• Home
  • About Us
    • Meet The Board
    • Meet the Staff
  • About the Watershed
    • Photos
    • Maps
  • What's Happening
    • News
    • Publications
  • Donate
  • Contact Us
    • Membership and Mailing List
  • Photostory
Captina Conservancy

News and Reactions

Wednesday Walks

3/23/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Join us for a virtual group walk every Wednesday! Post a picture or comment of yourself and/or anyone in your household (PLEASE practice safe social distancing and don't walk with anyone not already living with you) getting some fresh air. Whether it's the woods, a park, around the block or down the road, we'd love to see you. 

Physical movement and a change of scene (both of which don't have to cost anything) can be a great boon in times of stress. Let's give it a try as we practice being apart, yet very much still together. 

0 Comments

Hello from the new Executive Director

10/22/2019

0 Comments

 
Hello everyone!

I’m so honored to be writing as the new Executive Director of Captina Conservancy. The more I learn about the organization and the more wonderful people I meet, the more energized and excited I am to be part of this important group.

I come to Captina after seven years as an Assistant Attorney General in the Ohio AG’s Office, specializing in environmental enforcement. My background in environmental law led me to a strong desire to be involved in the type of important preservation and conservation work Captina Conservancy does every day. I love hiking, camping, and backpacking and can't think of a better place to be than Belmont County.

I look forward to meeting you all in one way or another! Stay tuned through email and Facebook for information about upcoming events, and plans to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of Captina Conservancy in 2020! If you’d like to get more involved in Captina, please call, email, or just stop by the office any time!

​My email is: ellie@captina.org
0 Comments

The Enjoyment of Raven Rocks

8/19/2019

0 Comments

 
This video was passed on to us and features the very first conservation easement held by the Captina Conservancy.  At just over 1000 acres, perhaps this video will help explain why the landowners wanted it protected.  You can learn more about the people behind saving Raven Rocks here: http://www.raven-rocks.org/.

Raven Rocks is located in southern Belmont County.  It is privately owned, but the public is invited and encouraged to explore this hidden feature that reveals itself in a big way as soon  as you take the path into the woods and head down the stairs.

As a gentle reminder, this place is protected by a conservation easement.  It is meant to be enjoyed forever, not abused and destroyed by humans.  Stairs have been constructed to allow for easier access and to prevent slope erosion by visitors, but there are no rails for the steep edges.  Please, spend some time here, but remember the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace so others can experience having their breath taken away as well. 


The 7 Principles of Leave No Trace and how they apply to visiting Raven Rocks
  1. Plan Ahead and Prepare: rocks are slippery in the rain and dew. The ravine is noticeably colder than the start of the trail.  This site is not handicapped accessible.  Watch your step as it is uneven terrain.  Be CAUTIOUS if you intend on going immediately following a heavy rain or after snow melt as conditions of the stream can be very flashy.
  2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces: there is no camping permitted in Raven Rocks.  Please use the stairs provided for your safety.  There is no marked trail through the ravine (it's easy to see where it goes), but step lightly while exploring the rest of the area.
  3. Dispose of Waste Properly: for your convenience, there are recycling and trash barrels provided at the trail head, but please do not leave trash bundled outside of the barrel if it is full (haul it back with you - pack it in pack it out).  Don't forget the cigarette butts and juice box straw wrappers!
  4. Leave What You Find: people have been enjoying this site for thousands of years and our goal is for it to be around for another thousand years at least.  So ,"take only pictures, leave only footprints".
  5. Minimize Campfire Impacts: this one is easy too as there are no campfires permitted in Raven Rocks.
  6. Respect Wildlife: Raven Rocks provides a unique microclimate which allows plants and animals to flourish where they shouldn't be able to geographically.  The stream that flows through most of the year is a headwater stream.  The crisp, clear waters are vital for aquatic organisms.  
  7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors: people go to the outdoors for many reasons.  It is certainly not to see messages like "Micky was here 10/14" spray painted next to the waterfall or "JM+RA" scratched into a rock with the moss torn away.  Whether it's for peace, pictures, fresh air, or whatever, respect this property the way you want to see and use it. It's not a library, so you don't have to be quiet, but maybe you don't need your music to play above the bird chatter.
Learn more about Leave No Trace here: https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/
0 Comments

All rainbows lead to                                  Captina Creek Watershed.

6/20/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Not much needs to be said about this photo except that it was captured by our drone operator, Jonathan, on Tuesday, June 18.
0 Comments

Bobolink Bonanza Recap

6/12/2019

0 Comments

 
  1. Bobolink
  2. Eastern Meadowlark
  3. Red-wing Blackbird
  4. Killdeer
  5. Eastern Kingbird
  6. Savanna Sparrow
  7. Willow Flycatcher
  8. Barn Swallow
  9. Great Blue Heron
  10. Cedar Waxwing
  11. Yellow Warbler
  12. Warbling Vireo
  13. Baltimore Oriole 
  14. Field Sparrow
  15. Song Sparrow
  16. Grasshopper Sparrow
  17. Canada Goose
  18. Goldfinch
  19. Phoebe
  20. Turkey Vulture
  21. Brown Thrasher
  22. Mourning Dove
  23. Great Crested Flycatcher
  24. Ibis
  25. Orchard Oriole
  26. Red-tail Hawk
  27. Bluebird
  28. Horned Lark
  29. Wood Thrush
  30. Scarlet Tanager
  31. American Kestrel
  32. Downy Woodpecker
  33. Eastern Wood-Pewee
  34. American Crow
  35. Chipping Sparrow
  36. Swamp Sparrow
  37. Brown-Headed Cowbird
  38. Common Grackle
  39. House Sparrow
  40. Red-eyed Vireo
Picture
June 1st not only brought a break in the weather, but over 60 people to Dickinson Cattle Company for the Bobolink Bonanza.  Between the free shirts, door prizes, and peacocks, visitors saw or heard a collective 40 birds over the reclaimed strip-land pastures.  In 2018, we saw 34 types of birds.  Neither year would have been successful without the incredible members of the Brooks Bird Club.

While most species were to be expected, two Ibis were spotted. The Ibis resembles a cross between an egret and a stork or heron and are more commonly found along coastal areas.  Perhaps these two were blown off course with the recent storms, but no one could get close enough to ask them. 

Cabelas was on hand with a variety of binoculars and a scope for demonstration. Barnesville's Country Sunshiners 4H Club provided food and donated all proceeds to fairground improvements.  Belmont Soil and Water Conservation District and Captina Conservancy were around to talk about services each organization offers.  

The Bobolink Bonanza organizers would like to thank t-shirt sponsors Belmont County Tourism Council, Woodsfield Savings Bank, and Captina Conservancy, as well as door prize donors Belmont Mills, Rural King, and Belmont Soil and Water Conservation District. 

Check out the list to the left for found birds!

Photo credit: Daniel Caron
0 Comments

Wildflower Walk, a blooming success

5/17/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Wild flowers and other herbaceous plants
Common blue violet   
Yellow violet
White violet
Common Buttercup
Kidney leaf buttercup
Spring cress
Cut-leaf toothwort
Pennsylvania bittercress
Black mustard
Garlic mustard (invasive)
Spring beauty
Large flowered trillium
Toad shade
Ramps (wild leek)
Golden ragwort
Miterwort
Greek valerian
Bloodroot
Mayapple
Spring forget-me-not
Northern bedstraw
Cleavers
Wild geranium
Spring larkspur
Wild ginger
Sharp lobed hepatica
Perfoliate or Sessile bellwort
Sweet cicely
Virginia bluebells
Plantain leaved pussytoes
Golden alexanders
Common bluet
Trout lily
Rue anemone
Early saxifrage
Daisy fleabane
Colts foot
Broad leaved waterleaf
Wild blue phlox
Henbit
Ground ivy
Christmas fern
Grape fern (Botrichium sp.)
Stonecrop
Sour dock
Wild strawberry
Chickweed
​
Birds (seen or heard)
Canada Goose
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
White-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Carolina Chickadee
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Ovenbird
Louisiana Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Yellow Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
Northern C
Trees and shrubs (Some in bloom)
American Elm
Sycamore
Box elder
Redbud
Flowering Dogwood
Silver Maple
Red Maple
White ash (most dead from the ash borer)
White oak
Northern red oak
Yellow buckeye
Black walnut
Black willow
Sassafras
Tuliptree
Pawpaw
Black-haw (Viburnum prunifolium)
Autumn olive (invasive)
Multiflora rose
Bitternut hickory
Shagbark hickory
Spice bush
Hawthorn (Crataegus sp.)
Ironwood
Wild honeysuckle (Lonicera dioica var. glaucescens) ​​
0 Comments

April 09th, 2019

4/9/2019

0 Comments

 
The US Forest Service has teamed up with the Ad Council to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System Act, which occurred in August 2018.  I just heard one of the radio advertisements today.  

This PSA campaign couldn't come at a more pressing time. In a world inundated with technology and constant notifications, we, especially kids, are spending more time looking down than around.  Stop reading this for 30 seconds and take a look around yourself.  

This campaign doesn't promote putting the technology away completely.  Several of the tools are interactive trails and forest locators.  And it also doesn't blowing the dust off the encyclopedias, but the campaign does emphasizes getting outside to get some questions answered.  After all, that's how it was done.

Check out more of the PSAs here and see why "some answers can only be found on the trail."
0 Comments

Natural Resource Management Act

2/26/2019

0 Comments

 
​Earlier this month, the Senate recently passed the Natural Resource Management Act.  This package contains a lot of information - including more than 100 different bills - that all impact public lands and conservation in one way or another.  

Why do we care? Within this Act, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) would be permanently reauthorized.  This program is an avenue for Captina Conservancy to use to acquire lands for conservation and access as we continue to grow.  Learn more about LWCF and how you can help by calling your Representative.

Another important piece of the package is the reauthorization of the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program.  The is a program that our partner agency, Belmont Soil and Water Conservation District, has actively used to complete a variety of projects with the assistance of the US Fish and Wildlife Service.  Projects completed include: vernal pool creation, pollinator habitats, and habitat restoration within Captina Creek Watershed.

The full Natural Resource Management Act needs to get through the House and the rest of the legislative process, but this is a tremendous step for conservation within these United States.   The Wildlife Society wrote a good article summarizing the main points of the Act.  And if you are up for some light reading, you can check out the full Act (S 47) here.

Picture
<<UPDATE>>
The John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act became law on March 12, 2019.  This is a momentous achievement for the world of conservation.  You can read the final Act here.

Thank you to Ohio's senators and representatives that supported the passage of this act:  Senator Sherrod Brown, Senator Rob Portman, Representative Joyce Beatty, Representative Bill Johnson, Representative David Joyce, Representative Robert Latta, Representative Bob Gibbs, Representative Marcy Kaptur, Representative Michael Turner, Representative Marcia Fudge, Representative Troy Balderson, Representative Anthony Gonzalez, Representative Tim Ryan, and Representative Steve Stivers
0 Comments

Pollinators and Pipelines

2/13/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Click to learn more about pollinator habitats.

Are Pipelines to Blame For Decline
Pipelines Fuel Concern for Waterways
Pollinators is quite the buzz word these days. 
What can we do for them? 
How can we plant more and harm less?

Let me through another buzz word at you: pipelines.

Can pollinators and pipelines get along?

In the short of it, when a pipeline crosses a creek, the company requires a certain footage of right-of-way to be maintained to access the pipeline in the future.  Currently, these right-of-ways are seeded with a basic grass mix "designed" to grow quickly to and hold the soil in place.  Periodic maintenance is performed to ensure no trees are growing their roots into the pipeline.   Easy-peasy.

What if, an arrangement could be made between the landowner and the company to plant pollinator plots instead.  I know the cost difference would be significant, but it might be cheaper in the long run.  The pollinator plot would establish itself quickly and with a stronger root system requiring less maintenance and potential reconstruction in the future.  

If the clearing needs to remain, why not make it useful.

Check out the articles to the left.  How can we get from stories like this to having stories with headlines like "12 New Pollinators Spotted at Pipeline Crossing"?
0 Comments

    Archives

    March 2020
    October 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Location

Captina conservancy


​Captina Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust with a focus on conserving and protecting the Captina Creek and regional Watersheds.  We seek to inform others about the importance of this watershed and its water quality to all who live here. We promote and engage in the conservation, restoration and sustainability of our Watersheds through education, voluntary conservation agreements and acquisitions, and water quality monitoring.

Cover Photo by Steve Snyder

Contact Us

Subscribe

Join our mailing list today!
Join Mailing List
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Meet The Board
    • Meet the Staff
  • About the Watershed
    • Photos
    • Maps
  • What's Happening
    • News
    • Publications
  • Donate
  • Contact Us
    • Membership and Mailing List
  • Photostory