Mentor Marsh, Our Natural National Treasure

Mentor Marsh, Our Natural National Treasure

By Estelle Rodis-Brown

Mentor Marsh is a local treasure with state- and nationwide impact. It is one of the largest natural marshes remaining along the Lake Erie shoreline, attracting huge numbers of migrating birds and breeding fish.

More than 90 percent of the state’s original wetlands have been drained over time to make way for development, according to the Ohio Division of Wildlife. Mentor Marsh, however, was preserved as a National Park Service-designated National Natural Landmark in 1966 for being one of the most species-rich sites among the Great Lakes.

Fowl Territory
Recognizing its value as a breeding area for Lake Erie fish and as a rest stop for migrating waterfowl and songbirds, Cleveland Museum of Natural History acquired the 800-acre marsh in 1965 and established it as the state’s first nature preserve in 1971.

Mentor Marsh and the adjacent Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve to the northeast comprise an ideal place to see spring migrations of songbirds and waterfowl, including blue-winged teal, American wigeon, gadwall, American black duck, Northern shoveler and hooded merganser. This unique wetland — which occupies an ancient abandoned channel of the Grand River — is recognized as a National Audubon Society Important Birding Area and is part of the Lake Erie Birding Trail. 

On the western boundary of the Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve, the City of Mentor’s 230-acre Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve is also a premier birding site, featuring 1.5 miles of shoreline with rare dune plants, a riverine marsh and a mature oak bluff. More than 260 bird species have been recorded within or offshore of the Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve and Mentor Marsh.

Over three miles of hiking trails encircle the Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve, offering views of the Mentor Lagoons Marina, Mentor Marsh, upland forest and the Lake Erie shoreline.

Trail maps are available at the Marina office, trailhead, or at the Recreation Department located at the Mentor Municipal Center. Kayaks can be rented to paddle throughout the lagoons’ protected waters. Call (440) 205-3625 for reservations.

Recovery
Mentor Marsh suffered a dramatic environmental setback in the 1960s when salt-mine tailings were dumped into Blackbrook Creek. By the early 1970s, most of the swamp forest trees and marsh plants were dead. The site was overtaken by reed grass (Phragmites australis), a 15-foot-tall non-native invasive plant that choked the nearly four-mile-long marsh basin.

 The Cleveland Museum of Natural History began a large-scale restoration of Mentor Marsh in 2004. After removing polluted soil and acres of phragmites, dozens of native plant species were reintroduced to the marsh. By 2017, more than 19,000 plants representing 23 species native to the marsh had been reestablished. 

The museum reports that these native plants have attracted rare marsh birds such as American and Least Bitterns, Virginia, King and Sora Rails, Common Gallinules and Wilson’s Snipe to nest here. Fish, including Northern Pike, are spawning, and Yellow Perch fingerlings are using the marsh as a nursery. Otter, beaver, wading birds, waterfowl and shorebird migrants are also using the restored marsh as a stopover habitat.  

As restoration efforts continue, Mentor Marsh is co-managed by the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Four miles of hiking trails are open year-round, dawn to dusk. The Carol H. Sweet Nature Center at 5185 Corduroy Road in Mentor offers nature programs and guided hikes. For more information, call 440- 257-0777.

Immerse yourself in the Mentor Marsh and its ongoing story. Visit soon to make the most of this national treasure on Lake Erie’s shoreline.

About the author

A Portage County resident, Estelle has been writing for Mitchell Media since 2016. She now serves as digital/associate editor of Northeast Ohio Thrive magazine. Her curiosity drives her interest in a wide array of writing topics and secures her enduring commitment to lifelong learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

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