Ohio Wetlands

Posted on June 12, 2018

by Vickie C

Eastern Prairie Fringed Orchids, Karner’s Blue Butterflies, Kirtland’s Warblers, Eastern Massasauga Reptiles, Indiana Bats and more! Swamps and marshes, bogs and fens….what do they have in common and how are they unique? Learn about the plants, animals and habitats found in the many kinds of wetlands in our county with these resources.

Adult Nonfiction Books on Lake Erie, Marshes and The Great Black Swamp

In the watershed : a journey down the Maumee River / Ryan Schnurr

In the Watershed” by Ryan Schnurr

Learn more about role of the Maumee River, Lake Erie’s largest tributary and the center of the largest watershed in the region, spanning more than 6,600 square miles of land. “The Watershed: A Journey Down the Maumee River,” is the story of Ryan Schnurr’s voyage from its headwaters in Fort Wayne, Indiana to its mouth in Toledo, Ohio.

Wild Ohio : the best of our natural heritage / Jim McCormac and Gary Meszaros

Wild Ohio” by Jim McCormac and Gary Meszaros

Highlighted by more than 150 full-color illustrations, a photographic study singles out the best of Ohio’s natural lands and documents their importance in a survey that features approximately forty sites encompassing nearly every type of habitat found in the state.

The death and life of the Great Lakes / Dan Egan

The Death and Life of the Great Lakes” by Dan Egan

A prize-winning reporter Dan Egan’s compulsively readable portrait of an ecological catastrophe happening right before our eyes, blending the epic story of the lakes with an examination of the perils they face and the ways we can restore and preserve them for generations to come.

Also available in eBook.

Follow the blue blazes a guide to hiking Ohio's Buckeye Trail Connie Pond and Robert J. Pond ; foreword by Steven M. Newman

Follow the Blue Blazes: A Guide to Hiking Ohio’s Buckeye Trail” by Connie Pond and Robert J. Pond

The Buckeye Trail is readily accessible from Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo, Cleveland and Akron. Even a short trip can lead to an adventure near your own backyard. Each chapter features an overview of a 100-mile section of the trail and three self-guided featured hikes. Each route is outlined on an easy-to-read map with GPS coordinates and waypoints to guide the hiker, as well as explicit directions from parking lot to trailhead.

The Marshes of southwestern Lake Erie / Louis W. Campbell with Claire Gavin ; foreword by Harold Mayfield

The Marshes of Southwestern Lake Erie” by Harold Mayfield

The marshes along the Ohio shore of Lake Erie represent less than ten percent of the vast wetlands that existed two hundred years ago. Virtually unknown outside of the region and little known even by area residents, the western Lake Erie marshes are among the most mysterious, beautiful and vulnerable of all the wild lands remaining in Ohio. Constantly threatened throughout the years with destruction by high lake waters or human enterprises, they remain critically important to the large populations of migrating waterfowl, raptors and songbirds.

The Great Black Swamp : historical tales of 19th-century Northwest Ohio / photography and narrative by Jim Mollenkopf
The Great Black Swamp II : more historical tales of northwestern Ohio / photography & narrative by Jim Mollenkopf
The great Black Swamp III : further historical tales of northwestern Ohio / by Jim Mollenkopf

“The Great Black Swamp I, II and III” by Jim Mollenkopf

This three volume set speaks about life along the Great Black Swamp and the Maumee River Valley in 19th century northwest Ohio.

Children’s Books on Wetlands

Wetlands / Peter Benoit

Wetlands” by Peter Benoit

“Wetlands” introduces and explains what wetlands are like, looks at the plants that define wetlands, discusses the types of animals that make their homes in wetlands, discusses threats to these areas and includes information on why wetlands are important and what is being done to save them.

At the marsh in the meadow / written by Jeanie Mebane ; illustrator, Gerald Guerlais

At the Marsh in the Meadow” by Jeanie Mebane

Written in a rhyming cumulative style like “The House that Jack Built,” “At the Marsh in the Meadow” portrays the wetlands’ food chain, showing how all forms of life, from the mud at the bottom of the marsh to the birds in the sky, are directly connected to their marsh home.

Life in a wetland by Laura Hamilton Waxman (eBook from hoopla)

Life in a Wetland” by Laura Hamilton Waxman

Bogs, swamps, and marshes are all different types of wetlands. Many plants and animals rely on this biome for reproduction, safety, or simply a drink of water. Some need to adapt to this environment, like the mangrove trees that get oxygen by growing roots above the surface. Take a closer look at wetland critters and vegetation in this engaging title for developing readers!

Wetland ecosystems by Nikole Brooks Bethea (ebook from hoopla)

Wetland Ecosystems” by Nikole Brooks Bethea

This title will introduce readers to wetland ecosystems, the plants and animals that thrive there, its climate, its food web, any threats to it, and conservation efforts. Readers will also learn about the most well known wetlands and their unique characteristics. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Core Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.


Lake Erie and Ohio Wetlands: Online Resources 

Lake Erie and Great Lakes Educational Resources – ODNR Office of Coastal Management

Lake Erie Programs – Ohio EPA

Lake Erie / The Great Lakes – US EPA

Basic Facts about Wetlands – Defenders of Wildlife

Types of Wetlands in Ohio – Ohio Wetlands Association

Wetland Ecology – Ohio EPA

Rare Plants Abound at Irwin Prairie, Ohio’s Mini Everglades – Akron Beacon Journal (May 13, 2017)

Restoration of historic Great Black Swamp could help save Lake Erie – Toledo Blade (September 22, 2017)

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