Mentor Marsh by Rebecca Donaldson
Mentor Marsh is one of the largest natural marshes remaining along the Lake Erie shoreline. It was among the first four of Ohio’s first State Nature Preserves designated in 1971. This state-wide and regionally important wetland is about 5 miles long and about a half mile wide. It contains many unique habitats and is high in food production for its many inhabitants. The more than 800 acres of marsh are an important breeding and nursery area for native fish that live in Lake Erie and an important stopping ground for waterfowl in spring and fall migrations. The remaining swamp forest, upland forested areas surrounding the Marsh and the nearby Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve make the greater Marsh ecosystem among the best places in the state to witness spring migrations of songbirds. The marsh and the forest surrounding it are home to numerous amphibians and other animals and it also contains many significant and rare wetland and forest plants. Historically, the Grand River flowed westward through the Marsh, but as recently as a couple thousand years ago, the river carved a new outlet to Lake Erie at its present location to the east. The Marsh now occupies this abandoned river channel. Water still enters the Marsh from Blackbrook, Heisley and Marsh Creeks, travels westward and outlets to Lake Erie at Mentor Lagoons. Vegetation at Mentor Marsh has changed over the time of recorded human history. An early U. S. Army Corps of Engineers report from the 1850s stated that the Marsh was an open wetland characterized by floating and emergent plants. Gradually the Marsh matured into a forested wetland, or swamp. Infiltration of salt, beginning in 1959 from local brine well ruptures and then further in 1966 from 255,000 tons of sub-grade salt material that was dumped/filled Blackbrook Creek just before it enters the Marsh on an adjacent property, changed the Marsh drastically. The increased salinity killed many trees and other flora of the swamp. Salt-tolerant Phragmites australis, an invasive reed grass of Europe and Asia, subsequently invaded the Marsh and crowded out remaining native species. Phragmites remains the dominant plant in the Marsh today and Mentor Marsh is Ohio’s largest Phragmites marsh. In addition to displacing native plants, reducing habitat for wildlife and forming a monoculture which reduces biological diversity, the swath of Phragmites at Mentor Marsh is also a huge fire danger. Thick stands of Phragmites provide a huge potential for wildfire after the tall grass dies back each fall. Mentor Marsh has burned nine times since its first fire in 1979 with the most recent occurring in April 2003. All of the fires have been human caused.
Brief History of Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve In early 1960, a regional park plan to dredge the marsh for recreational amenities thus impacting its many natural resources came to the attention of the Burroughs Nature Club. Burroughs took the threat of the Marsh’s development to their membership and other interested individuals. Several groups, including the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH), became involved in an effort to protect the Marsh. In 1961, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) agreed to become involved in the project. Through CMNH efforts, many Lake County citizens and TNC, monies were raised to fund the purchase of an 80-acre tract. Local companies also donated over 400 acres at that time. In 1964, the Museum Board of Trustees agreed to accept custodianship of Mentor Marsh, contingent on terms that would limit the monetary obligations of the Museum. The Museum acquired additional acres of Mentor Marsh property in 1965 and