Birdwatcher’s paradise turns 55
Sunrise at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Ron Huffman/USFWS. Today marks the 55th anniversary of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. At nearly 10,000 acres, Ottawa Refuge conserves and protects some of the last remaining Great Lakes coastal wetlands in Ohio. Located on the south shore of the western basin of Lake Erie, it provides essential stopover habitat for migratory shorebirds and waterfowl for both spring and fall migration. Prothonotary Warbler courtesy of Jen Goellnitz/Creative Commons. The whole refuge complex was once part of the Great Black Swamp, a glacially fed wetland that extended for more than 100 miles south west into Indiana. Millions of migratory birds descend into the Lake Erie marshes to rest and rebuild energy reserves to continue their migration journey. The abundance and diversity of both water birds and land birds makes Ottawa important and reflects the critical conservation value of refuge wetlands and other associated Lake Erie habit...