A Legacy of Living PlacesConserving the diversity of nature in the Lake erie aLLegheny eCoregion

Lake erie aLLegheny partnership for biodiversity

A Legacy of Living PlacesConserving the diversity of nature in the Lake erie aLLegheny eCoregion

Contentsa region filled with life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

threats to the region’s diversity of plants and wildlife . . . 3

a new partnership for conservation . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Conservation planning: thinking ahead . . . . . . . . . . 6

how you can help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

natural communities of the region . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

beech-Maple forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

sugar Maple-ash-basswood northern rich Mesic forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Mixed oak forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

black oak savannah/Midwest sand barren . . . . . . 14

great Lakes hemlock-beech hardwood forest . . . . 16

Lake plain swamp forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

silver Maple-elm floodplain forest . . . . . . . . . . 20

emergent deep Marsh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

kettlehole bog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

rich shrub fen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Lake plain prairie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

great Lakes palustrine sand plain . . . . . . . . . . . 30

river and stream aquatic Community . . . . . . . . . 32

Lake erie open Water Community . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Contact information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

A publication of the Lake Erie Allegheny Partnership for Biodiversity (LEAP). See list of member organizations on p. 36.

This publication was a collaborative project. The principal editor was David Beach, EcoCity Cleveland. Most of the descriptions of natural communities were written by Jim Bissell, Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Other contributing writers, editors, and reviewers included:

Charles Bier, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Renee Boronka, Cleveland Museum of Natural History Jen Brumfield Kay Carlson, The Nature Conservancy Jane Christyson, Cleveland Metroparks Rob Curtis, Metro Parks Serving Summit County August Froehlich, The Nature Conservancy Roger Gettig, Holden Arboretum Robert Hinkle, Cleveland Metroparks Andy Jones, Cleveland Museum of Natural History Norma Lynn Kline, Erie National Wildlife Refuge David Kriska, Cleveland Museum of Natural History Marleen Kromer, The Nature Conservancy Kevin Metcalf, Cleveland Metroparks Gary Meszaros Darrin Petko, Stark County Park District Paul Pira, Geauga Park District Kelvin Rogers, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Judy Semroc, Cleveland Museum of Natural History Patty Stevens, Cleveland Metroparks Ephraim Zimmerman, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

Graphic design: Derek Oyen

Funding for this publication came from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to EcoCity Cleveland.

Photography: All photos by Gary Meszaros except as follows:

Front cover: Ian Adams (Lake Erie at Vermilion). P. 3: Karen Adair, The Nature Conservancy. PP. 4-5: David Beach. P. 6: David Beach (plant specimen), Jim Roetzel (bobcat). P. 7: Casey Batule, Cleveland Metroparks (people on dock), David Beach (walking at Punderson Lake), and Sharon Hosko, Cleveland Metroparks (girls on boat). P. 8: David Beach (beech leaves). P. 10: Ian Adams (Tinkers Creek Gorge). P. 12: Jim Roetzel (black bear). P. 18: Darrin Petko (vernal pool). P. 19: Mike Williams (wood thrush). P. 22: David Beach (Presque Isle and water lily). P. 24: Judy Semroc, Cleveland Museum of Natural History (racket-tailed emerald). P. 30: Beverly Danielson, Cleveland Museum of Natural History (Presque Isle), Bruce Frumker, Cleveland Museum of Natural History (fringed gentian), and Jack Selby, Cleveland Museum of Natural History (rose pink). P. 31: Jack Selby, Cleveland Museum of Natural History (umbrella flat sedge). P. 34: Ian Adams (Lake Erie). P. 35: Judy Semroc (mayfly).

To obtain additional copies or rights to reprint this publication, please call Renee Boronka at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History Center for Conservation and Biodiversity, 216-231-4600 or download this publication from the Lake Erie Allegheny Partnership website at www.leapbio.org.

Printed on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper manufactured with renewable wind power. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.

© 2007 the Cleveland Museum of Natural History

organ Swamp (Ashtabula County, OH)

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threats to our natural heritageAlthough we are blessed with a rich natural heritage in the

Lake Erie Allegheny region, this biological diversity is under great stress. More than 200 years of timbering, farming, indus-try, and urban development have transformed the landscape. Nature has been squeezed into small, fragmented, vulnerable patches.

Many of the natural communities that existed prior to European settlement have been degraded or lost. Some have disappeared suddenly, plowed under for farming or, more recently, bulldozed for a shopping center or a subdivision. Others have declined gradually from the impacts of pollution, livestock grazing, overabundance of white-tailed deer, or the invasion of exotic species such as purple loosestrife or zebra mussels. Still others have been altered by the effects of global climate change.

In response, people are coming together in local communi-ties and watersheds to conserve the best places remaining—and restore those that have been degraded. They are protect-ing endangered species, establishing greenways, restoring river watersheds, and expanding parklands.

The motivations are obvious. People want a healthy envi-ronment. They want their children to have the opportunity to experience the wonders of nature. And they know that nature contributes to overall quality of life, which in turn will help stimulate the economic recovery of the region.

Major threats to biodiversityHabitat destruction from developmentAlteration of physical processes, such as lake levels, stream flows, and groundwater hydrology Altered species interactions, particularly competitive pres-sure from invasive, non-native species and the browsing of overabundant white-tailed deerGlobal climate changePollution from industry, agriculture, and urbanization

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Ohio’s 10 worst non-native plants

autumn olive (elaeagnus umbellata)

buckthorns (rhamnus sp .)

Common reed grass (phragmites australis)

eurasian honeysuckles (Lonicera sp .)

garlic mustard (alliaria petiolata)

Japanese knotweed (polygonum sp .)

narrow-leaved cattail (typha angustifolia)

purple loosestrife (Lythrum sp .)

reed canary grass (phalaris arundinacea)

tree of heaven (ailanthus altissima)

Source: Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves

The deer problemone of the greatest threats to biodiversity in the region is the overabundance of white-tailed deer . at high densities, deer can wipe out the understory plants of a forest and dramatically alter the species composition of natural plant communities . indeed, largely because of deer pressure it’s getting hard to find a forest in the region that has not been affected . therefore, the development of humane and politically acceptable means of controlling deer populations is a priority for managers of natural areas .

a region filled with lifeThe Lake Erie Allegheny Ecoregion—a territory stretching

from Sandusky Bay to western New York—is at an ecological crossroads.

It’s at the intersection of three continental regions—the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, Lake Plain, and North Central Till Plain. It’s at the point where the advance of mile-high glaciers stopped some 18,000 years ago. It’s on the shore of a Great Lake. Even its weather is on edge, alternating between the influence of cold air masses from Canada and warm air from the Gulf of Mexico.

As a result, this region has rich biological diversity. It has northern plant species at the southern limit of their range and southern species at the northern limit of their range. It has the most eastern occuring pockets of prairie habitat. And it’s at the southwestern edge of the northern hardwood forest. One can find northern trees like hemlock in cool ravines and more southern trees like hickory and tuliptree on warmer exposures and on the floodplains of our major creeks and rivers. The region also is home to numerous rare and unusual plant and animal species. Since the last retreat of the glaciers, all these species have formed complex natural communities that give this regional landscape a unique character.

This incredible diversity of life is truly a living legacy, and the conservation of this diversity is a sacred trust. Everyone has a responsibility to protect this richness of nature so that future generations can enjoy its benefits.

What is biodiversity?biological diversity, or “biodiversity,” is the full variety of all living things on earth—from bears to bacteria—included within ecosystems and shaped by ecological and adaptive processes . biodiversity is organized at multiple levels, including genes, species, populations, communities, and ecosystems .

What is an ecoregion?an ecoregion is a relatively large land area defined by common characteristics, such as geology, topography, climate and vegetation . an ecoregion is large enough to encompass natural processes (such as fire and flooding) and to capture representative plant and animal species, natural communities, and ecosystems; yet they are small enough to serve as platforms for conservation planning and action .

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a new partnership for conservation What is the region’s vision for conservation and restora-

tion of biodiversity? What is the strategy for assuring that biologically important places are protected and life-sustaining ecological functions are maintained? How can the efforts of many groups—park districts, land trusts, watershed groups, and other conservation organizations—be coordinated so all the work happens in the most effective way possible?

The Lake Erie Allegheny Partnership for Biodiversity (LEAP) was formed to answer these questions. First con-vened by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in March 2004, the partnership is a voluntary network of more than 30 conservation-related organizations working together to:

Share information about protecting and restoring the di-verse native habitats of the region.Increase the capacity of member organizations by establish-ing programs to aid with recruitment and retention of both paid and unpaid staff, stewardship needs, and biological inventories.Promote public awareness and visibility of the region’s native plant and animal communities.

LEAP is also working to develop a science-based conserva-tion plan to protect and restore biodiversity in the region. It is envisioned that the plan will identify broad, overarching con-servation goals. Individual organizations, based on their own missions and abilities, will then be able to use the information provided within the plan to take actions that support regional priorities. The result should be better coordination, increased collaboration, and more focused and effective conservation.

LEAP is an inspiring example of regional collaboration. To learn more, see the partnership’s website at www.leapbio.org or contact the member organizations listed on p. 36.

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• the Lake erie allegheny ecoregionThe geographic focus area of the Lake Erie Allegheny Part-

nership for Biodiversity (LEAP) encompasses the Lake Plain and glaciated lands and waters south of Canada from San-dusky Bay to the Allegheny Mountains. This includes por-tions of northern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and western New York.

This territory has a common glacial history and a climate influenced by Lake Erie. Farther west is the Great Black Swamp region, where the soils become more dominated by limestone outcroppings, making them less acidic. Farther east are higher elevations in the mountains. Farther south, one enters the much rougher topography of the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau.

Map by Western reserve Land Conservancy

room for nature? These maps of the Western Reserve area in Northeast Ohio

show (in red) the extent of developed land in 1980, 2000, and projected to the year 2020. While the area is not growing much in population, much more land is being developed. This trend can be seen throughout the Lake Erie Allegheny region.

(Analysis for EcoCity Cleveland by the Northern Ohio Data and Information Service at Cleveland State University)

Valuable in countless waysa complex web of relationships binds humans to the natural systems all around . not only does the beauty of nature nourish one’s soul, but healthy, functioning ecosystems also serve human needs in many other essential ways by supplying:

Clean water and air

Climate regulation

flood control

pollination of crops

pest and disease control

nutrient cycling

Chemicals that can be used for new drugs

Quality of life for recreation, tourism, and economic development

once these ecosystem services are lost, they can be very costly to recreate . it pays to conserve nature to maintain these life-giving benefits .

projected development (2020)

developed as of 2000

developed as of 1976–1981

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natural communities of the region

the following pages introduce a selection of the

region’s many natural communities. they are all dis-

tinctive, as if they have unique personalities. When

you visit them, you know you are in the presence of

something special. and it’s amazing that you can

see them all so close to home. that’s the magic of

the Lake erie allegheny region’s biodiversity.

so seek these places out. appreciate them.

Learn how to care for them. for these are the

original building blocks of nature in the region.

How you can helpeveryone can play a role in conserving the diversity of life in the region . for instance, you can:

help stop the spread of non-native, invasive species by keeping them out of your yard . instead, plant only native species and help restore biodiversity by removing non-native, invasive species . (for more information, see the websites of the ohio invasive plant Council at www .oipc .info or ohio department of natural resources at www .dnr .state .oh .us/dnap/invasive .)

volunteer with a local conservation organization to pull garlic mustard or other invasive plants .

Use less fertilizer, pesticide, and herbicide . Most native plants thrive without pesticides .

support programs for the humane control of white-tailed deer populations .

support public policies that aid the redevelopment of existing cities and towns rather than subsidize poorly planned growth in rural areas .

support conservation development zoning that uses land efficiently and avoids sensitive natural areas .

support park levies and other initiatives to fund conservation .

buy sustainably harvested wood products, recycled paper products, and organically grown foods .

be an ambassador for nature; introduce others to the biodiversity of the region .

take a child for a hike in the woods .

support your favorite conservation organization .

Conservation planning: thinking ahead so everyone will be able to experience the incredible richness of nature

In 2005, LEAP members began to explore how to develop a regional plan for conservation and restoration of biodiversity. In addition to accepting responsibility for various planning roles, they agreed that the regional biodiversity plan should:

Provide a regional vision and strategy for conservation and restoration (i.e., the plan should go beyond conservation of what’s left of the region’s biodiversity to also include a vision for restoration).Utilize a science-based planning methodology to identify and prioritize conservation and restoration objectives. Focus on the preservation of overall ecosystem function and resilience but also include individual species of concern.Set specific, quantifiable conservation goals and provide a mechanism for monitoring prog-ress.Provide a blueprint for conservation action to be carried out by different organizations based on their individual objectives and capacities. Integrate relevant aspects of the region’s other plans for land use and development, while still retaining its conservation focus. Provide a public communication tool about the region’s natural heritage.Influence decision makers about the threats to biodiversity; inform them of protection and restoration opportunities; and help stop the loss of biodiversity.

LEAP members are now developing this plan to guide their future work. Success will require ongoing consensus building, collaboration, and support from everyone in the Lake Erie Allegheny region.

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Lost from the region

bear berry

Lynx

Mitchell’s marsh satyr butterfly

passenger pigeon

piping plover

swallow-tailed kite

timber wolf

Making a comeback

bald eagle

black bear

bobcat

Mink

peregrine falcon

river otters (improving water quality in the region’s rivers has made it possible to reintroduce the river otter .)

snowshoe hare

turkey

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Jack-in-the-pulpit

Mayapple flower

Trillium

Dutchman’s breeches

Bedford Reservation (Cuyahoga County, OH)

Beech-Maple Forests dominated by sugar maple and American beech were the most com-mon forest community in Northeast Ohio at the time of European settlement. Some remain-ing old-growth beech trees are over 400 years old. This upland forest community is character-ized by a dense to moderately dense canopy of deciduous trees, an absent to sparse shrub layer, and a moderate to well-developed ground layer of non-woody, herbaceous plants. Tuliptrees also are often common in this community.

High quality remnants of this community have shrub layers dominated by plants such as maple-leaf viburnum and creeping strawberry-bush. The herbaceous layer is often diverse, typically including spring ephemerals that flower briefly in the spring before the trees leaf out. Common species include common spring beauty, common blue violet, downy yellow violet, sweet white violet, jack-in-the-pulpit, mayapple, cut-leaf toothwort, wild geranium, yellow mandarin, yellow trout lily, large-flowered trillium, squirrel corn, Dutchman’s breeches, downy Solomon’s seal, purple bittercress, wild ginger, and blue cohosh. One deciduous fern, New York fern, is very common within this forest. One evergreen fern, Christmas fern, is common in high quality old-growth remnants.

Large, contiguous tracts of Beech-Maple Forest in excess of 100 acres provide nesting habi-tat for many forest birds such as wood thrush, scarlet tanager, rose-breasted grosbeak, red-eyed vireo, ovenbird, hooded warbler, American redstart, cerulean warbler, barred owl, and pileated woodpecker.

Common animals include short-tailed shrew, white-footed mouse, long-tailed weasel, and eastern chipmunk. One can also find red-backed salamander, gray treefrog, American toad, black rat snake, and spicebush swallowtail butterfly.

Beech-Maple Forest

Where to Goa .b . Williams Woods at north Chagrin reservation, Cleveland Metroparks (Cuyahoga County, oh)

bole Woods, holden arboretum (geauga County and Lake County, oh)

hinckley reservation, Cleveland Metroparks (Medina County, oh)

swine Creek reservation, geauga park district (geauga County, oh)

tryon-Weber Woods natural area, Western pennsylvania Conservancy (Crawford County, pa)

Pileated woodpecker

Red-backed salamander

Spicebush swallowtail larva

Hooded warbler

American beech

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This mesic, or moderately moist, forest type is frequently found on the middle and lower slopes of river valleys and high floodplain terraces that are no longer subject to flooding. The tree canopy of these forests is mixed and variable, but the most common dominant trees in the canopy are tuliptree, sugar maple, American beech, American basswood, red maple, black cherry, red oak, white ash, red elm, white elm, white oak, black walnut, blackgum, yellow birch, hop hornbeam, shagbark hickory and bitternut hickory. This forest type has the most spectacular fall color display because the typical dominant trees—sugar maple, American beech, tuliptree, white ash, red oak and black cherry—display vibrant fall color.

Typical understory shrubs are maple-leaf viburnum, flowering dogwood, witch hazel, spicebush, alternate-leaved dogwood, common serviceberry, and ironwood. Understory herbaceous species are spring beauty, harbinger of spring, yellow trout lily, cut-leaf toothwort, purple bittercress, large-flowered trillium, hepatica, common blue violet, sweet white violet, downy yellow violet, Canada violet, long-spurred vio-let, bloodroot, squirrel corn, giant and common blue cohosh, black cohosh, two-leaved toothwort, downy Solomon’s seal, lax sedge, plantain-leaved sedge, Dutchman’s breeches, wild ginger, zig-zag goldenrod, wreath goldenrod, white wood as-ter, Schreber’s aster and large-leaved aster. Common evergreen ferns in this forest are Christmas fern, spinulose wood fern and evergreen wood fern. Silvery glade fern, lady fern, New York Fern and rattlesnake fern are common deciduous ferns.

Many rare forest birds, such as magnolia warbler, yellow-throated vireo, warbling vireo, winter wren, hermit thrush, veery, and Blackburnian warbler, are associated with this forest type where eastern hemlock is present in the canopy. Mammals include raccoon, gray fox, chipmunk, and star-nosed mole. Interesting butterfly and moth species include West Virginia white, polyphemus moth, and tuliptree silkmoth.

Sugar Maple-Ash-Basswood Northern Rich Mesic Forest

Old growth forest

Where to Gobig Creek park, geauga park district (geauga County, oh)

furnace run and sand run parks, Metro parks serving summit County (summit County, oh)

grand river terraces preserve of the Cleveland Museum of natural history (ashtabula County, oh)

hogback ridge reservation and Zimmerman trail along the west side of Mentor Marsh, Lake Metroparks (Lake County, oh)

Mill hollow vermilion river park, Lorain County Metro parks (Lorain County, oh)

Morgan swamp preserve of the nature Conservancy (ashtabula County, oh)

rocky river reservation, bedford reservation, south Chagrin reservation, north Chagrin reservation, and hinckley reservation, Cleveland Metroparks (Cuyahoga County, Lake County, and Medina County, oh)

Sharp-lobed hepatica

Ovenbird Trout lily

American toad

Black rat snake

Luna moth

Tinkers Creek Gorge (Cuyahoga County, OH)

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Flowering dogwood

Spring beauty

Johnson Woods State Nature Preserve (Wayne County, OH)

This black oak-white oak-dominated forest community is found predominantly on sandy soils, ridge areas, valley bluffs and rocky uplands covered by thin soils. At the time of Eu-ropean settlement, American chestnut, white oak, black oak, red oak, shagbark hickory, scarlet oak, blackgum, sweet pignut hickory, sassafras, black cherry and hop hornbeam dominated the forest type. American chestnut disappeared from the forest when the chestnut blight was introduced at the beginning of the twentieth century. Chestnut oak is a frequent member of this community along the escarpment that marks the transi-tion from the Lake Plain to the Allegheny Plateau. Hemlock and/or white pine are present on erosion-resistant knobs in Lake County, OH, valley bluffs above steep cliffs from the lower Vermilion River valley, east into western Pennsylvania, and locally on sandy Lake Plain beach ridges from eastern Cuyahoga County, OH into Pennsylvania.

Common understory shrubs within the forest are flow-ering dogwood, common lowbush blueberry, huckleberry, maple-leaf viburnum, common serviceberry, and witch ha-zel. Frequent evergreen understory shrubs are partridgeberry and wintergreen. Typical understory herbaceous members of the forest are common bluets, stargrass, prostrate tick tre-foil, shining bedstraw, several species of bush clover, Indian cucumber-root, whorled loosestrife, blue-stemmed goldenrod, large-leaved aster, smooth Solomon’s seal, long-spurred violet, Pennsylvania sedge, round-leaved hepatica, bloodroot, four-leaved milkweed, poke milkweed, trailing arbutus, and downy skullcap. Typical ferns are bracken fern and hay-scented fern. Within the primary snowbelt east of Cleveland and the sec-ondary snowbelt south of Cleveland, Canada mayflower is a very common member of the community.

Large, contiguous tracts of Mixed Oak Forest are a refuge for scarlet tanagers, cerulean warblers, hairy woodpeckers, and wild turkeys. One can also see black bears, red bats, and ring-necked snakes.

Mixed Oak Forest

Scarlet tanager

Where to GoCascade valley and o’neil Woods, Metro parks serving summit County (summit County, oh)

Chapin forest, Lake Metroparks (Lake County, oh)

forest hill park, east Cleveland (Cuyahoga County, oh)

harriet keeler Woods at brecksville reservation, Cleveland Metroparks (Cuyahoga County, oh)

punderson state park (geauga County, oh)

singer Lake bog of the Cleveland Museum of natural history (summit County, oh)

virginia kendall area, Cuyahoga valley national park (summit County, oh)

Cerulean warbler

Gray tree frog

Black bear

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This community is characterized by widely scattered black oak trees, sassafras and blackgum. Historically it occurred from Sandusky through Cleveland to western Pennsylvania on the sandy beach ridges and relict dunes of prehistoric glacial lakes, such as the Lake Warren beach ridge followed by Detroit Road west of Cleveland and U.S. 20 east of Cleveland into Pennsyl-vania. The community was also common within oak-chestnut forests on the glacial sand ridges and knobs within the glacial topography that covers a broad belt from Ravenna and Kent in Portage County, OH, to Akron in Summit County, OH, and Canton in Stark County, OH. The community is now quite rare due to natural forest succession, changes in the nat-ural fire frequency, invasion of other tree species, gravel/sand mining, agriculture, and development of the region’s ancient beach ridges.

Sandy openings between trees are vegetated sparsely by sedges, several panic grasses, fall witch grass, wild lupine, racemed milkwort, several species of clubmoss, rough bush- clover, bracken fern, common dewberry, horse nettle, com-mon milkweed, and various mushrooms. Common shrubs within the community are lowbush blueberry, huckleberry, and common dewberry. This habitat is also home to brown snakes, tiger beetles, and antlions.

Black Oak Savannah / Midwest Sand Barren

Where to Goerie bluffs state park (erie County, pa)

north kingsville sand barrens of the Cleveland Museum of natural history (ashtabula County, oh)

portage Lakes state park (summit County, oh)

presque isle state park (erie County, pa)

singer Lake bog of the Cleveland Museum of natural history (summit County, oh)

Wild lupine Narrow-leaved blue curls

Burrowing wolf spider Northern red salamander

Chestnut-sided warbler

North Kingsville Sand Barrens (Ashtabula County, OH)

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Blue cohosh

Red trillium

Hell Hollow Park (Lake County, OH)

This upland, mixed conifer-broadleaf forest community can be found in the cool micro-climate of steep, north-facing river valley walls and ravine slopes. The community occurs in the snowbelt east of Cleveland, on steep slopes of the Allegheny Plateau to the south, and on sandy beach ridges in Ashtabula County, OH, and Erie County, PA. Dominant canopy species found in old growth remnants of this forest include eastern hemlock, sugar maple, beech, yel-low birch, and black cherry, with white pine as a co-dominant in some stands. Basswood and cucumber magnolia are occasional members of the canopy. Many hemlock forests growing in ravines and on steep slopes are secondary in origin. These stands may have red oak, red maple, and tuliptree mingled with the hemlock. Hemlock is also found on the river valley slopes and steep ravines of the lower Rocky, Black, and Vermilion rivers west of Cleveland.

Typical understory shrubs are maple-leaf viburnum and witch hazel. Common herbaceous and evergreen ground-cover species include sweet white violet, round-leaved yellow violet, long-stalked sedge, red trillium, Canada mayflower, Indian cucumber root, giant blue cohosh, black cohosh, white wood aster, evergreen wood fern, marginal shield-fern, and partridgeberry.

Regionally uncommon forest birds, including winter wren, hermit thrush, northern water-thrush, dark-eyed junco, black-and-white warbler, black-throated green warbler, Canada war-bler, magnolia warbler, and Blackburnian warbler, are associated with this forest community.

Great Lakes Hemlock-Beech Hardwood Forest

Long-tailed salamander

Where to Gobig Creek park, geauga park district (geauga County, oh)

north Chagrin reservation, south Chagrin reservation, and bedford reservation, Cleveland Metroparks (Cuyahoga County and Lake County, oh)

paine falls park and hell hollow Wilderness area, Lake Metroparks (Lake County, oh)

sand run park, Metro parks serving summit County (summit County, oh)

stebbins gulch, holden arboretum (Lake County, oh)

vermilion reservation and black river reservation, Lorain County Metro parks (Lorain County, oh)

Zoar valley area along Cattaraugus Creek (erie, Chautauqua, and Cattaraugus counties, ny)

Magnolia warbler

Black-throated green warbler

Dark-eyed junco

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Now reduced to small fragments, this community formerly occupied large areas of level, poorly drained flats on the Lake Plain from Sandusky, OH, to Erie, PA. South of the Lake Plain, swamp forests were formerly common on level till plains, depressions within glacial end moraines (ridges of glacial till deposited at the terminal margins of glaciers), peatlands adja-cent to glacial lakes, and abandoned river channels. Canopy cover is complete and dominated by red maple, silver maple, red ash, black ash, and American elm. American elm was probably the dominant species prior to the introduction of Dutch elm disease. Other canopy trees are tupelo, black wil-low, peach-leaf willow, eastern cottonwood, bur oak, swamp white oak, and shellbark hickory. Hemlock-yellow birch- tupelo swamps are common within western Pennsylvania on level, poorly drained flats. Smaller patch communities, such as vernal ponds (small, isolated wetlands that flood seasonally), buttonbush shrub swamps, and mixed shrub swamps are pres-ent within many Lake Plain swamp forests.

Spicebush is the most common understory shrub, and win-terberry, elderberry, and viburnums are often present. Typical ground-cover species include marsh violet, lizard’s tail, many sedges, marsh marigold, arrow arum, turtlehead, wood reed, fringed loosestrife, tufted loosestrife, orange jewelweed, cardi-nal flower, sensitive fern, cinnamon fern and royal fern. Many rare plants not considered wetland plants, such as rose-shell azalea, dewdrop, dwarf dogwood, velvet-leaf blueberry, paint-ed trillium, and awned shorthusk are confined to hummocks adjacent to vernal ponds within this forest in the snowbelt northeast of Cleveland. These forests often have hummocky topography, which develops from the wind-throw of the shallow-rooted trees.

Vernal ponds within this forest are home to wood frogs, spring peepers, spotted salamanders, Jefferson’s salamanders, four-toed salamanders, and red-spotted newts. Nesting birds include ovenbird, veery, warbling vireo, yellow-throated vireo, hooded warbler, and wood thrush. The community also in-cludes the woodland jumping mouse, long-eared bat, and rat snake.

Lake Plain Swamp ForestWhere to Go

bradley Woods reservation and along abandoned river channels in the rocky river reservation, Cleveland Metroparks (Cuyahoga County, oh)

Carlisle reservation, Lorain County Metro parks (Lorain County, oh)

eldon russell park, geauga park district (geauga County, oh)

erie bluffs state park (erie County, pa)

grand river terraces preserve, berger preserve, and kingsville swamp preserve, of the Cleveland Museum of natural history (ashtabula County, oh)

Morgan swamp preserve of the nature Conservancy (ashtabula County, oh)

new Lyme Wildlife area, ohio division of Wildlife (ashtabula County, oh)

roderick Wildlife reserve-state game Land 314 (erie County, pa)

veterans park, Lake Metroparks (Lake County, oh)

Wood frog

Veery

American woodcock

Wood thrush

Painted trillium

Spotted salamander

Buttonbush

Cardinal flower

Vernal pool

Pallister State Nature Preserve (Ashtabula County, OH)

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Great lobelia

Grand River (Lake County, OH)

This community occurs on temporarily flooded soils along major rivers and streams. Dominant trees include silver maple, American elm, black walnut, and sycamore. Other associated species include box elder, red ash, and cottonwood. Sandbar willow, red osier dogwood, and silky dogwood are present on frequently flooded low terraces of major rivers.

Along the frequently flooded terraces of the lower sections of all Lake Erie tributary rivers from the Vermilion River east to Conneaut Creek, this community includes open meadows dominated by wing-stem, ox-eye, panicled aster, smooth gold-enrod, Joe-Pye weed, ironweed, sandbar willow, red osier dog-wood, and silky dogwood. Meadow formation is caused by a single herbaceous plant, Emory sedge. The sedge produces a carpet of grass-like tussocks with a dense mass of underground stems and roots. During flood events, the tussocks and roots reduce the velocity of stream flow and cause the deposition of silts and sand suspended within the stream. Once the beds of sedge are well established, prairie grasses and summer meadow flowers can grow on them.

These wet meadow areas are home to butterflies such as Baltimore checkerspot, Hobomok skipper, black dash, bronzed copper, and American rubyspot damselfly.

Silver Maple-Elm Floodplain Forest

Floodplain perennials

Where to GoCuyahoga valley national park (summit County and Cuyahoga County, oh)

firestone Metro park, Metro parks serving summit County (summit County, oh)

hidden valley reservation, Lake Metroparks (Lake County, oh)

rocky river reservation and south Chagrin reservation, Cleveland Metroparks (Cuyahoga County, oh)

vermilion river reservation and black river reservation, Lorain County Metro parks (Lorain County, oh)

Illinois river cruiser

Prothonotary warbler

American redstart

Baltimore checkerspot

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Emergent Deep Marshes occupy intermittently or per-manently flooded shores upstream from the mouths of many Lake Erie rivers, open ponds within abandoned river chan-nels, shorelines of glacial lakes, beaver ponds, and depression wetlands within glacial deposits. Such marshes generally have two main zones—an emergent zone in the shallow waters along the shore and a floating-leaved zone in deeper water off shore—and the community responds dynamically to changes in water levels.

The floating-leaved zone within the deeper waters of Lake Erie bays and glacial lakes is usually dominated by white wa-ter lily, spatterdock, water smartweed, and several species of floating and submerged pondweeds, eel grass, Eurasian water-milfoil, and coontail. The emergent zone marshes, with typical water depths less than seven feet, were historically dominated by greater bur-reed, soft-stem bulrush, tussock sedge, lake sedge, pickerelweed, southern blue flag, rice cut-grass, com-mon arrowhead, American three-square, hard-stem bulrush, and river bulrush.

Beavers are often a key actor in a marsh community, mak-ing dams that raise water levels and create ponds suitable for emergent vegetation. Birds include red-winged blackbird, sora, Virginia rail, American bittern, least bittern, wood duck, blue-winged teal, pied-billed grebe, prothonotary warbler, swamp sparrow, and green heron. Bullfrogs, leopard frogs, painted turtles, and snapping turtles can be found, as well as snakes, weasels, lemmings, shrews, and fish species.

High quality deep marshes formerly occurred at the mouths of rivers flowing into Lake Erie, and the few remain-ing examples, such as Arcola Creek in Lake County, OH, and Old Woman Creek in Huron, OH, are important breeding and nursery areas for many Lake Erie fish. Most other marshes in the region—including such popular locations as Mentor Marsh, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, and Cleveland Metroparks North Chagrin Reservation—have been impacted by non-native narrow-leaved cattail, purple loosestrife, reed canary grass, and com-mon reed grass (Phragmites).

Emergent Deep Marsh

Spatterdock

Where to Goarcola Creek nature preserve (Lake County, oh)

Conneaut outlet-state game Land 214 (Crawford County, pa)

Lake pleasant natural area, Western pennsylvania Conservancy (erie County, pa)

old Woman Creek state nature preserve (erie County, oh)

presque isle state park (erie County, pa)

sheldon Marsh state nature preserve (erie County, oh)

Watts flats state Wildlife area (Chautauqua County, ny)

Wheeler Creek Marsh, geneva state park (ashtabula County, oh)

Great blue heron

Green heron Wood duckWater lily

Pickerelweed

Presque Isle (Erie County, PA)

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Rose pogonia

Pitcher plant flower

Flat Iron Lake Bog (Portage County, OH)

Kettlehole Bogs are among the rarest natural communities in the region and are confined to the shores of glacial, kettle-hole lakes. Such lakes were formed by large blocks of ice left by retreating glaciers. As the ice blocks melted, they formed a deep lake dammed by glacial debris. Around the edges of these lakes developed swampy flats layered with decomposed sphagnum (peat) moss. The moss creates a very acidic medium that provides habitat for many rare plants, including relicts of boreal vegetation that moved south in front of the glacial ice sheets.

The vegetation is dominated by evergreen and semi- evergreen shrubs, including leatherleaf, highbush blueberry, and lowbush cranberry. Coniferous trees, such as tamarack, are found on the edges and on peat moss hummocks on the floating mats. Sedges and other grass-like plants are the most abundant components of the herbaceous cover. Insectivorous plants (pitcher plant, sundews, bladderwort) are also charac-teristic of this community.

One can also find spotted turtles, four-toed salamanders, and iridescent dragonflies and damselflies such as American emerald, racket-tailed emerald, chalk-fronted corporal, frost-ed whiteface, and sphagnum sprite. Bogs are also habitat for many waterfowl, as well as masked shrews and least weasels.

Kettlehole Bog

Spotted turtle

Where to Goburton Wetlands nature preserve, geauga park district (geauga County, oh)

eagle Creek state nature preserve, geauga park district (geauga County, oh)

fern Lake bog and singer Lake bog of the Cleveland Museum of natural history (access by permit only) (geauga County and summit County, oh)

flat iron Lake bog preserve of the nature Conservancy (access by permit only) (portage County, oh)

triangle Lake bog state nature preserve (portage County, oh)

Note that some of these areas have restricted access to

protect fragile habitats.

Racket-tailed emerald

American toad

Gray tree frog in pitcher plant

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Fens are rare wetlands created by the outflowing of mineral rich, alkaline water that has flowed through glacially deposited sands and gravels. Shrubs usually dominate the stands with over 50 percent cover. Tall shrubs include speckled alder, black chokeberry, silky dogwood, red-osier dogwood, willows, and nannyberry. Low shrubs include alder-leaved buckthorn and poison sumac. Trees, such as red maple or tamarack, may be present as saplings or stunted trees. Characteristic herbs in-clude interior sedge, porcupine sedge, sterile sedge, tussock sedge, prairie sedge, cotton grass, purple avens, swamp thistle, soft-stemmed bulrush, and ferns such as royal fern and marsh fern.

Fen communities have meadows dominated by different mosses than bogs. However, sphagnum moss, the naturally acidic moss of bogs, can also grow on the alkaline surfaces of fens, and these sphagnum mounds can maintain acidic bog species within the generally alkaline fen seepages.

Many of the region’s rare and endangered plants, such as showy lady’s slipper, yellow lady’s slipper, shrubby cinquefoil, and bayberry are restricted to fens. These include “Ice Age rel-ics,” northern plants left behind by retreating glaciers.

Fens are habitat for the uncommon gray petaltail dragon-fly and the rare two-spotted skipper butterfly. One can also see red-bellied snakes and birds such as alder flycatcher, cedar waxwing, common yellow-throat, and northern waterthrush.

Rich Shrub Fen

Northern waterthrush

Where to Gogott fen state nature preserve (access by permit only) (portage County, oh)

J . arthur herrick state nature preserve of the nature Conservancy (portage County, oh)

McCoy state nature preserve and north kingsville sand barrens of the Cleveland Museum of natural history (access by permit only) (ashtabula County, oh)

pennsylvania state game Land 109 (erie County, pa)

pennsylvania state game Land 197 (Warren County, pa)

pymatuning state park (Crawford County, pa)

Wattsburg fen, Western pennsylvania Conservancy (erie County, pa)

Note that some of these areas have restricted access to

protect fragile habitats.

Showy lady’s slipper

Spreading globeflower Small purple-fringed orchidSmaller fringed gentian

Grass of parnassus

Myersville Fen State Nature Preserve (Summit County, OH)

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White lady’s slipper

Indian grass

Prairie white-fringed orchid

Castalia Prairie, Resthaven Wildlife Area (Erie County, OH)

This grassland community is at the eastern edge of its range in the Lake Erie Allegheny region. It is found on the Lake Plain on level, sandy glacial outwash and deposits of dune sand and silty/clayey slumps. The vegetation of this community is dom-inated by tallgrass species typically three to six feet high, such as big bluestem, Indian grass, and prairie cordgrass. Other spe-cies include little bluestem, switchgrass, prairie dock, dense blazing-star, Sullivant’s milkweed, Ohio goldenrod, Riddell’s goldenrod, and Ohio spiderwort. Trees and shrubs are rare.

Small hillside prairies are widely scattered on slumping valley walls within the Cuyahoga River and Grand River val-leys. Some floodplain meadows on the Black, Cuyahoga, and Grand rivers are locally dominated by prairie grasses. The Castalia Prairie, once covering more than 3,000 acres in west-ern Erie County, OH, is the largest in the region.

Prairie communities include the state-endangered eastern massasauga rattlesnake, as well as deer mouse, meadow vole, black racer snake, and western chorus frog. Birds include American kestrel, savannah sparrow, and short-eared owl.

Lake Plain PrairieWhere to Go

black river reservation, Lorain Metro parks (Lorain County, oh)

brecksville reservation prairie demonstration site, Cleveland Metroparks (Cuyahoga County, oh)

Castalia prairie, resthaven Wildlife area (erie County, oh)

riverview park, Lake Metroparks (Lake County, oh)

stumpy basin, Cuyahoga valley national park (summit County, oh)

Painted skimmer

Short-eared owl

Eastern massasauga rattlesnake

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This is a sparsely vegetated, herbaceous (non-woody) com-munity that occurs on most sandy Lake Erie shores, protected from waves by man-made features such as breakwalls or natu-ral features such as sand dunes. The community is character-ized by beds of rushes, reeds, and sedges, many of which can only be found in this type of habitat.

The abundance and species of plants found in this com-munity are affected by the seasonal rise and fall of lake water levels. The seeds of many plants that compose this community can remain dormant in underwater sediments for decades dur-ing years when lake levels are high. When lake levels recede, these plants flourish on the newly exposed flats, sometimes revealing rare plants that have not been seen in years. Indeed, this community supports close to half of the 77 state-listed rare plants at Presque Isle State Park (PA). Two species new to the flora of Ohio and Pennsylvania, Tuckerman’s panic grass and ovate spikerush, were discovered within this community during the low lakes levels of 1988 and 1992. Several uncom-mon, showy plants such as fringed gentian, pink gentian, sil-verweed, and Kalm’s lobelia are also members of this ephem-eral community.

The Palustrine Sand Plain provides an important feeding and resting habitat for migrating shorebirds. Leopard frogs, Fowler’s toads, and tiger beetles can also be found.

Great Lakes Palustrine Sand PlainWhere to Go

east harbor state park (ottawa County, oh)

headlands dunes state nature preserve (Lake County, oh)

presque isle state park (erie County, pa)

veterans park and indian point park, Lake Metroparks (Lake County, oh)

Umbrella flat sedgeFowler’s toad Tiger beetle

Presque Isle (Erie County, PA)

Fringed gentian Rose pink

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Eastern spiny softshell turtle

Freshwater mussels

Grand River (Lake County, OH)

Rivers and streams shape the topography of the region as they cut through the Allegheny Plateau and carve valleys in the Lake Plain. In addition to being forces that shape the landscape, rivers and streams are living systems. To various de-grees, the life in most of the region’s streams has been degraded by water pollution and altered hydrology that results in low flow in dry weather and flash floods in wet weather. But these streams are still home to diverse biological communities.

Under the rocks of streams are wriggling communities of aquatic insect larvae, such as mayflies and caddisflies. Also underwater are freshwater mussels, crayfish, snails, and am-phibians such as mudpuppies. Fish in a healthy stream include redside dace, southern redbelly dace, rainbow darter, logperch, blacknose dace, stonecat, rock bass, and smallmouth bass. A couple of high quality, cold-water tributaries to the Chagrin River still support native brook trout. The French Creek wa-tershed in western Pennsylvania and western New York has some of the nation’s best remaining examples of numerous freshwater species.

Among the rocks of local streams one might find north-ern dusky salamanders, and along the sandbars you can see eastern spiny softshell turtles and northern crayfish. Flying over the water are dragonflies and damselflies, such as ebony jewelwing, dragonhunter, riffle snaketail, green-faced clubtail, American rubyspot, powdered dancer, ocellated darner, and rainbow bluet.

Great blue heron and belted kingfisher are birds that patrol rivers for food. Mammal species living in or along the region’s rivers include mink, muskrat, and the northern river otter.

River and Stream Aquatic CommunityWhere to Go

Conneaut Creek (erie County, pa)

french Creek, various locations (erie, Crawford, and Mercer counties, pa, and Chautauqua County, ny)

hidden valley park and riverview park, Lake Metroparks (Lake County, oh)

rocky river reservation and south Chagrin reservation, Cleveland Metroparks (Cuyahoga County, oh)

shenango river, various locations (Mercer County, pa)

stebbins gulch, holden arboretum (Lake County, oh)

vermilion river reservation, Lorain County Metro parks (Lorain County, oh)

Rainbow darter

Sand darterRedside dace

Pickerel frog

Northern longear sunfish

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Lake Erie is the most biologically productive of the Great Lakes, in part because it is the warmest and shallowest. Above and beneath the surface of the water there is a complex natural community, from floating plankton to bald eagles. Although this community has partially recovered from the water pol-lution of past decades, it is under extreme stress from causes ranging from shoreline habitat alteration to the invasion of ex-otic species, such as the zebra mussel, sea lamprey, and round goby.

Still, the lake teems with life. Shallow, nearshore areas have beds of aquatic plants, such as eel grass, Richardson’s pond-weed, small-leaved pondweed, and several species of water naiad and Eurasian water milfoil. Mayflies emerge from the bottom sediments in great swarms, joining other aquatic in-sects and forage fish to provide food for larger fish, including walleye, yellow perch, lake sturgeon, northern pike, and long-nose gar. Countless warblers, ducks, and raptors migrate along the lakeshore every spring and fall. Ring-billed and herring gulls gather in large flocks every winter. Every day there is a new panorama of life to see.

Lake Erie Open Water Community

Grass pickerel

Where to GoMentor headlands state park (Lake County, oh)

presque isle state park (erie County, pa)

Canvasback

Yellow perch Great black-backed gull

Sanderling Lake Erie mussels

MayflyBeach pea

Headlands Beach dunes

Lake Erie at Vermilion (Erie County, OH)

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Ashtabula County Metroparks www.ashtabulacountymetroparks.org

Biodiversity Alliance www.cmnh.org/site/Conservation_BiodiversityAlliance.aspx

Chagrin River Watershed Partners, Inc. www.crwp.org

City of Twinsburg www.mytwinsburg.com

Cleveland Botanical Garden www.cbgarden.org

Cleveland Metroparks www.clemetparks.com

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo www.clemetzoo.com

Cleveland Museum of Natural History www.cmnh.org

Cuyahoga American Heritage River Initiative www.crcpo.org/ABOUTCAHR.html

Cuyahoga River Remedial Action Plan www.crcpo.org

Cuyahoga Valley National Park www.nps.gov/cuva

EcoCity Cleveland www.greencitybluelake.org

Erie National Wildlife Refuge www.fws.gov/northeast/erie

Geauga Park District www.geaugaparkdistrict.org

Grand River Partners, Inc. www.grandriverpartners.org

The Holden Arboretum www.holdenarb.org

Isaak Walton League, Western Reserve Chapter www.iwla.org

Lake Metroparks http://lakemetroparks.com

Medina County Park District www.medinacountyparks.com

Metro Parks, Serving Summit County www.summitmetroparks.org

Nature Center at Shaker Lakes www.shakerlakes.org

The Nature Conservancy www.nature.org

Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) www.noaca.org

Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.state.oh.us

Ohio Invasive Plants Council www.oipc.info

Pennsylvania Environmental Council www.pecpa.org

Portage Park District www.portageparkdistrict.org

Stark County Park District www.starkparks.com

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy www.paconserve.org

Western Reserve Land Conservancy www.wrlc.cc

Members of the Lake erie allegheny partnership for biodiversity(as of March 2007)

Conserving nature for future generations

www.leapbio.org