.

Prevention:

A good aquatic weed control program will prevent the accumulation of large masses of vegetation, which will use a large amount of oxygen when it decomposes

The use of an aerator will help keep the pond water mixed so that layering is minimized and the surface water well-oxygenated. (Taken from Ohio Pond Management - Bulletin 374, OSU Extension)

For more information call or visit the Patterson Center at 14269 Claridon-Troy Road, Burton, 834-4656.

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Top Ten Reasons Why Soil and Water Conservation Are Important

10. Swimming in a lake is a lot more fun than walking across one
 9. Brussels sprouts have to come from somewhere
 8. Muddy water leaves a nasty bathtub ring
 7. Roots get very frustrated if they don't have soil to grow into.
 6. An abundant food supply is needed to help keep the diet industry in business.
 5. Supermarkets need stuff to fill up shelf space
 4. Scarecrows can get into big trouble if they aren't kept busy
 3. The U.S needs to keep making better French fries than the French
 2. Worms need a home, too
 1. Corn! Corn! Corn!

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Bluebirds and Butterflies and Bats, Oh My!

Nesting boxes are now available:

Bat Box - $25.00
Bluebird Box - $12.00
Wren Box - $10.00
Butterfly - $20.00
Wood Duck Box - $30.00
Squirrel/Screech Owl Box - $25

All boxes are handmade of cedar. Proceeds benefit natural resource education programs at area schools.

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What is a Wetland and What Good is it?

An area is considered a wetland if it has all three of the following:

• Wetland Hydrology
  Water in amounts that saturate or flood the soil for at least seven days during the growing season
• Hydric Soils
  Soil types that have an anaerobic surface layer (characterized by a black or gray color) due to the saturation
• Hydrophytic Vegetation
  Vegetation that is adapted to life in saturated soil

Wetlands are great places for nature enthusiasts. Wetland plants and microorganisms can break down and absorb chemicals and bacteria from surface waters. They slow the overland flow of surface water, allowing silt and sediment to drop out of turbid water and reduce flooding and erosion downstream. Wetlands act like natural sponges. They absorb and store water, allowing it to percolate into the ground to recharge valuable groundwater supplies.

Over 90% of Ohio's original wetlands have been destroyed. So, the legal definition is important for the management and enforcement of regulations intended to protect Ohio's remaining wetlands.

Facts about Wetlands

• Over half of the plants on Ohio's endangered species list are dependent on wetlands. Wetlands loss is the 2nd leading cause of wildlife endangerment in Ohio.
• In the mid-1800's the U.S. Congress enacted The Swamp Wetlands Acts. These laws gave 65 million acres of federally owned wetlands to fifteen states for "reclamation" which, at that time, meant filling or dredging.
• A one-acre swamp, flooded to a depth of one foot, contains 330,000 gallons of water
• The high acidity that characterizes bogs greatly inhibits the microorganisms responsible for decomposition of dead plants and animals, thus the formation of peat. However, a bog's poor job of decomposition translated into a remarkable good job of preservation. For example, the Tollund Man is a 2000 year old body found in a Danish bog in 1950. Believed to have been a sacrificial victim who was buried in the bog, his features were so well preserved that even his whiskers remained in tact!
• One acre of prairie pothole wetland can yield up to 300 pounds of game fish
• Studies have shown that watersheds with 15% of their area in wetlands have food peaks 60% lower than watersheds with no wetlands.
• Recent developments in pollution filtration propose using artificially created wetlands. It has been estimated that a man-made marsh-pond complex of 100 acres could deal effectively with the domestic sewage from a community of 10,000 people

Adaption: The Key to Wetland Survival

There are many unique stresses placed on wetland plants and animals that other life forms cannot survive, such as fluctuations in water temperature and nutrient levels, and lack of oxygen, a condition known as hypoxia. Creative adaptions allow wetland plants and animals to survive in such a challenging environment.

Food-tolerant plant species, or hydrophytes, have several adaptions that allow them to function in wetland soils with decreased oxygen. Some plants have developed air spaces within roots and stems that allow oxygen to diffuse rough tissues in the above-water portions of the plant and into the submerged roots. There are a few species trees that thrive in wetland habitats. Mangroves, willows, and cypresses have extra roots above the oxygen-depleted zone of a wetland. For example, the red mangrove has arched roots that look similar to stilts with small pores called lenticels. Attached to the lenticels are long, submerged roots that are filled with air obtained from above the water surface.

Some plants develop competitive adaptions. Cattails, for example, produce chemicals that inhibit the growth of other species in the immediate area. Others have developed ways to completely avoid some of the stresses of wetland life. These adaptations include timing the production and release of seeds for the nonflood season, production of floating seeds designed to end up on dry land, and fertilization and germination of seeds while they are still attached to the plant.

Animals are physiologically more complex organisms than plants. For this reason, they also have more complicated adaptions to wetland habitats. For example the beaver's feet are fully webbed and its fur is very fine and traps a pocket of insulating air that keeps it warm even in the coldest water. Wading birds like the Great Blue Heron have long legs and a dagger like beak that allows it to spear fish, frogs and other aquatic wildlife.

As you can see, the wetland environment is not a very easy place to live. Those plants and animals that have adapted to live in these conditions can find it very hard to make a living when wetlands are drained or disturbed by other human activities.

Build Your Own Wetland

Lower to middle grade levels
This activity comes from "Ready, Set, Get Wet!" a publication of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Soil and Water Conservation Society

Objective: This activity will show you how water gets filtered in a wetland

Materials: A baking pan (9" x 13" aluminum works well), modeling clay, materials to mimic a wetland such as a scrap of indoor/outdoor carpeting or florist foam or a sponge wide enough to cover the width of the pan, a "sprinkler" type watering can, a jar of muddy water

Procedure:

• Spread a layer of modeling clay over half of the baking pan. This represents the land. The empty half of the pan represents a body of water, like a pond or lake.
  
• Shape the "land" so that it gradually slopes toward the middle of the pan, or into the "water"like the shore of a lake or pond
  
• Cut the carpeting (or florist's foam or sponge) so that it completely fills the space along the edge of the clay. This represents the wetland area.
  
• See what happens when you:
  
  Pour water over the land (using a sprinkler to represent rain).
  
  Pour the same amount of water over the land, but remove the "wetland."
  
  Pour muddy water over the land
  
• Complete your wetland model by adding animals made from left over modeling clay. Try making trees or plants out of twigs and pine needles or toothpicks, cotton swabs, and a little paint.
  
• Show and explain your model to others

A Wetland By Any Other Name

There's a lot of room for diversity between open water and dry land. Many different types of wetlands exist for which scientists have given specific names. The following is a glossary of some of the more commonly used wetland definitions and terminology:

• Bog: An area of waterlogged, spongy ground consisting primarily of mosses and containing acidic decaying vegetation that may develop into peat
  
• Fen: An area of waterlogged spongy ground containing alkaline decaying vegetation, characterized by reeds, that may develop into peat
  
• Marsh: A water-saturated, poorly drained area, intermittently or permanently water-covered, having aquatic and grasslike vegetation, essentially without the formation of peat
  
• Swamp: A water-saturated, poorly drained area, intermittently or permanently water-covered, having woody shrubs and trees as predominant vegetation, with or without the formation of peat
  
• Temporary Wetland: A type of wetland in which water is present for only part of the year, usually during the wet or rainy season, also known as vernal pools
  
• Wet Meadow: Grasses and sedges growing in saturated soils with infrequent shallow-standing water present at various times of the year.