Key initiatives in 2018 included:
- 90-percent completion of Standing Rush's first Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funded project -- the replacement of its primary water conveyance structure connecting Standing Rush's West Marsh to Sandusky Bay;
- Targeted aerial management of more than 90 acres of invasive Phragmites austraulis completed in conjunction with the USFWS, ODNR and other area partners;
- Formal collaboration with Toledo Public School's Natural Science Technology Center (NSTC) culminating in the release of 150 advanced fingerling northern pike that were raised by the students in their lab in Toledo;
- Installation of 1,100 hardwood tree seedlings over a nearly six-acre area adjacent to Standing Rush's East Marsh (a project partially funded by the USDA);
- Receipt of our second consecutive "Conservation Fund" award from Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) and official participation in the Biggest Week in American Birding;
- Launch of the Marsh Mercantile -- an online shop that not only strives to foster pride in Lake Erie, its unique habitats, and the importance of wetland conservation, but also that provides grassroots funding for Standing Rush restoration efforts.
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| Fifteen discrete project updates coupled with supporting posts -- read from bottom to top if interested in reading chronologically -- provide all the gory details of our first GLRI-funded project (and can be accessed here) |
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| Educational outreach remains a cornerstone of Standing Rush's mission |
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| We spend a lot of time talking about plants and animals, but ultimately it's critically important to remember that PEOPLE are part of this ecosystem (photo taken during a Biggest Week in American Birding tour at Standing Rush) |