Sandhill Crane Wetland Highlight

Just north of the Toledo Express Airport lies Northwest Ohio’s biggest wet prairie restoration project to date. The goal is to have 280 acres of critical wetland and upland prairie restored through this project. In tandem with restoring this landscape for sandhill crane populations and other wildlife, this project aims to provide flood retention, groundwater recharge, and nutrient storage. In attaining these goals, the project will contribute to reducing Beneficial Use Impairment 14b - Loss of Wildlife Habitat.

The Nature Conservancy partnered with Bowling Green State University (BGSU), the University of Toledo, Metroparks of the Toledo Area, and MAD Scientist Associates, LLC., to evaluate the site in preparation for restoration, including things like the hydrology, topography of the landscape, soils, flora, and fauna. Due to its past agricultural land-use, the tract had been extensively tiled. With the help of Dr. Kennedy Doro, they used ground-penetrating radar to locate the agricultural drainage tile.  

Specific restoration objectives include: 

• Remove over 30 miles of agriculture drainage tile
• Restore 900-acre-feet additional stormwater storage
• Plant 7,000 native trees
• Seed over 200 native species of plants 
• Scrape over 50 acres to enhance shallow depressions for aquatic species and emergent vegetation and restore dunes

MAAC 2020 Annual Report to be Released Soon!

We are excited to share that work on the 2020 MAAC Annual Report will be available soon! The Report will be updated each year to showcase progress made towards eventual AOC delisting. Please consider requesting copies of the Report to pass out at the next applicable meeting or conference that you attend and share the digital version widely.

We are also working on crafting another series of “rack cards” to highlight and summarize four projects that were/are being conducted. Once completed, these cards will be available for distribution digitally and at meetings and conferences as well. Stay tuned for updates regarding the completion and availability of these new materials!

MAAC Voting Member Applications Open

The MAAC is currently seeking applications for committee membership for 2021 - 2022. Multiple voting member positions are currently open, and there is no limit to the number of new Non-voting (resource) member seats. Voting members serve for two year terms, while non-voting members are appointed each year based on expressed interest. This year, we are especially interested in adding more community members to the MAAC!

Voting Member applications are available at maumeeaoc.org for those interested in joining the MAAC. The application deadline is Wednesday, November 18th, 2020. Non-Voting Members do NOT need to complete the application. They only need to send an email to Cherie Blair (Ohio EPA) or Kris Patterson (Partners for Clean Streams) indicating their interest and for which level of involvement (Ex-Officio or Resource member). The time and your ability to represent your respective agency should be approved within your agency per your own internal process. 

We want to make sure the Maumee AOC has a strong and representative voice in the AOC process and encourage all interested individuals to apply. The members of the MAAC will play an important role in defining the future course of the activities in the AOC. Some of the key activities for 2021 include:

• Work with Ohio EPA to determine any BUIs that can be removed;
• Continue to evaluate conditions, status, and needs utilizing recently collected data;
• Continue to develop strategically located projects that will lead most directly to BUI removal;
• Continue to monitor and assist with development and implementation of management action projects (MAPs).

We invite you and your agency to be involved in improving the Maumee AOC as either a Voting, Ex-officio or Resource Member of the MAAC. As you consider this, please see the details regarding each of these positions here. Thank you for considering this opportunity. We look forward to hearing from you by November 18^th!

2020 - In Review

The year 2020 has been a whirlwind of change in so many ways and on so many fronts, and the MAAC was no exception. Fortunately, it’s good news to report from our AOC and committee! Take a look at the list below for an overview of our accomplishments this year.

• Management Action Projects
  • AquaMAPs – Project list recommended and approved
  • SedMAPs - Project list recommended and approved
  • WildMAPs – Project implementation progress/ some projects completed
• Sampling Programs
  • BUI 8: Water samples were collected from the Ottawa River throughout the summer by a team from The Mannik & Smith Group in order to understand current water quality conditions as they relate to the potential for undesirable algal growth (aka eutrophication).
  • BUI 6: A crew from the US EPA Office of Research & Development conducted benthic macroinvertebrate sampling to help gauge the success of an upcoming sediment removal project along Otter Creek.
  • BUI 10: A sampling team from the USGS collected water samples from Wolf Creek & Berger Ditch to identify sources of bacterial contamination in the area near Maumee State Park.
• Outreach
  • Ohio EPA Maumee AOC Video Premiere
  • MAAC 2019 Annual Report
  • WildMAP Project Spotlights (4 projects)
    • Project cards to highlight AOC projects
    • Project summaries on MAAC website
    • Project posts on MAAC social media pages (Facebook and Twitter)
    • Developing virtual project site tours and interviews (to be formatted into shareable video clips)
  • Maumee AOC Information Brochure