Masking the Wetlands
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources limits the 2021 event, The Biggest Week In American Birding, with unnecessary restrictions on the world-famous Magee Marsh boardwalk.
When one thinks about Ohio, global tourism does not come to mind. Unless, however, you find yourself interested in birding. Ohio is one of the last stops of the Mississippi Flyway migration route for several species of birds making their way from South America to Canada to mate.
This once-a-year migration occurs during April and May, with the “Biggest Week in American Birding” taking place in mid-May, usually starting around Mother’s Day. During these months and, particularly, the week of Mother’s Day, Ohio sees an influx of tourists. From personal experience, people come from all 50 states and many different countries to observe and photograph these birds. I have been attending this event since 2017, and I have had the pleasure of meeting people from countries like Greece, France, Japan, Trinidad, and Tobago, England, and Spain.
The mecca of birding is located in my backyard, the NW Ohio area, specifically the Toledo Metro area. Along the east side of State Route 2, people gather at five metro parks to see many colorful, lively songbirds. The main bird people are looking for is the Warbler. There are over 120 Warbler species that make their way along the Mississippi flyway. The map link below shows the parks to stop at to get your birding fix.
Birding Map
The final stop on the above map is THE place to be during May, Magee Marsh. There are many hiking trails and open areas to observe the migrating birds at Magee Marsh. The real draw to Magee Marsh is the world-famous boardwalk. The boardwalk is just under one mile of walking trail cutting through the woods on the southern shore of Lake Erie.
The nonprofit organization, Black Swamp Bird Observatory, responsible for holding events, hosting guided tours, and giving away free info to new birders every year. Their headquarters is located in a small building near the entrance of Magee Marsh. The nonprofit and Great Lakes Now estimate that roughly 90,000 people travel to NW Ohio every year, generating around 40 million dollars in economic revenue for the area restaurants, bars, and hotels.
Last year, 2020, everything was locked down. The entrance to Magee Marsh was completely blocked off, and the entire park was completely closed. There is over 3 mi of wetlands, hiking trails, and driving routes on the grounds. Closing the boardwalk was understandable in May of ‘20, but the entire park? Questionable in my view.
Fast forward one year.
We are now in April of 2021, and the migration has started. On the day I write this, Magee Marsh is fully open, everything except the birding giftshop. BUT the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has announced that the Magee Marsh boardwalk will be closed “during peak migration” April 17-May 31st. I am on the fence about this. When I first heard about the closing of the boardwalk during peak season, I was very disappointed. There is still a way to get onto the boardwalk; however, if a person wants to reserve a permit to gain entrance to the boardwalk, they would need to do so online via the Toledo Zoo website.
Permits are only good for a two-hour period beginning at 8 am from April 30-May 17th. A person can only request and receive ONE permit for boardwalk entry. This, in my view, is completely unnecessary. Some people come to the area for the entire month for the specific activity of walking the Magee Marsh boardwalk. Even though the boardwalk is less than a mile long, it very easily could take more than two hours to see all the birds on your list. Also, the birds come in waves. Some species are more likely spotted earlier in the month are some are late to the party. One could not possibly predict what will be flying through when.
According to the New York Times, 3.1 Million vaccines are being given every day, and so far there are a total of 117 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine as of April 10th, 2021. By the time peak migration is here, it is very safe to say that most folk at the park will be fully vaccinated. Oh, and by the way, the VAST majority of the birding community is 55+—the first to be vaccinated. The events of Biggest Week in American Birding are completely outdoors during the daytime as well, meaning it is incredibly more difficult to contract Covid-19. It does not make any sense why the ODNR are willing to sacrifice another year of 40 million dollars in income for the metro area, given the number of vaccines that will be out. It is also safe to say that the number of people coming to the biggest week in American birding from other countries will be significantly lower than in 2019. All of the peoples I listed above are restricted from entering the USA, according to the CDC.
I understand the thought behind closing the boardwalk. We do not want people to mass gather in a tight area. Just require people to wear masks on the boardwalk. The one-time permit nonsense is only going to make people more upset. Why not just have a volunteer at both entrances keeping track of how many people come and go? They could limit the number of people on the boardwalk at one time. There are four other parks within five miles of Magee Marsh. People will have other things to do while they wait for the boardwalk to open up.
I plan on getting one of those permits myself to access the boardwalk during the migration. I also plan to make my way out to the wetlands on more than one occasion this year. I will follow up on this piece with accounts from other photographers and birders. I am curious to hear their thoughts about this year’s Biggest Week In American Birding events. I will also try and speak with someone at the ODNR and or the Black Swamp Bird Observatory to get insight into why they decided to limit the boardwalk this season. Expect the follow-up in mid-late May.
Best,
Grant