As a group of eager paddlers buckle into their life jackets and start gathering their oars, canoes and kayaks, two juvenile bald eagles fly over
Old Woman Creek.
A few minutes later, an adult
bald eagle drops down from a tree along the beach, flies down to the water and lands back in the tree, perhaps with a fish.
The guided canoe trip along Old Woman Creek hasn’t even started, and wildlife already abounds.
As the group readies to get on the water, Jennifer Bucheit, Old Woman Creek Education Coordinator, tells the group about the estuary - a partially enclosed coastal body of water where water from two different bodies of water meet, in this case the creek and Lake Erie - and what they might see along the way.
Old Woman Creek is part wetland and part creek and starts at a barrier beach to Lake Erie in Huron. At times, the sand from the beach completely closes the creek, Bucheit says.
“Wetlands act as nature’s kidneys,” she says. “They filter out bad things. This system has always been natural. It’s never been altered or channelized.”
The preserve includes wetlands, upland forests and sandy beaches, habitat that has attracted a diverse array of wildlife, such as 300 different bird species, 40 fish species and hundreds of native plants.
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Kristina SmithIt is tranquil and mostly quiet, except for the gentle sounds of paddling and friendly banter among the group and the sounds of some of the birds flying through and sitting in the trees. On the guided canoe tours, paddlers see the wider wetlands, as well as the narrow portions of the creek that wind through trees and marsh areas. During the summer, the reserve provides the canoes, kayaks, and life preservers and offers the trips every other Wednesday and every other Saturday.
“It’s kind of a lazy river back there,” Bucheit says. “There are no rapids.”
Old Woman Creek has been offering these tours for more than a decade, and they regularly fill up. It’s a somewhat rare opportunity because other paddlers must register with the reserve’s nature center before going out on the water.
“I think people like communing with nature,” she says. “It’s a chance to safely enjoy the natural environment. Because Old Woman Creek is unique, it is kind of a hidden gem. Not many people know about it.”
It is one of two national estuaries on the Great Lakes - the
other is in Superior, Wisconsin – and is managed through a partnership between the state of Ohio and the federal government.
Bucheit shares some of these details with the group before it paddles away from the bank in the early evening sun. The paddlers travel through a wetland covered in lily pads, where
great blue herons and
great egrets stand on logs and stare patiently into the water, waiting for their next catch.
Under the first of several bridges, the paddlers are greeted by the chirping and quick movement of
cliff swallows, who have built nests with dirt and somewhat resemble wasp or hornet nests. Some peek out from the nest holes as the paddlers move by.
Next, the group – some in canoes, others in kayaks – rounds a corner and sees a pair of
belted kingfishers, dark blue and white birds with a white band on their necks. The creek opens into a larger wetland, and more eagles can be spotted sitting in the trees along the bank and flying above.
Bucheit points out these birds and other wildlife and plants on the water. A metal tower sits on one side of the wetland, and it is being used to study how greenhouse gasses, specifically methane gas, are processed through this coastal ecosystem.
This study is a partnership between Ohio State University and Old Woman Creek. OSU Professor Gil Bohrer, Ph.D., is studying how much methane, which is effective in holding heat in the atmosphere, is released from this undisturbed wetland, and Old Woman Creek’s Research Coordinator Steve McMurray, Ph.D., is trying to create a carbon budget for the estuary to help understand the role that carbon plays in this freshwater ecosystem.
“The methane flux tower offers a piece to that puzzle,” Bucheit says.
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Kristina Smith The wetland narrows and winds into a creek with several dead trees. Past the tower, the group then continues along the wetland, heading past some blooming water lilies and under the watchful eye of an eagle looking down from a waterfront tree. The evening sun gives the water a bit of sparkle.
It is tranquil and mostly quiet, except for the gentle sounds of paddling and friendly banter among the group and the sounds of some of the birds flying through and sitting in the trees. As the group passes a wooded area, Old Woman Creek staff point out an abandoned
beaver lodge, which looks like a giant pile of sticks on the shoreline. There are still beavers, but they’ve built a different lodge that is about a quarter of a mile north of the old lodge.
The wetland narrows and winds into a creek with several dead trees. A plethora of
red-headed woodpeckers fly about, some popping into holes they have carved into the trees.
At this point, the paddlers have lost count of the number of eagles it has seen. Many of them are juveniles with mottled brown and white feathers. (Eagles do not get their white head and tail until about age 5.)
Perched in a small dead tree are three
cedar waxwings, birds that are named for the waxy-looking red patch on their wings. Many other types of birds, including
tree swallows,
double-crested cormorants and more herons and egrets land here and there or fly by.
Bucheit loves pointing out the varied species. Eagles, once on the brink of extinction due to pesticide use, are now common and one of her favorite birds to discuss.
“It’s such a good story about humanity fighting our wrong path,” she says. “There’s that hope that we can change our path.”
A much rarer visitor to Old Woman Creek that Bucheit loves to see is the
trumpeter swan,
which Ohio removed from its state threatened species list in April. A pair often stops by in the winter. Although the beautiful birds don’t stay for an extended time, she loves seeing them in the wetland.
“There’s nothing about nature that doesn’t excite me,” she says.
The diverse group of paddlers – some who have taken the tours numerous times and others who are experiencing it for the first time – seems to share that sentiment. Some are interested in the aquatic plants, while others are watching the trees and sky for different birds.
“This place is for everybody,” Bucheit says.
Guided Canoe Trips at Old Woman Creek State Nature Preserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve in Huron are offered every other Wednesday and every other Saturday in the summer. They last two hours, and canoes, kayaks and life preservers are provided. For the schedule, visit https://ohiodnr.gov/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/old-woman-creek-nerr-state-nature-preserve. To register, email [email protected], or call 419- 433-4601.