In this IssuePresident’s Message ....................2Levy, Hunting, Volunteers ..........3Flooding, S. Africa, Workshop ....4Bob Louis Appreciation ..............56 Billion Seeds ............................6Smothering Sweet Flag ...............7Kid’s Corner ................................8Photo Gallery ..............................9Dragonfly, Music, Grant ...........10Spotted Turtle Gathering ...........11

Beaver Creek Wetlands Association

The Spotted TurtleVolume 23, No. 4 Fall 2009

www.beavercreekwetlands.org

Fall Fundraiser

Help Stop the Purple Menace!

Purple Loosestrife (right) at the Hunters Pointe development off Beaver Valley Road. More on page 6

Combined Federal Campaign Benefits BCWA The Combined Federal Campaign is the annual fund-raising drive held each fall by federal employees in their workplace, raising millions of dollars each year and benefiting thousands of non-profit charities. For our members and friends who are federal employees, please note that BCWA’s CFC number is still 72199—for both the Miami Valley Combined Federal Campaign and for the Heart of Ohio Combined Federal Cam-paign. We are now also participating in the Cincinnati Metro area Combined Federal Campaign. CFC donations account for a significant portion of BCWA’s annual income, and we appreciate the federal employees who contribute annually to our mission.

drop their seed. See Dr. Amon’s article inside for details (page 6).

That bought us some time. But purple loosestrife is a perennial that crowds out native plants, creating a monoculture that lowers biodiver-sity and doesn’t support other native wildlife. As you will learn, Dr. Amon

Mild weather of 2009 raised a bumper crop of purple loosestrife, the Purple Menace, which threatened to wash a multitude of seeds downstream to mul-tiply next year’s problem. To combat this, BCWA advisor Dr. Jim Amon called out the cavalry in September to “harvest” the plants before they could

plans an innovative long-term solution that, with your help, may lead to a more permanent, sustainable solution against purple loosestrife.

Now we’re asking your help fund-ing the means to free our wetlands of the purple menace along with the other invasive plants we have to deal with. Your donations will help fund supplies for controlling invasives, and give us funds we can use to get matching grants from outside funding sources -funds that can double our money!

Monies collected are magnified by volunteer labor and our high efficiency as a non-profit. Over 88% of funds go directly to such conservation and education work. In fact only 9% of our budget is spent on fundraising, with the remaining 3% spent on administra-tion.

Please contribute generously. BCWA works closely with our partner organizations and governments, so we are especially aware that their budget cutbacks mean there will be fewer other agencies to help “cut back” on the threat of invasive species. Since BCWA is a 501(c)3 charitable orga-nization your contributions are tax deductible.

Remember—BCWA’s Combined Federal Campaign number is 72199

Jim

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2 Spotted Turtle—Fall 2009

President’s Message

Purple Alert!The past number of years the BCWA has been putting forth very concentrated efforts to remove the Amur Honeysuckle from the environs of the Beaver Creek and Little Beaver Creek wetland corridor. Volunteers have cut, sprayed and destroyed acres of honeysuckle that is swal-lowing up our streamsides and adjacent forests. Results are amazing where it is under control, with native plants and flowers springing up from the soil once dominated by this invasive shrub. Greene County Parks, Fairborn Parks and Beaver Creek township staff have worked side by side with us on this endeavor. Their cooperation is invaluable to the effort. The work will continue.

But just when you think we have accomplished so much over the past 21 years we turn around to find Mother Nature has fooled us. The “Purple Menace” has arrived in full force in our highly diverse wetlands and stands to gain control while it cre-ates a monoculture of towering plants in our wettest areas. Purple Loosestrife is a perennial that blooms in late sum-mer and rapidly be-comes the dominant plant in a wetland environment.

Dr. Jim Amon has sounded the alarm and orches-trated volunteers to don their boots and march into the wetlands in early September and cut

Spotted Turtle Name and Logo: Noted area wildlife artist Charley Harper generously donated the art for our logo in 1988. His work has been adopted by the National Park Service and is appre-ciated worldwide. Our newsletter recog-nizes the Spotted Turtle as an icon for the many rare animals and plants protected in the Beaver Creek Wetlands.

Submissions, Questions, or Comments: We rely on members like you to make this newsletter the product of

Founded in 1988, the Mission of the Beaver Creek Wetlands Association is to protect the wetland ecosystem in the Beaver Creek watershed through partnerships, community networks, and public education.

several diverse voices. If you have an idea for an article or a picture to include, please send them to admin@beavercreekwetlands.org. Also, we welcome any comments or questions. For submissions, questions, or comments, please include “newsletter” in the subject line of your e-mail. We reserve the right to edit for content or clarity.

Donations of Land/Easements: If you are interested in donating land, placing an easement on property, or re-membering the BCWA in your will, please

don’t hesitate to call the Beaver Creek Wetlands Association at (937) 320-9042.

BCWA Annual Report: Copies are available by request. E-mail the office at admin@beavercreekwetlands.org or call (937) 320-9042.

the seed heads from thousands upon thousands of plants and haul them to high ground where they can be de-stroyed. This was back breaking labor and only a stopgap effort against this devilish invader. Million of seeds will be destroyed but the plants will remain to be dealt with next year.

This is where we need YOU to help. Your gifts to our annual Gaining Ground campaign this fall will enable us to meet this menace head-on next year. Please continue your support of BCWA and we will continue the work to protect our unique wetlands for clean water, nature, your pleasure, and for your children’s future.

Susie ScottBCWA President

Virgin’s Bower photo by Richard Swigart

See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org 3

You can help us this Fall

We are coming into the fall season when we have much field work to do at Fairborn Marsh. Watch our Web pages for announcement s of volunteer opportunities. It is always a nice time to get together, to meet new and old friends and you finish the day knowing that you have really made a difference.

Our main objectives this fall at Fairborn Marsh will be to deal with honeysuckle, plant some trees and gather some seeds. Our meeting will be Sundays at 2PM and finishing before 5PM. We start October 4th and continue through November 15th and maybe November 22nd. Honeysuckle control is now ready to take care of the seedlings. So we will begin spraying them as soon as the surrounding plants are dormant. When we finish the spraying we will start planting trees that we put in our nursery last spring. During all of this time we will watch the weather and gather seeds that mature in our prairie and perhaps plant a few as well. We have some sites at the Koogler reserve that need planting too. We can work at Koogler Reserve too – the primary loop trail is in place and looks nice but needs a few boards here and there to keep you feet out of some deep mud. Rob Evans will be organizing that too.

There seems to always be a group working on Sat-urday mornings at Creekside so check on that too. Don Geiger is the organizer for that and is always looking for help.

Check the web at www.beavercreekwetlands.org for up to date info and specific meeting places.

Hunting SeasonIn the Beaver Creek Wetlands the property owned and managed by the Division of Wildlife between New Germany Trebein Road and Fairground Road is open to hunting. Please be cautious in these areas and be sure to wear brightly colored clothes when walking through these areas so hunters will see you. Make sure you do not disturb their hunting. These areas are open to hunting for deer and waterfowl and trapping of furbearers. The seasons vary but the hunt starts in September and runs into early February.

Non-hunting areas in the Beaver Creek Wetlands are numerous but just to be safe We recommend that you wear bright clothing just in case a hunter has lost his or her bearing. You can hike these non-hunt-ing areas at CEMEX in Fairborn, Koogler Reserve at Beaver Valley Road and New Germany Trebein, Phillips Park and the Beaver Creek Wetlands Nature Preserve. Additional sites include Community park and the Quarry Park in Fairborn as well as Fairborn Marsh and Rotary Park in Beavercreek.

Please take a look at the map to find these excellent fall and winter opportunities to enjoy the wetlands.

Five Rivers MetroParks levy up for vote on November 3rd On November 3 Montgomery County voters will have a chance to vote on Issue 4, funding for Five Rivers MetroParks. This levy provides over 80% of the funding for MetroParks land protection efforts, public programs, events, multi-use path systems, and 25 facilities. Issue 4 will replace the expiring levy with a new one of the same millage.

At least one MetroParks facility, Woodman Fen, is a part of the Beaver Creek Watershed. This 36-acre natural area is in the Belmont neighborhood of Dayton and con-tains the upper headwaters of Little Beaver Creek which flows east from the site. Woodman Fen had been drained, filled, farmed, and neglected for many years. However, after major efforts to restore the water, remove invasive shrubs, reintroduce native plants, and generally clean it up the site has rebounded remarkably, helping improve quality downstream in the Little Beaver Creek.—Dave Nolin

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4 Spotted Turtle—Fall 2009

Factory Road FloodingThose of you who travel Factory Road may have noted that it floods often. Beaver Creek has accumu-lated sediment where it enters the Little Miami River and this blocks the flow of the creek to some extent. Pooling of the water there caused a die-off of trees and those fallen trees add to the back-up of water that leads to flooding. The good part is that this has created, over the past 15 years or so, a wonderful wetland environment. Much of the land here is owned by the Greene County Commissioners (waste treatment plant) or Little Miami, Inc. LMI is a long-time protector of the Little Miami River and cooperates with BCWA. Working together LMI and BCWA have suggested that some routine clearing of log jams and some minor excavation through a fallow field might abate flooding ex-cept in the large storms. Of course, the surrounding land is in both the city and township so they have been involved in the constructive talks to some extent, too. It is hoped that the cooperative engagement of all the stakeholders will bring about a solution to this important problem in a way that protects the environment. —Jim Amon

Workshop on Wetland Delineation and Mitigation On November 12 & 13, 2009 Wright State University is having a workshop on Wetland Mitigation Banking and the new Midwest Supplement to the 1987 Wetland Delineation Manual. Over the past several months you may have had a chance to see the impact of these rules, so you might be able to profit from a discussion on how to best apply them with training from the regulators themselves. See the flyer on the workshop and register for it by going to www.beavercreekwetlands.org and click on “Wetland Conference Agenda. Thanks!

them, we were entertained by them and fed by them. We got to know the kids like they were from just down the block from our homes. In spite of their lack of material things these were some of the most talented and amazing kids I have seen. Their educational system is feeble and not even close to ours. They want to learn and they work hard. They smile. They laugh. They have hope and they see people from the USA as examples of success.

They all want to be something and make a difference in their world. In other words they are just like us. Well almost.

After Kliptown we traveled North to a game reserve. Ev-eryone there was well to do. We saw elephants, giraffes, leopards, wildebeests, baboons, antelope and many other things. I then wondered about those kids. Do they know about all these things just a few miles from their homes? They can’t travel. They can’t know about their environment. How can they under-stand how to interface with things that affect them? Things like global climate change? I remembered that there were marshes in some of the low ground near their homes. Do they know how they could use these wetlands to help treat their waste and purify their water. Seeing the world, traveling about and learning is something these people can’t do now. We are so lucky that we can do more than live day to day. —Jim Amon

South AfricaSouth Africa is a long way from the Beaver Creek Wetlands but I think there are lessons to be learned from a description of that beautiful country. My family visited S.A. in July, the South African Winter. Cape Town was beautiful around the base of picturesque mountains. Johannesburg is a really big city of 20 million souls with the pollution and traffic you might expect in L.A. There we visited Soweto, a section of Jo’burg that was

the center of the strife over apartheid. Though apartheid has been officially over since 1994 about 5 million people live here in what almost any North American would call poverty. In the most extreme, homes are slapped to-gether with whatever simple sheets of metal can be found and whole families live in spaces not much bigger than a modest sized kitchen. Water is often only at one spigot in the local commu-nity. Roads are, at most, dirt with what appears to be sewage running through them. The upscale houses in the area look like very small modest ranch-type dwellings but our guide told use they hold up to six families each.

You are beginning to think, “Why is he telling me this awful story.” Well, it is one of hope. In spite of the political reality, native South Africans (blacks), who are in the majority, still have not been able to achieve a higher status in life. They are working on it. The small enclave we visited called Kliptown has a youth camp where kids are learning skills and getting help with studies. We met with these folks for a morning and afternoon, talked to

The legacy of apartheid lingers in Soweto, South Africa. Photo by Jim Amon

See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org 5

Bob Louis Appreciation

Robert Louis (aka BOB) has moved to South Carolina! Bob has been the most reliable friend of the wetlands we could ever know. I consider him one of my best friends too. Have fun and do good work Bob, we will miss you. -Jim Amon

Robert Louis has had a huge impact on the Beaver Creek Wetlands Association. He has contributed countless hours attending meetings, taking notes and publishing them as Secretary of the BCWA for many years. He maintained the kiosk at Siebenthaler Fen, repaired Nan’s Tower at least twice, repaired board walks, installed memorial benches and the name plates that went with them, weeded at the Coy House. Then there is nearly every Saturday cutting down honeysuckle or plant-ing for several years. Oh yes, there was the small matter of finding a huge rock, getting it moved to Creekside Reserve as a memorial for Bill and Grace Hagenbuch, preparing the ground and getting the inscription accomplished. He is a superb photographer and maintained a very large catalog of wildflowers he photographed and identified. Just about anything you can think of in the last ten years of activity in the BCWA, Robert has either had a hand in it or did it himself. I know I have forgotten half of what he has done. All of this he quietly accom-plished with an extraordinarily pleas-ant and enthusiastic personality. We will miss him very much.

—Denny Jarvi

When I found vandalism at the Siebenthaler Fen overlook tower, I notified the Trustees, and Bob Louis went out and repaired it the same day.

His diligence and hard work have been unsurpassed.

—Kate Hagenbuch

When I think about Bob, the first word that springs to mind is “helpful.” Be it his approachable manner or his thoughtful words, Bob is someone who always seems eager to help oth-ers. Not because it’s what is expected of him, but because it’s the right thing to do. Bob is a kind, decent person, and we’ve been fortunate to have his helping hands.

—Rob Boley

Bob is such a happy smart guy its hard to believe he was in the market-ing group at work. Really, I enjoyed working with Bob on so many projects

it’s hard to pick one to talk about. His attitude is always so upbeat, it spreads to oth-ers working on things he’s working on. He will really be missed; no job was too large for Bob to do.

—Richard Robertson

As one of the founding members of BCWA back in those heady days of the late 1980s, I often wondered: Who will be in line to take charge as we veterans move on to the other phases in our lives? So, I was greatly pleased and reassured to know that a person of such fine caliber as Bob was in that line willing to commit to the cause. What great contributions he made to BCWA in helping to conserve the wetlands! Bob is truly one of a kind

and can take great pride in his BCWA tenure. We were lucky to have him. —Nancy Bain

In the spring of 1995, we put out a call for volunteers to help build the second section of the boardwalk at Siebenthaler Fen. One of the people to answer our call was Robert Louis. Bob was there until the job was finished, through the boardwalk, the tower and the kiosk, and he just couldn’t quit volunteering. From being a trustee and secretary for The Beaver Creek Wetlands Association, to removing invasive plants and anything else that

was asked of him, Bob never stopped.

Bob retired this spring and moved to South Carolina this sum-mer. We have missed him this summer and will continue to miss him and his input. We wish him success in all of his new adventures.

—Richard Swigart

The Creekside volunteer crew certainly misses Bob. He faith-fully opened the gate to the parking area on Saturday mornings and then cheerfully pitched

in for a vigorous work period. Tireless and determined, Bob helped raise the spirit of the group. We miss him at the post work period “going Chinese” at the shopping center restaurant. Bob faith-fully logged us in, computed

our hours of contribution and wrote up the summary for the Spotted Turtle. In the spirit of learning nature while working, Bob kept track of the plants we added to the biodiversity of Creek-side and wrote articles about these to complement Richard Swigert’s aesthetic photo records. Yes, Bob will be missed. We keep him in mind and on our emailing list, mindful of the gap in our ranks.

—Don Geiger

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6 Spotted Turtle—Fall 2009

Six Billion Seeds

The number 6,000,000,000 is really hard to get your head around, but volunteers for the Beaver Creek Wetlands As-sociation now have a visual cue that helps. Everyone cut off the tops of purple loosestrife plants in a 5 acre patch that contained at least that many seeds. We had help from Bea-vercreek Township and Greene County Parks personnel too.

Purple loosestrife is a plant that originated in Europe and has become invasive to wetlands in the USA. The plant can grow as high as ten feet and makes thickets that cut out nearly 100% of the sun below the plants! At least 31 different workers spent 2 to 4 hours each from August 29 through September 7 cutting off these seed heads and carry-ing them out to high ground through water that was up to knee deep, through briars and rose bushes, past bloodletting rice cut grass and foot tangling reed canary grass. Once on “land” the hazard changed to groundhog holes and poison ivy. These intrepid volunteers were trying to prevent all that seed from washing downstream from this area, near Fairground Road, to wetlands stretching all the way to the Little Miami River. The seeds were burned to prevent their spread to other habitats.

The job is just beginning. Recently volunteers dug up some of the small plants remaining on site and put them in pots to grow them. Why? We are getting ready to introduce a beetle (Galerucella sp.) that will eat the purple loose-strife. These beetles that have been used in many places in the USA to combat the invasive plant, originated in Europe and feed only on purple loosestrife. They may nibble on closely related native plants but not enough to matter. When the population of purple loosestrife falls the beetle population falls. When the plant is gone the beetles die out. We will collect the beetles this spring along Lake Erie and put them on our captive plants to lay their eggs.

As soon as we have a robust reproducing population of beetles they will be taken to the wetlands to begin work-ing for us. It is thought that it might take five years to get a stable control on the loosestrife. Our colony of beetles may be useful in starting others too. The nearby Mad River is grossly infested with this beautiful plant and we will coop-erate with Five Rivers Metro Parks to fight that population of plants. Cooperation makes sense because the seeds from

A few web references:http://www.news.cornell.edu/chronicle/ 97/7.24.97/loosestrife.html

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG7080.html

http://www.invasive.org/weeds/loosestrife/ch2galcal.html

http://www.ncera125.ent.msu.edu/GuideGalerucella.htm

http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/weedfeeders/galerucella.html

http://dnr.wi.gov/news/DNRNews_Article_Lookup.asp?id=1061

Upper right: Jim Amon with a small Purple Loostrife plant. Below right: a full grown plant can reach 8-10 feet tall. All photos by Richard Swigart.

See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org 7

Smothering the Sweet FlagA plant with sweetly aromatic leaves, sweet flag, Acorus calamus, was said to be used by the Shakers for making candy. This plant, which is found in scattered locations around the circumference of the boreal and arctic regions, has a real down side. While the plant is found over a wide range, the various populations likely differ genetically. Based on the invasiveness of local populations, it is likely that introduced populations are present in North America. Sweet flag plants that are commonly found in our area are strongly invasive, laying down tangled, dense mats of 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 inch diameter rhizomes. The dense patches form mono-cultures that crowd out the native vegetation. Invasive patches are present in wetlands at Creekside and Hershner Reserves. A patch in the pristine fen at Creek-side was found early enough to be stopped and eradicated. The stand at Hershner fen, which measures at least 60 ft. by 60 ft., has largely displaced other species in the invaded site.

How does one get invasive sweet flag under control? Spraying of herbicides in the pristine fen area is out of the question, especially given the need for frequent and widespread applications. In a mixture of bravery and perhaps foolhardiness we have taken to trying to smother it. Where the water is deep and persistent, volunteers laid down plastic with the help of the Greene County Parks and covered it with a 2- to 3-inch layer of wood chips. In other places we laid down several hundred pounds of newspaper and covered it with wood chips. At the edges where it is newly invading the dryer ground we donned

rubber gloves covered with cotton gloves and hand wiped 6% glypho-sate-based herbicide. This treatment, which spares adjacent vegetation, has proven effective on narrow-leaved cattail and seems to be working on the sweet flag. This latter treatment will allow the rich diversity of native plants still present at the edges of the invaded site to spread into the area being opened. Months in darkness should exhaust the food stored in the sweet flag rhizomes and give us the opportunity to restore the fen with the species of plants growing in the sur-rounding area.

Along with the attempt to control the invasive sweet flag, we began a program to plant the native sweet flag.

Don Beam of Starker Meadow in Holmesville, Ohio (44633) found a stand of the native sweet flag, Acorus america-nus, and has generously supplied the Marianist Environmental Education Center with seedlings and seeds. Don reported that in their natural setting A. americanus does not show signs of invasive-ness, growing instead in

scattered, spaced out clusters. Its seeds germinate sporadically over the grow-ing season, giving rise to tiny seed-lings with thin 1/8-inch long leaves. Raising full grown plants from these delicate seedlings takes a full growing season. We have planted mature plants in our wetland nursery and in several wetlands. The latter tracked and their growth form studied to assure it does not invade. From field observation of restoration sites, it is obvious that restoration nurseries have been plant-ing A. calamus in restored wetlands. Recently the executive of a frequently employed restoration company agreed to stop planting A. calamus in restored wetlands. With time MEEC hopes to be able to supply A. americanus to more local park districts and commer-cial restoration firms.—Don Geiger

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A Billion ThanksThanks to The following intrepid workers who slaved long hours to re-move more than 6 billion seeds of the dreaded purple loosestrife. Dave Scott, Susie Scott, Carol Amon, Jim Amon, Jeremy Heath, Debbie Karr, Richard Swigart, Jeff Wehmeyer, Dave Sniv-ely, Eric Woebbe, Stephen von Mohr, David Duell, Felicia Schirack, Drea Alvarez, Erika Asher, Lynn Hartzler, Julia Murgatroyd, Joel Harvey, Molly Jenks, Christina Bishop, Peter Torvik, Mark Martel, Christopher Bigley, Lorie Burger, Dave Nolin, David Goldstein.

one area can re-infest another, travel-ing on wildlife like waterfowl.

Beyond that we are experiment-ing with some selective herbicides that may prevent the development of seeds in the existing populations. It seems that application of the herbicide in early July, when the plant is just beginning to flower, prevents flower-ing. Careful use of this method may prevent production of seeds that would contaminate non-invaded habitats downstream until beetles are more prevalent.—Jim Amon

All our piles of Purple Loosestrife rep-resented an estimated 6 billion seeds. (Contrast added for clarity.)

Sweet flag (A. calamus)

8 Spotted Turtle—Fall 2009

Kid’s Corner

Why do leaves change color in the fall?

Leaves are green in the spring and summer. In the fall they change to many different colors and fall off. Did you ever wonder why?

During the spring and sum-mer, leaves are green because they contain chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a green chemical in plants that helps them make food out of sunlight. This food is called glucose. The shorter days during the fall means there is less light. Less light lets the trees know that it is time to go to sleep. The leaves stop making chloro-phyll which makes all the green vanish. When this happens we can see the yellow and orange colors which were hiding in the leaves the whole time. Some-times leaves turn brown or red. Red colors happen when there’s glucose left in the leaves after the chlorophyll has gone away. Brown colors happen when waste called tannin is left in the leaves.

During the winter, there is even less light and the air get too cold for most leaves so during winter leaves shut down and fall off and and the trees sleep until spring comes again.—Aja Ash

Fill in the blank 1 In the fall the air gets too _____

for leaves.

2 The green chemical that helps leaves make food from sunlight is called ______.

3 Another word for the fall season is ______.

Read more about autumn leaves at your local library!

Read more about autumn leaves at your local library!

Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert

It’s Fall by Linda Glaser

Why Do Leaves Change Color? by Betsy Maestro

Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert

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2) The green chemical that helps leaves make food from sunlight is called _______.

3) Another word for the fall season is __________.

4) Leaves turn brown when waste called _______ is left.

5) Leaves know it‛s time to go to sleep when there is less ________.

6) If _______ is left in the leaves, they will turn red.

Fill in the blank

4 Leaves turn brown when waste called _____ is left.

5 Trees know it’s time to go to sleep when there is less _____.

6 If ______ is left in the leaves, they will turn red.

Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert

Why Do Leaves Change Color? by Betsy Maestro

Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert

It’s Fall by Linda Glaser

See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org 9

Autumn ColorsPhotos by Richard Swigart

Clockwise from above: Monarch butterfly, Common Buckeye butterfly, Garden spider, unidentified caterpillar, Black Swallowtail butterfly. Can you name the plants?

10 Spotted Turtle—Fall 2009

In the spring newsletter, I wrote about “Stalking the Phantom Crane Fly” just to get a definitive photograph. Some-times the story behind the photo is as interesting, or more, than the photo itself.

At a different time in a different reserve, I had my camera on a tripod and focused on a twig when I was approached by a group of people and was asked what I was photographing. I pointed out the twig and told them that if they had a couple of minutes and kept an eye on that twig, they would see for themselves. After a short wait, a dragonfly landed on that twig and I snapped the photo.

Those folks were amazed and wanted to know how I had trained a dragonfly to land on that particular

plant. I explained to them that dragon-flies are raptors and creatures of habit. Once they find a successful perch from which to hunt, they will return to that perch time after time.

I enjoy photography, but at times it is as much fun telling people the circumstances behind the shot as it is about the shot itself. Sometimes, the story is about the why of the photo.

As much fun as it is to share and talk about my photos, I really appreci-ate it when others share their photos with me. I would like to take this opportunity to invite our members and friends to submit their photos and/or stories from the wetlands for future issues of our newsletter.

—Richard Swigart

The Dragonfly Story Music to our EarsThe tradition of innovation in the Mi-ami Valley continues to excel through the protection and care of natural areas and open space. Inspiration for conser-vation work is all around us and every once is a while our work inspires creative expression in the form or art, literature and song.

Dave Nolin is one of the founders of the BCWA and currently is Direc-tor of Conservation for Five Rivers Metro Parks. In the 1980’s Dave was instrumental in drawing attention to the unique habitat of the Beaver Creek Wetlands and helped to form this organization.

One of his avocations is music and Dave and his band, The Backburners, have created a CD of acoustical music and lyrics celebrating the people and groups that are making a real differ-ence in conservation in the Miami Valley. Dave and his group hope that these songs will help more people in the region cherish and learn about these wonderful places and some of the people and groups who are protect-ing them.

To get a copy of this beautiful music please mail your check for $10.00 to BCWA, PO Box 42, Alpha, OH 45301 with a notation that you want the Dave Nolin CD. We will be happy to send it to you as long as our supply lasts. All proceeds from our sales benefit the BCWA.—Susie Scott

Conservation GrantThe Dayton Foundation (TDF) has announced that a grant of $2000 has been awarded to the Beaver Creek Wetlands Association from The Greater Dayton Conservation Fund.

The purpose of the Fund is to support environmental preservation in the Greater Miami Valley Region. Grants are awarded to organization or programs that:

• Help protect the region’s natural environment through education, acquisition, restoration and scientific research

• Encourage collaborations and regional land conservations

• Leverage cooperation and support of various efforts of like-minded organization.

BCWA submitted an applica-tion for this grant in August and feel honored that our organization was

selected from among many other de-serving organizations to receive this award. These funds will be used to support the work to control invasive species that BCWA is coordinat-ing with our partner organizations in the area. These partners include Greene County Parks, Beavercreek Township, Fairborn Parks, and BW Greenways among others.

Our thanks go to TDF and Greater Dayton Conservation Fund for this recognition of our work.—Susie Scott

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See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org 11

Get Past Issues Online

You can now find the latest copy of this newsletter on the BCWA Website, and it’s in glorious full color. Visit the the Publications page and click on the Current Issue to download it. You can also find past issues of the Spotted Turtle here, as well as other publica-tions, maps to our local Wetlands, news and membership information.Web master Rob Evans updates the site regularly, so check back often.Make sure we have your current e-mail address to ensure ongoing electronic delivery.

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Please make your check payable to BCWA andmail to: BCWA, P.O. Box 42, Alpha, OH 45301

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Help reclaim our local wetlands corridor and restore it’s natural beauty and function. Your member dues fund land acquisition, education programs, habitat restoration and management of our preserve.

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SPOTTED TURTLE GATHERING

To show their appreciation for the BCWA’s conservation work, Bob and Joan Siebenthaler hosted a fall gathering for twenty-five strong BCWA supporters at their private cabin retreat near the Seibenthaler Fen on September 20. Dr. Jim Amon led a nature walk along the boardwalk for a large part of the group. As always, his knowledge and teaching skills led to a superb walk. Along the boardwalk, Debbi Karr spotted several rare wafer ash shrubs, which host Giant Swallow-tail butterflies. A light rain let up just in time for everyone to enjoy conver-sation, cookies and lemonade, as well as the wildlife around the ponds by the cabin.

President Susie Scott welcomed the group by stating how much the BCWA needs and appreciates the support all have provided. Denny Jarvi talked about the founding work accomplished by Dave Nolin, Jim Amon and Bill Hagenbuch who were all present. He said without their initiative and energy, nothing would

have taken place. He also talked about the importance of the work Dr. Amon is currently leading just across Fairgrounds Road eradicating purple loosestrife that is a huge threat to the wetlands.

Beth Redden from The Dayton Foundation spoke about the relation-ship of the BCWA and The Dayton Foundation, and how planned giving can help people support their favorite groups now and leave a legacy for the future. Kate Hagenbuch explained that

anyone can become a member of the Spotted Turtle Society by making a donation of any size, or a planned gift, to the BCWA Endowment Fund. The endowment was created to ensure that the work of preserving and maintain-ing the wetlands will continue into the future. Susie Scott closed by thank-ing everyone for coming despite the inclement weather and invited all to enjoy the wildlife and views from the deck.—Denny Jarvi

Bob and Joan Siebenthaler, hosts for the Spotted Turtle gathering. Photo by Kate Hagenbuch

Spotted Turtle EditorsJim and Carol AmonMark Martel

PublisherOregon Printingwww.oregonprinting.com

WebmasterRob Evans

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NONPROFITORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE PAIDALPHA, OHIO 45301PERMIT NUMBER 76

The Spotted Turtle | Volume 23, No. 4 | Fall 2009

OfficersSusie Scott, PresidentRob Evans, Vice PresidentSue Rytel, SecretaryDoug Hull, Treasurer

TrusteesAja AshDeborah KarrEd PhillipsSusie ScottRichard SwigartEd DresslerSue RytelJudith StreiffMike ZimmermanJim AmonLorie BurgerRob EvansKate HagenbuchMark MartelChristina Simmons

P.O. BOX 42ALPHA, OH 45301Return Service Requested

Crayfish spotted just off the boardwalk at the Siebenthaler Fen