What Makes Geauga a Gem - Geauga Park District

A bat habitat at The West Woods
It is with sadness that biologists confirm the
presence of white-nose syndrome in bats
hibernating in the cave areas of The West
Woods in Russell and Newbury Townships.
White-nose syndrome (WNS)
has killed more than 5.5 million
bats in eastern North America
since 2006, and was first
documented in Ohio at Wayne
National Forest in 2011.
Because these animals are top
predators for night-flying insects,
their mass deaths have raised
concern about WNS’s potential
impact on agriculture and entire
ecosystems nationwide.
How does WNS kill Bats generally
resume feeding and foraging again in
April, and leave their hibernacula colonies
for maternity colonies in May. The belief
is this disease irritates them enough to
prematurely rouse the bats, forcing them
to find food when little is available, which
results in starvation.
“Unfortunately no known cure exists
for WNS,” said Paul Pira, Geauga Park
District’s Natural Resource Management
Director. “And if it doesn’t get them the
first year, it wipes them out by year two.”
Bat-to-bat contact transmits the disease.
Because it requires body temperatures
below 68 degrees Fahrenheit to grow,
the disease does not affect humans.
But humans can still spread WNS from
contaminated sites to new areas on their
clothing, footwear and outdoor gear.
Geauga County is home to Little Brown
Bats, Big Brown Bats, Northern Long-eared
Bats, Eastern Small-footed Bats and Tricolored
Bats, all of which can be affected
by WNS; so can the federally endangered
Indiana Bat, found in Summit County.
However, the region’s Red, Hoary and
Silver-haired Bats thankfully don’t appear
to be affected.
Signs of WNS include white fungus
on a bat's nose, wings, ears or tail;
flying outside during the day in cold
temperatures; clustering near the entrance
of hibernacula; or
groups of dead or
dying bats during
winter months.
For more
information
about bats and
the effects of
WNS both
regionally and
statewide, please
visit http://bit.ly/
WhiteNoseSyndrome or http://fws.gov/
WhiteNoseSyndrome. With questions
or unusual bat sightings, please call Park
Biologist Paul Pira at 440-279-0812.
Photo of Little Brown Bat (above) courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Geauga: a Gem (continued)
These forests once covered 95 percent
of the state; Geauga was almost solid
beech-maple. But today, the county is
one of the few places left with intact
examples of this once-common forest.
“People tell other folks in Northeast
Ohio: ‘You wanna go see a real nice
example of a typical forest that was
here years ago, go to Swine Creek
Reservation, visit a Geauga County park
and take a look at one of those forests,”
Pira said. (“As forest systems go in
Northeast Ohio, it’s one of the best,”
Bissell said.)
“There are lots of us,” Pira added, “that
are concerned about protecting both
the rare stuff and fine examples of more
common communities which are going
away pretty quickly.”
Preservation
In line with these concerns, the Lake Erie
Allegheny Partnership for Biodiversity
(LEAP) is in the process of writing a
regional conservation plan to guide
concerned organizations.
Using data from geographic analysis, the
group of roughly 10 biologists, including
Pira, hopes to create a master list of
regional plants, animals and properties
to preserve or restore – “and a lot of
those are falling in Geauga County,” he
said. “We have nice big connected forests
and wetlands that allow for plants and
animals to move through corridors and
carry on life by doing that.”
Of course this is all news to the wildlife,
which couldn’t possibly understand
political boundaries. That’s why it falls
to the Park District, its residents and its
partners to protect their habitat, and
thus biodiversity, for future generations.
“I think people should be proud to live
in Geauga County,” said McDonald.
“Yes, for its land preservation, but also
because it’s just a beautiful place to live.”
April at a glance
4-1 April Foolery
4-1 Spring Wildflower Preview
4-3 Geauga Walkers
4-5 Shutterbugs Camera Club
4-7 Egg Hunt: Nature Style
4-12 Grandparents in the Park
4-12 Food & Farms
4-13 Woodcock Watch
4-14 Hunter Education Course
4-14 Cub Scout Achievement
4-15 Spring Bird Walk
4-15 Invasive Invaders & Films
4-17 Geauga Walkers
4-19 Nomadic Birder
4-20 The City Dark Film
4-20 Astronomy Night
4-21 Hunter Education Course
4-21 Binocular Adventure
4-21 Timbertots
4-22 Spring Bird Walk
4-23 Hound Hike
4-24 Timbertots
4-26 Jam Session
4-27 Scrapbooking Workshop
4-28 Meet the Artists
4-28 Wildflower Workshop
4-29 Spring Bird Walk
4-29 Horseback Trail Clinic
Advance Registration Required
(call 440-286-9516 or register online)
Volunteers Needed
Fully Accessible
Nature Scopes
Leave No Child Inside Program
supports initiative by providing naturecentric
experiences designed to instill
wonder, engender curiosity and benefit
emotional and social health.
Heart Healthy Program
indicates a program involving physical
activity and heart health and offering
an experience to de-stress in Nature.
• If you or a member of your family has special
needs, please call the Park District regarding
available accessibility accommodations.
• American Sign Language interpreters can be
arranged with 72 hours notice.
• Advance registration is required for limited
enrollment programs.
• Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.
• In the event of severe weather or a “storm
warning,” programs will be cancelled.
• Programs are generally free of charge; those with
fees are noted.
• Payment of fees must be made at the time of
registration with a credit/debit card.
• Registration fees can be refunded up to five
days prior to the event, or if the Park District
cancels the program.
4 VOICES OF NATURE • www.geaugaparkdistrict.org