Page 10 - Leisure Living Magazine May 2018

Great Egret Marsh Preserve
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Nature Conservancy in Ohio. “But come here during late April and May, and you’ll be most im- pressed by the number and diversity of warblers.”
Dubbed the “Warbler Capital of the World”, northwest Ohio boasts a remarkable influx of the small songbirds—and those who love to watch them—during migration season. Rough- ly 100,000 people from all 50 states and dozens of countries travel to the area during songbird migration, with peak visitation occurring during the Biggest Week in American Birding Festival, which is held annually in early May. The activity generates tens of millions of dollars in economic benefits throughout the area.
“Without the region’s natural areas, there wouldn’t be much of a spectacle,” Kovach says. “Places like Great Egret Marsh Preserve, Magee Marsh Wildlife Area and Ottawa National Wild-
life Refuge not only are good for birds and other wildlife, they’re also creating recreational oppor- tunities and supporting the local economy.”
That’s why The Nature Conservancy and oth- ers are working hard to protect and restore Lake Erie’s marshlands, which once covered more than 300,000 acres, from Sandusky to just south of De- troit—an area roughly two-thirds the size of Flor- ida’s Everglades. Over the last 200 years, more than 90 percent of that area has been drained for development and farmland, leaving behind little wildlife habitat.
Unfortunately, habitat destruction isn’t a threat isolated to this region. That’s why The Na- ture Conservancy works throughout the state and around the globe, Kovach says.
“We’ve protected more than 60,000 acres in Ohio and 120 million acres worldwide,” he says. “That’s good news for birds whose journeys can extend thousands of miles.”
For more information about Great Egret Marsh Preserve, including how to visit, go to na- ture.org/greategretmarsh.
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