5th graders tour wildlife refuge in Conservation Field Day
BENTON TOWNSHIP - Students throughout the region are visiting and learning firsthand about the only National Wildlife Refuge in Ohio, one that sits in their own backyard.
On Thursday and Friday, more than 500 fifth-grade students are scheduled to travel to the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and Magee Marsh for field days, where they are learning about the importance of different natural resources and conservation.
This is the 55th annual Conservation Field Day held at the refuge and hosted by the Ottawa Soil and Water Conservation District, along with many other participating organizations.
Bataan Intermediate, Oak Habor, Woodmore, Genoa, Lakota, Immaculate Conception, Danbury, St. Boniface and Put-in-Bay schools each are scheduled this year’s event.
Nicholas Moore, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, explained to students that the grounds they toured and explored throughout the day actually belong to them. Although it is protected and maintained for wildlife, as state and federal land it belongs to the people and is open to the people.
“It’s protected so people can enjoy the wildlife for generations,” Moore said.
Moore also explained the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, which also manages the Cedar Point refuge to the west and West Sister Island, is the only land in Ohio designated in the National Wildlife Refuge system, totaling about 10,000 acres.
Magee Marsh, which neighbors the refuge to the east, is managed at the state level by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife.
Other topics discussed included life in the marsh, fish habitats, agriculture, soil and Lake Erie.
Students learned about migratory birds and observed a live bird banding. They also learned about litter and marine debris while participating in a hands-on beach cleanup, where they found trash of all kinds.
At the conclusion of Friday’s tours, a total of more than 26,700 students will have participated in the event during the last 55 years.