Denis G. Conover

Changes in a Restored Wetland during 18 Years of Management (Ohio)

Hoven, B.M. 2009. The effect of restoration and maintenance treatments on host plant quality and natural enemies of the endemic barrens buckmoth, Hemileuca maia Drury (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) in a scrub oak-pitch pine ecosystem. MS thesis, State University of New York at Syracuse. Malcolm, G.M., D.S. Bush and S.K. Rice. 2008. Soil nitrogen conditions approach preinvasion levels following restoration of nitrogen-fixing black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) stands in a pine-oak ecosystem. Restoration Ecology 16:70–78. Pfitsch, W.A. and E.H. Williams. 2009. Habitat restoration for lupine and specialist butterflies. Restoration Ecology 17:226–233. Wagner, D.L., M.W. Nelson and D.F. Schweitzer. 2003. Shrubland lepidoptera of southern New England and southeastern New York: Ecology, conservation, and management. Forest Ecology and Management 185:95–112.

Resurgence of Native Plants after Removal of Amur Honeysuckle from Bender Mountain Preserve, Ohio

©2016 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. odor problems. This implies that we might have used a considerably thinner compost envelope and still have had good results. We would not recommend using less than a 50 cm-thick envelope, especially if the compost were not very biologically active. Future research could determine minimum thickness of compost layers over encapsulated soil and minimum temperatures and their duration required for the same effect to be achieved. Field studies might also investigate possible improvements to eradication methods for existing stands of knotweed using the mechanisms described here. For example, perhaps adding a layer of compost or other high-BOD material to surface soil before covering knotweed patches with a plastic tarp would be more effective than treating with tarps alone.

Keystone Role of Beavers in a Restored Wetland (Ohio)

to increase, but they must be properly monitored and maintained. This is usually on an annual basis, typically during the winter or just before the breeding season, but should probably be done more frequently because we have discovered that if a pole gets tipped over and the box gets into the water, these duck nest boxes can serve as death traps for turtles. Our goal is to reduce suffering and death of turtles by warning land managers about the threat to turtles that downed duck nest boxes can pose. In August 2007, a downed duck nest box was found in a dried up pool of an ephemeral lake in the Shaker Trace Wetlands, a restored wetland in southwestern Ohio (Conover and Klein 2010). In the spring and early summer, this particular lake is typically 1–1.5 m deep, but by late summer even the deeper depressions may be completely dry. When first discovered, the box was still moist inside and contained many dead turtles, which were then removed (Figure 1). While the 3 species of trapped turtles at Shaker Trace are not endangered in Ohio, other wetlands such as the Beaver Creek Wetlands, Spring Valley Wildlife Area, and Cedar Bog harbor rare species such as the spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata). Apparently the turtles crawled or swam into the box when it was submerged in the pool and couldn’t find their way back out. Some baited traps designed to live-capture turtles work on this principle. It is also possible that the turtles entered the box when water levels were higher than the hole and became trapped when water levels in the pool receded below the hole. If this is the case, the risk to turtles would be greater in ephemeral wetlands. The cause of death could not be determined, but possibilities include drowning, overheating, starvation, or possibly even bites from the snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) that was in the box (Figure 1). To prevent more turtles from becoming trapped, we propped up the box and left it open (Figure 2) until the land manager could properly re-erect it. We recommend that nest boxes be monitored throughout the year so that they can be repaired and reinstalled promptly as needed.

Tipped Over Duck Nest Box Traps Turtles in a Restored Wetland (Ohio)

in conventional agricultural systems, with livestock present on the landscape for weeks to months, the disturbance caused by grazing can be intense, even disruptive, as our Boer goat study illustrated (Figure 1). Neither scenario would be expected, according to Connell’s intermediate disturbance hypothesis, to support high S. If, however, IRG, which applies intense grazing pressure over brief periods of time, creates a disturbance intermediate between light and conventional grazing, then relatively higher S would be expected in the IRGgrazed landscape. The intermediate disturbance hypothesis may help resolve inconsistencies in the observed impacts of grazing reported in the literature (see Kleppel and LaBarge 2011), and further consideration of this hypothesis would seem worthwhile.

Restoring biodiversity by lowering deer numbers at Shawnee Lookout (Ohio).

the Arboretum collaborated with the Harvard Forest to measure the changes that occur when hemlock is abruptly removed from the forest system. This four-year study established baseline data for soil temperature, available nitrogen, organic soil mass, and understory vegetation and analyzed nitrogen cycling, decomposition rates, and regeneration with intact hemlocks compared to hemlocks removed. The study is part of a longer-term Harvard Forest effort to assess ecosystem impacts of HWA in southern New England. A second project examined Chinese hemlock (Tsuga chinensis), a species first grown in North America at the Arnold Arboretum in 1911. By establishing that this species is fully resistant to HWA, research confirmed the suitability of Chinese hemlock as a potential replacement for eastern hemlock in the cultivated landscape (Del Tredici and Kitajima 2004). The dramatic losses on Hemlock Hill, roughly 30% of the original hemlock population, offer an important local example of a global phenomenon. To build public awareness, the Arboretum now offers field studies for school groups and special tours that explore the fragility of native ecosystems, disturbance caused by invasives, and the complex challenges resulting for environmental stewards. As former evergreen hemlock forest converts to deciduous woodland, programs will interpret changes in nutrient cycling and species interactions. Presentations to the community and feature stories appearing in newspapers and on radio and the Web have further disseminated the Hemlock Hill story in Boston and southern New England. Looking to the future, HWA and other introduced organisms will continue to present daunting challenges but also important opportunities for education during a remarkable time of environmental change.

Earlier Flowering in a Restored Wetland–Prairie Correlated with Warmer Temperatures (Ohio)

project that is enabling us to expand the landfill,” said Steve Smith, Area Environmental Manager for Allied Waste, “We’re very happy with the results so far.” Smith noted the site will require monitoring to document the survival of the restored vegetation and the absence of harmful invasive species. “The goal of this project is to achieve a sustainable, biodiverse ecosystem using species that are native to the area,” said Moritz, “By regenerating the native species and controlling the harmful effects of invasive species, we can help improve water retention and quality, control erosion, attract wildlife, and create an aesthetically pleasing environment.”