Management Moment: Artificial Nesting

Shrinking habitat for our native birds comes with challenges of food shortages, mating opportunities, and brood-rearing cover. All of these factors are very important to the survival of a species, so finding ways to supplement these losses can be a valuable tool for habitat managers and landowners. Providing food plots on farm land is one way to help supplement food loss, but establishing pocket populations of species presents financial, legal and timely challenges. Creating nesting opportunities could possibly be the easiest solution to help out our feathered friends.

It is not out of the ordinary to drive down the road or through a subdivision and see bird houses, small grass fields, fence rows and dead trees. While all these have their own niche, bird boxes/houses still seem to reign as the king of artificial nest sites. With so many resources to buy or research plans to build bird boxes, anyone can get involved!

Creating nesting opportunities for cavity-nesting birds, such as bluebirds, is fairly easy. Most box builders will use a simple wood and nail design,  which are fun to build and seem to stand the test of time (check out some of our recommended design plans here and here). 

To start, a 4-sided rectangular box with 1 ½ in. hole as the entry and exit hole is created. One side of the box is toe-nailed to allow access for box checks and to clean out nests of unwanted species, such as house sparrows. The boxes are then mounted to a T-post or electrical conduit. When placing these boxes, be sure that they are facing east. This will guard against most winds, and boxes should be facing an open field where the grasses are fairly short and close to perching points. The boxes should be at least 5ft. off of the ground and  spaced roughly 20ft. apart from other boxes. Some people have been known to place two boxes side by side  on the same post with the hopes of having bluebirds establishing one nest and other species occupying the other. This is trying to stack the odds in the favor of bluebirds by placing more boxes. Many people will also place baffles or grease the poles to help reduce predation from snakes, raccoons, opossums and other hungry predators.

Interested in learning more about bluebirds, becoming a monitoring volunteer or building bluebird boxes? Join us on February 25, 2023 at 10 am at our Administrative offices at 2156 Hwy 50 in Batavia.  We will be building bluebird boxes and launching our bluebird monitoring program!

Building Excitement at Clermont Parks

Niki Marengo, Community Engagement Manager

We’re literally building excitement at the Clermont County Park District! Staff has been working hard with consulting team MKSK to get feedback from our collaborative partners, stakeholders and most importantly, the community we serve, to build the park’s first comprehensive master plan. This plan will be ready for its unveiling this spring at our Earth Day festivities on April 22. In it you’ll find updated mission and priorities, expected projects and new ways that you can get outdoors – be sure to mark your calendars to come to Shor Park and check it out.

We haven’t been waiting on the Master Plan to get working though; we’ve already been building some big changes throughout our parks, including:

• two new bridges at Wilson Nature Preserve and Shor Park;
• a new parking lot at Kathryn Stagge-Marr Park;
• a meandering trail through wetlands, open meadows and along streams, as well as replaced the parking lot at Ten-Mile Creek Nature Preserve;
• a large-scale invasive removal, updated benches and trail updates at Kelley Nature Preserve.

Our staff has been busy - and we’re just getting started! Check out some of the 2023 projects that we’re most excited about:

Sycamore Park Sundeck: Enjoy the river with our new sundeck! This raised platform will be the perfect spot to sit back and take in the sights of the East Fork River. Looking to launch your kayak? You’ll be able to use our new kayak launch near the sundeck.

Wilson Nature Preserve Suspension Bridge: From Sycamore, take a stroll over to the adjacent Wilson Nature Preserve to our new suspension bridge. This unique project will come to life utilizing Clean Ohio grant funds, as well as Park District capital monies. The 105-foot suspension bridge will connect guests to a 25- acre island in the East Fork River, where they’ll be able to enjoy over a mile of new and restored trails. We’re excited to see this project become one of the most iconic spots to visit in our parks.

New Chilo Lock #34 Playground: Bring your kids for a day on the Ohio River! Enjoy Chilo’s historic river history museum and a new accessible playground. Utilizing Park District capital money and a CDBG grant, construction will soon be starting. This playground is the last one to get a recent and much-needed overhaul in the Park District.

Kathryn Stagge-Marr Pavilion: The 2022 tornado structurally damaged the onsite shelter at Stagge-Marr Park, leaving it unavailable for rentals. Well, time to take advantage of new opportunities! In 2023, we’re investing funds from insurance monies into building a structure that will not only be available as a shelter, but also as pavilion for concerts and other special events in the park. The new pavilion will have an additional space for storage, and will be located near the pond at the park.

Have questions about the master plan or the future of these projects or others in the Park District? Reach out to Executive Director, Josh Torbeck, at 513-732-2977. We’ll see you outside!