Annually, 70,000 to 80,000 people visit Magee Marsh in the six-week period from mid-April through May during the songbird migration.

Historically, 37 species of warblers and over 300 species of birds have been seen at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, making it recognized worldwide as a top birding destination for songbird migration. Combined, these Lake Erie marshlands create a complex of habitat that is critically important because more than half of the endangered and threatened birds in the state require wetlands for part of their life cycle. Just down the road are the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area and the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge (Ohio’s only federal refuge). The Division’s contribution was reimbursed with dollars from the federal Pittman-Robertson Act, an excise tax on hunting and fishing equipment used to fund habitat restoration.ĭucks Unlimited obtained a $2.8 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to assist with construction.Īdjacent to Howard Mash is the Metzger Marsh Wildlife area. The Division of Wildlife committed a total of $4 million to help fund the wetland restoration, with Metroparks providing a 25 percent match. Metroparks contracted with Ducks Unlimited, the international wetlands conservation organization, to design the wetland habitat infrastructure, and with SmithGroupJRR, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, to design the public amenities infrastructure.

The other half of the purchase price was paid for with a $1.76 million grant from the Clean Ohio Fund Greenspace Conservation Program and $1.24 million from Metroparks.Ĭonverting Howard Farms into Howard Marsh required additional partnerships and funding. Metroparks and the Division of Wildlife entered into a management agreement for fishing, hunting, trapping and wildlife recreation and conservation at the marsh. When Metroparks successfully negotiated an agreement in 2008, the Division of Wildlife contributed half of the $6 million purchase price. The fishery is still being established, with stocking and fish making their way in from Ward's Canal, which supplies water to the marsh from Lake Erie.įor the paddler, there are two roll-off docks, kayaks available to rent by the hour using smartphone app (Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day) and portages between marsh unit. The quarter-mile Madewell Trail extends into a marsh, and two overlooks provide access for fishing and viewing birds. Together, these local, state and federal public lands are known for their concentration of songbirds, or warblers, especially during spring migration. The Metropark, which was previously a working farm, is adjacent to Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area in a region that also includes Maumee Bay State Park, Magee Marsh Wildlife Area and the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Trumpeter swans, a variety of ducks, osprey and an array of songbirds are typical sights, with occasional visits from sandhill cranes, bald eagles and pelicans. Over 230 species – more than half the known species ever recorded in Ohio – have been documented on birding websites, and include many rare and unexpected visitors during migration. Howard Marsh is a birding hotspot, particularly known for waterfowl and shorebirds. Howard Marsh has six miles of water trail for canoeing and kayaking, and five miles of dike-top trails for hiking and bicycling. One of the most ambitious projects in Metroparks history is to restore part of a 1,000-acre wetland near the lakeshore in Jerusalem Township. Wetland draws birds and birders near the Lake Erie shore.Ĭoastal wetlands are critically important to a healthy Lake Erie, and they are imperiled.

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