ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION AND SUSTAINABILITY – PARTNERS FOR THE FUTURE FIFTH MIDWEST-GREAT LAKES SER CHAPTER MEETING April 12 to 14, 2013 Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, Ohio

MEETING PROGRAM

WELCOME Welcome to the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Midwest-Great Lakes Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER). Our goal is to explore how the field of ecological restoration can assist other disciplines with achieving their sustainability goals and how other disciplines can contribute to ecological restoration. Our scientific agenda features two plenary sessions, a keynote address, three symposia, 18 contributed poster presentations, and 31 contributed oral presentations on a diversity of topics that reflect the interdisciplinary nature of our meeting theme. Notably, on Saturday afternoon our Meeting Hosts (The Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and School of Environment and Natural Resources) will offer a special joint plenary session and tours. This joint session will highlight and promote discussion on how managing ecosystems for sustainability can help restore important ecosystem functions. On behalf of the Midwest-Great Lakes SER Chapter we welcome you to the Buckeye State and to what we believe will be another outstanding forum for advancing the practice and science of ecological restoration.

2013 ANNUAL MEETING COMMITEE

The Chapter would like to extend its sincere appreciation to the members of the Annual Meeting Committee for their time and effort in coordinating and developing the Fifth Annual Chapter Meeting of the Midwest-Great Lakes SER Chapter:

Rocky Smiley (Chairperson), Roger Anderson, David Benson, Hua Chen, Young Choi, Charles Goebel, Jennifer Lyndall, Pamela Rice, Donald Tilton

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We are very grateful for the tremendous support provided by our generous meeting sponsors that enabled us to hold a sponsorship reception, support student participation, defrayed food costs, and to make our Annual Meeting as environmentally friendly as possible. We greatly appreciate the contributions of Hannah Roscoe-Metzger and staff of OARDC’s Shisler Conference Center who assisted greatly with planning the meeting and provided onsite help during the meeting. We are also thankful for the participation of the meeting presenters, moderators, tour leaders, field trip leaders, volunteers, and attendees for making our Fifth Annual Chapter Meeting a success.

SPONSORSHIP RECEPTION Enjoy drinks and snacks while examining poster presentations, viewing sponsorship exhibits, and socializing with colleagues.

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MEETING SCHEDULE OVERVIEW

Friday April 12 Shisler Conference Center 11:00 am – 7:00 pm Registration (Front Lobby)

11:00 am – 7:00 pm Sponsorship Exhibits (West and East Hallways)

1:00 pm – 3:15 pm Opening Plenary Session (Room 130)

3:15 pm – 3:30 pm Break

3:30 pm – 5:30 pm Symposia (Rooms 110, 116, 159)

5:30 pm – 7:00 pm Poster Session & Sponsorship Reception (Room 130/Arden Lobby)

7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Welcoming Comments & Dinner (Room 130)

8:00 pm – 9:00 pm Keynote Address (Room 130)

Saturday April 13 Shisler Conference Center 8:00 am – 11:00 am Registration (Front Lobby)

8:00 am – 2:15 pm Sponsorship Exhibits (West and East Hallways) and Posters (Room 130)

8:00 am – 8:30 am Continental Breakfast (Room 130)

8:30 am – 9:50 am Concurrent Oral Presentations (Rooms 110, 116, 130, 159)

9:50 am – 10:10 am Break

10:10 am – 11:50 am Concurrent Oral Presentations (Rooms 110, 116, 130, 159)

11:50 am – 12:00 pm Break

12:00 pm – 2:00 pm Lunch, Business Meeting, Awards Ceremony (Room 130)

2:00 pm – 2:15 pm Break

2:15 pm – 5:30 pm Joint Plenary Session, Mellinger Farm Tour, and Secrest Arboretum Tour (Room 130)

Sunday April 14

Orrville, Ohio Wooster, Ohio Columbus, Ohio 9:00 am – 1:00 pm Johnson Woods

Field Trip Wooster Memorial

Park Field Trip

10:00 am – 2:00 pm Olentangy River Corridor Field Trip

* All times are eastern daylight times

OPENING PLENARY SESSION – FRIDAY APRIL 12, 2013

INTERDISCIPLINARY INSIGHTS FOR GUIDING FUTURE ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION AND SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS

Representatives from DePaul University, the U.S. Forest Service, Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Laboratory, and The Ohio State University will discuss how their experiences and research results from different ecosystems in the Midwestern United States can guide future ecological restoration and sustainability efforts in the region so that ecological benefits are maximized despite an uncertain future. 1:00 – 1:05 pm: Anderson, Roger. Introduction. Illinois State University. Email: rcander@ilstu.edu 1:05 – 1:30 pm: Heneghan, Liam. Ecological Restoration: Scientific, Philosophical, and Sustainability Perspectives: a Chicago Wilderness view. DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois. Email: LHENEGHA@depaul.edu

The ecological restoration of degraded lands is older as a practice than the disciplines that study it, and that seek to advise its proponents. These disciplines, however, have an opportunity to refine the work, and to reflect upon the significance of its outcomes in much the way that intellectual engagement with any praxis – agriculture, hunting, or even art, for example – can augment that practice. The ecological evaluation of restorative management identifies best practices, measures progress towards stated targets, and elucidates basic ecological processes from ongoing manipulations of managed landscapes. The social sciences have clarified the way in which restoration emerges from the institutional governing structures, and seek to identify the processes whereby management is either agreed upon, or alternatively provokes opposition, in communities adjacent to restoration sites. Philosophical reflection on restoration sharpens our understanding of key conceptual terms, like nature, revises our considerations of our shared ethical obligations, and can help restorationists appreciate the full spectrum of values emerging from attempts to “make nature whole.” The influence of restoration on well-being and “topophilia” – an abiding love of place – is studied by environmental psychologists. Restoration may provide profound ways of getting to know a new place, and awaking practitioners from what I call “toponesia”, a forgetfulness of place. Using examples from the Chicago Wilderness region I briefly inspect each of these perspectives: restoration from a natural and social sciences, environmental philosophy, and as a sustainability endeavor that can potentially evoke a love for and allegiance to the places that we live. 1:30 – 1:55 pm: Iverson, Louis R.1, S. N. Matthews1&2, A. M. Prasad1, and M. P. Peters1 Modeling with Distribution Data and Traits to Assess Tree Species Vulnerability and Adaptability Under Climate Change. 1USDA Forest Service, Delaware, Ohio. 2 Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Email: liverson@fs.fed.us

The climate is changing. Tree species at any given location are currently under risk of their habitat changing. The degree of change depends on their location relative to their overall range, their particular ecological traits, and the severity of the changing conditions. We attempt to assess species vulnerability, and their capacity to adapt to a changing climate, in three regions of the eastern United States: the Northwoods of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan; the Central Hardwoods of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana; and the Central Appalachians of Ohio and West Virginia. To do so, we use a series of modeling schemes using species distribution models (called DISTRIB) and life history traits (called Modification Factors, or ModFacs). This approach provides clear inference to potential vulnerabilities of the extant tree species composition. The results provide a comprehensive assessment by presenting location-specific considerations of potential climate change impacts, and making these data readily useable for deliberation of management actions. Specifically, they include a series of tables and maps describing suitable habitat for years ending 1990, 2040, 2070, and 2100

for 70-80 species in each of the six regions. For example, northern Wisconsin had eight major species which were modeled to have large decreases in habitat by 2100, along with 18 species which showed large increases in habitat, while in southern Indiana, there were 8 large decreasers and 10 large increasers. Each species was also scored for adaptability to cope with increasing climate-related disturbances; these ‘ModFacs’ allowed for more reality in interpretation of the species distribution model outputs and allowed better assessment of likely outcomes via the species’ inherent adaptive capacity to change. 1:55 – 2:20 pm: Reutter, Jeffrey M. Lake Erie: The Best Example of Ecosystem Recovery in the World. Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Laboratory, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Email: reutter.1@osu.edu

In the late 1960s Lake Erie was severely polluted. In 1969 the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio caught fire and Lake Erie was called a “dead lake” by the media. It became the poster child for pollution problems in this country leading to the formation of USEPA, NOAA, and the first earth day. The lake was choked with excessive algal blooms. We solved this problem primarily by improving sewage treatment that reduced annual phosphorus loading from 29,000 tons to our target of 11,000 and the lake became the “walleye capital of the world.” Walleye harvests in Ohio grew from 112,000 to over 5 million, charter fishing businesses grew from 34 to over 1200, and coastal marine businesses grew from 207 to over 425. It is easy to show how Lake Erie declined in habitat quality to 1970, improved steadily from 1975 to 1995, and unfortunately has again been declining since 1995. In 2002 excessive blooms of blue-green algae returned and grew until 2011. These harmful algal blooms (HABs) are capable of producing 4 toxins that can be fatal to people and animals. HABs are a global problem. This presentation will discuss the causes of the blooms and possible remedies. Our experience on Lake Erie indicates that it can be done and the economic payoff can be significant. 2:20 – 2:55 pm: Wilson, Robyn. Designing Restoration Efforts and Sustainability Initiatives that Work: Insights from the Social Sciences. Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Email: wilson.1376@osu.edu

Thomas Heberlein (1974) proposed three fixes to environmental problems: technological, cognitive, and structural. Cognitive and structural fixes directly aim to change the human behaviors causing the problem. Cognitive fixes focus on changing attitudes and beliefs (e.g., persuasive tools aimed at voluntary changes in behavior), whereas structural fixes lead to behavioral change by altering the decision-making environment (e.g., incentives or regulatory based mechanisms). Although a technological fix may at first appear to bypass human behavior and decision making, many technologies are doomed to fail if not widely adopted, highlighting the importance of the behavioral component. To determine which type of approach to take to environmental problem solving it is critical to consider several characteristics that relate to human behavior. Specifically, research in the social sciences can identify whether or not the public and policy makers will support a particular proposed effort and whether or not the proposed effort is likely to consistently change behavior or lead to informed decision among those with the greatest influence on the natural system. Ongoing behavioral research in the context of land use and land management (namely forests and agriculture) will be discussed as examples of the need for integrated human-natural systems research in the design and implementation of a wide range of restoration and sustainability-based initiatives. Such efforts are particularly relevant and necessary given the cognitive challenges of planning and managing systems in a dynamic and changing physical environment. 2:55 – 3:15 pm: Panel Discussion. All speakers will take questions from the audience and further discuss their view related to insights for how interdisciplinary perspectives can guide future restoration and sustainability efforts.

SYMPOSIA - FRIDAY APRIL 12, 2013

Symposium #1 (Room 110): Challenges and Opportunities in the Dam Removal Project Lifecycle

Organizer: William C. Fleece, Stantec Consulting, Cincinnati, OH. Email: cody.fleece@stantec.com Presenters: Kyle Boone, Manchester University, North Manchester, IN; Jennifer L. Lyndall, ENVIRON International Corporation, Burton, OH; David Snyder, Ohio Historic Preservation Office, Columbus, OH; S. Mazeika P. Sullivan, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH; John R. Watkins, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Wellington, OH The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Inventory of Dams documented the existence of more than 76,500 large dams in the United States and estimated that 2,000,000 or more small dams may exist. A substantial proportion of these dams have aged beyond their design life, are structurally unstable, pose threats to human safety (e.g., drowning hazards), degrade water quality, trap fine sediments, store contaminants in the sediment, and preclude fish passage. Removal is often the most cost effective way to address these issues and to facilitate stream restoration. Dam removal immediately restores ecological connectivity between upstream and downstream river reaches. It restores the supply of sediment to gravel-starved downstream reaches. The transformation of a lentic system to a lotic system typically produces a number of benefits including increased species richness and diversity and reduced invasive species biomass. However, the financial resource commitment associated with dam removal typically increases with the size of the structure. Large projects may be exceedingly difficult to finance despite the obvious benefits. Dam removal projects are often confronted by a complex suite of technical issues, regulatory requirements, and social dynamics. Consequently dam removals are seldom implemented by a single entity and require the development and maintenance of collaborative relationships with stakeholder groups whose values are often widely divergent. The objective of this symposium is to examine the challenges and opportunities faced by dam removal projects at various points in the project life cycle including pre-project planning, engineering design, permitting, implementation, and post-demolition monitoring with an eye toward the continued advancement of this restoration tool.

Time Presenters Title 3:30 – 3:50 Lyndall, Jennifer L.

The valuation of ecosystem services associated with dam removal as a river restoration alternative

3:50 – 4:10 Watkins, John R. Water quality and habitat restoration at dams in the Ohio Lake Erie watershed

4:10 – 4:30 Fleece, William C. The role of freshwater mussels in the permitting, design, and demolition of a lowhead dam on the Olentangy River in Columbus, Ohio.

4:30 – 4:50 Snyder, David Using preservation law to accommodate consideration of cultural resources when proposing demolition of dams.

4:50– 5:10 Boone, Kyle. The Eel River ecosystem of north central Indiana: Stream response to low-head dam removal

5:10 – 5:30

Sullivan, S. Mazeika P. Evaluating linked geomorphic-ecological responses to dam removal

Symposium #2 (Room 116): Challenges of Ecological Restoration in Landscapes Altered by Surface Mining

Organizers: Kristin Jaeger and Charles Goebel. Ohio State University, Wooster, OH. Email: jaeger.48@osu.edu; goebel.11@osu.edu Presenters: Christopher Barton, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY; Charles Goebel, Ohio State University, Wooster, OH; Eric R. Merriam, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV; Eric Miller, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV Coal comprises the bulk of United States and global energy sources and coal production remains a chief industry throughout the Appalachian Region and portions of the Midwestern United States. Surface mining is a primary coal extraction method and represents a landscape-scale disturbance affecting long term physical and ecological processes at the watershed scale. Restoration of landscapes damaged by mine drainage, in particular ecosystem function, remains a major regional challenge in large part due to these fundamental and persistent alterations in watershed processes. For example, the collective impact of vegetation loss, compacted terrestrial surfaces and limited soil substrates for revegetation present challenges to restoration of terrestrial portions of the landscape. Further, subsequent alterations in hydrologic and sediment regimes create challenges to restoration of stream processes and aquatic ecosystems. Finally, additional challenges result from our current lack of comprehensive understanding of how mining-related impacts vary across space and how they are influenced by and interact with natural landscape characteristics and non-mining related stressors such as climate change and land use activities. The objective of the symposium is to present the range of challenges with respect to restoration of surface mined lands, which highlights the current state of knowledge and identifies existing knowledge gaps. This symposium will bring together scientists with expertise in both terrestrial and aquatic systems to: 1) provide a synthesis of existing research on restoration of these lands; 2) introduce regional restoration initiatives; and 3) provide findings from recent research related to surface mining impacts and the challenges of restoration efforts. Time Presenters Title 3:30 – 3:35 Jaeger, Kristin Introduction: Challenges in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem

restoration from the landscape-scale disturbance of surface mining

3:35 – 4:00 Goebel, Charles Revisiting the past to Improve the future: Legacy of OARDC research on mined-land reclamation in Ohio

4:00 – 4:25 Barton, Christopher Restoring ecosystem services on surface coal mines in Appalachia

4:25 – 4:50 Merriam, Eric, R. Multi-stressor impacts to streams in the mountaintop mining region of central Appalachia and implications for watershed restoration

4:50– 5:15 Miller, Eric Ecological benefits of compensatory stream mitigation in an intensively mined watershed

5:15 - 5:30 Synthesis and question and answer session

Symposium #3 (Room 159): Using Partnerships to Strengthen Ecological Restoration

Organizer: Mary Beth McCormack, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH. Email: mccormackmb@yahoo.com Presenters: Sarah Cech, Shaker Lakes Nature Center, Shaker Heights, OH; Ethan Yourd, John Carroll University, University Heights, OH How can education programs contribute to ecological restoration as a method for achieving sustainability? The purpose of this symposium will be to examine land stewardship as a form of service learning that can be employed to encourage students to learn scientific concepts of ecological restoration. As a form of service learning, land stewardship presents opportunities for students to learn about concepts of ecological restoration through hands-on experiences. Through land stewardship service, primary and secondary students acquire these hands-on experiences through practicing management of natural lands. Students are expected to learn a range of scientific concepts applicable to ecological restoration that range from basic biology concepts to concepts related to land preservation. This symposium will present a survey of collaborations established by northeast Ohio schools with local institutions that practice ecological restoration. Elementary, high school and college students participate in all aspects of ecological restoration. These partnerships provide valuable ecological restoration work and experiences for students to learn while positively contributing to local ecosystems. This symposium seeks to make two contributions. The first contribution is to formulate a research agenda for land stewardship as a form of service learning designed to encourage students to learn about scientific concepts of ecological restoration. The second contribution is to explore how hands-on experiences arising from ecological restoration in the form of service learning can help young students understand and value scientific principles underlying ecological restoration. Future research questions include analysis of goals of ecological restoration organizations, incorporation of additional schools or other student-focused organizations, and the outcomes of student learning in subsequent years after their experiences with an ecological restoration project. Time Presenters Title 3:30 – 3:50 McCormack, Mary Beth & Sarah

Cech Introduction

3:50 – 4:15 McCormack, Mary Beth Ecological restoration, students, and science in ecological restoration projects - partners for the future

4:15 – 4:40 Cech, Sarah Ecosystems, ecological restoration and students - partners for the future

4:40 – 5:05 Yourd, Ethan Ecological restoration and service learning as partners for the future

5:15 - 5:30 Questions and Discussion

POSTER SESSION - FRIDAY APRIL 12, 2013 Room 130 - 5:30 pm – 7:00 PM Poster # Presenters Title

1 Campbell, Alicia Caitlin & C.H. Keiffer Successional chronosequence of woody restoration in strip mined land at The Wilds in Zanesville, Ohio

2 Cochran, Caleb J., C.K. Keiffer, B.C. McCarthy, & J.M. Bauman

Overcoming arrested succession: Field survival of backcrossed American chestnuts in mine reclamation

3 Liming, Chen, D. Kost & W.A. Dick Abandoned surface coal mine land reclamation using a flue gas desulfurization product

4 Knight, Kathleen S. & J.M. Slavicek Using Dutch elm disease-tolerant elms to restore floodplains impacted by emerald ash borer

5 Rose, Sarah J. & P.C. Goebel Effects of catastrophic natural disturbance on ground beetle (Family: Carabidae) and spider (Order: Araneae) communities

6 Barber, T., Jennifer Lyndall, B. Patterson, T. Conlin, R. Williams, S. Winkler, A.J. Klei, & D. Green

Successful coordination of restoration activities in the Ashtabula River AOC with federal, state, and private stakeholders

7 Green, Donna Ecological restoration and environmental cleanup: Enlisting nature to safeguard and recover contaminated land

8 Shmagrnoff, Rachel, S. Kinsman, E. Bird, J. Garcia, & Y.D. Choi

Assessment of restored vegetation in the wetlands of Wolf Lake, Hammond, Indiana

9 Zilla, Brian, J. DeGroff, & D.J. Taylor Scan me maybe: Sustaining interest in wetlands and restoration using QR codes

10 Enright, Michael P. & R. Ligas Effects of different herbicides on the resprout rate of lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria)

11 Geiger, Donald R. & J. Schneider

Controlling dense stands of invasive sweet flag, Acorus calamus

12 Smith, Chelsea & M.M. Gardiner The composition of lady beetle egg predators varies among egg species and across foraging habitats: Considerations for native lady beetle conservation

13 Gordon, Brad, P. Rothrock, & P. Labus Creating biological benchmarks for habitat assessment following management of wetlands and oak savannas in northwestern Indiana

14 Chen, Xiaoyong & K. D’Arcy Impacts of plant community changes on soil carbon in northeastern Illinois

15 Kinsman, Samantha, R. Shmagranoff, E. Bird, & Y.D. Choi

Primary production, decomposition, and soil organic carbon in a restored prairie, a cool-season grass pasture, and an old field

16 Anderson, Roger C. Changes in tree species composition, abundance, and diversity in a remnant historic prairie grove in central Illinois, USA over a thirty-four year period

17 Spencer, Jessica M., C.M. Peugh,& S.M. Byrd

Innovative approaches to land management: The agricultural benefits of prairie crops

18 Thada, Adam R. Interseeding forbs in a grass-dominated prairie restoration in northeast Indiana

KEYNOTE PRESENTATION – FRIDAY APRIL 12, 2013

Mohan K. Wali Professor Emeritus, School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio

State University, Columbus, Ohio

ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION: THE BEDROCK OF

SUSTAINABILITY

Abstract: Disturbance-restoration-sustainability is a Gordian knot that can be cut only with dire and unintended consequences. Human-induced changes to the Earth have been so immense and widespread that Anthropocene is under consideration for formal adoption as a new epoch at par with other geologically-recognized periods in Earth’s history. Telling as this characterization and proposal are, they pointedly emphasize the need to reverse the most important contemporary environmental issues facing the world today─altered land use and diminished fertility, changing atmospheric, freshwater and oceanic chemistries, and the overall loss of diversity and productivity of what is left. The severe consequences of climate change have already begun to unfold. Sustained ecosystem services have been shown to be at risk and merely reducing new damage is no longer sufficient. Thus, restoring ecosystems should be the highest priority on our environmental agenda. This lecture will briefly review the advances made in recent decades in understanding ecosystem structure and function in the processes of restoration and, given the growing body of knowledge on the impacts of global climate change at all ecosystem scales, the challenges that lie ahead in education and research. The Herculean task is to bring about public awareness and insistence on the wide-ranging application of science in ecosystem restoration to ensure resource sustainability for all life in the biosphere. Biography: Dr. Mohan K. Wali (Ph.D., University of British Columbia) is Professor Emeritus in the School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR) at the Ohio State University (OSU) in Columbus. At OSU since 1990, he served as Director both of SENR and of the OSU’s multi-college Environmental Science Graduate Program, and as Professor in the John Glenn School of Public Affairs. Earlier, he served on the faculty and administration of the State University of New York-Syracuse and of the University of North Dakota. Professor Wali is a plant ecologist-soil scientist by training. He and his associates and graduate students have conducted research in the western Himalayas, the Danish woodlands, Canadian boreal forests, mid-continent North America, and the eastern temperate deciduous forest on vegetation-environment relationships, restoration of disturbed systems, and most recently, on impacts of global climate change. His authorship of many publications includes six monographs, an environmental science textbook1, and editorship of six books. He has also reviewed books in eight ecology and environmental journals. His work has been cited in over 100 research papers and textbooks. Professor Wali was named as an Outstanding Educator of America, Washington, D.C., and has received both research and teaching awards. He was a National Lecturer (now designated Distinguished Lecturer) of Sigma Xi-The Scientific Research Society for two years and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

1 Wali,Evrendilek, and Fennessy. The Environment: Science, Issues, and Solutions, CRC-Taylor & Francis, 2010

CONCURRENT ORAL PRESENTATIONS SATURDAY APRIL 13, 2013

Forests and Nature Preserves. Room 110 8:30 am – 11:50 am Moderator: Todd Aschenbach 8:30 – 8:50 Gilland, Keith E. & B.C. McCarthy Microtopography influences early successional plant communities on

experimental mine land reclamations

8:50 – 9:10 Nyamai, Priscilla A., P.C. Goebel, D.M. Hix, & G.R. Corace III

Initial regeneration and litter decomposition response following a variable-retention harvest in mixed-pine forests of eastern Upper Michigan

9:10 – 9:30 Prasad, Anantha M., L.R. Iverson, S.N. Matthews, & M.P. Peters

Facilitated restoration of tree species under future climates

9:30 – 9:50 Koch, J.L., D.W. Carey, Kathleen Knight, T. Poland, D.A. Herms, & M.E. Mason

Lingering ash: hope for restoration of ash in the Midwest

9:50 – 10:10 Break

10:10 – 10:30 Brownknight, Jason K. Leveraging funding and volunteers to combat woody invasive species and Ranunculus ficaria

10:30 – 10:50 Thieme, Jennfer L., S. Woods, L. Reinarz, & M. Losey

The role of partnerships in developing and implementing conservation at the landscape scale

10:50 – 11:10 Rothrock, Paul E., B. Gordon, & P. Labus

Floristic quality of eight dune and swale nature preserves, Lake County, Indiana

11:10 – 11:30 Anderson, Roger C., M.R. Anderson, & E. A. Corbett

Are white-tailed deer a keystone species in tallgrass prairies

11:30 - 11:50 Heslinga, Justin L. Building flexible ecological quality models for land management decision-making

Urban Ecosystems. Room 116 8:30 am – 11:50 am Moderator: John Lampe 8:30 – 8:50 Albro, Sandra L. & G.E. Unger Urban vacant lots as green infrastructure

8:50 – 9:10 Lampe, John K. An “un-extreme” makeover (or lazy person’s restoration) of a private urban natural landscape in the Twin Cities metropolitan area

9:10 – 9:30 Sharma, Kuhuk & P.S. Grewal Restoring ecosystem services of urban soils: The use of nematode community as a bioindicator to reestablish the missing links in the soil food webs

9:30 – 9:50 Umek, Lauren, L. Heneghan, & D. Wise.

The Chicago Wilderness Land Management Research Program, aka 100 Sites for 100 Years: Developing an urban long-term restoration research program

9:50 – 10:10 Break

10:10 – 10:30 Grieser, Jennifer, J. Rodstrom, C. Weldon, & D. Schafer

West Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project: Retrofitting neighborhoods to reduce water quantity and improve water quality

10:30 – 10:50 Adams, D. & Thomas G. Rayburn Innovative solutions to complex environmental and wastewater issues

10:50 – 11:10 Bingham, Joel D. Urban stream and wetland restoration “more than bankfull” considerations for design and construction

11:10 – 11:30 Meyer, Lars A. & S.M.P. Sullivan Influences of ecological light pollution on stream-riparian diversity: implications for restoration

11:30 - 11:50 Emery, Mary E. & G. Bentrup Using appreciative inquiry to identify best practices in multi-functional planning

CONCURRENT ORAL PRESENTATIONS SATURDAY APRIL 13, 2013

Coastal Areas and Wetlands. Room 130 8:30 – 9:50 am Moderator: R. Gregory Corace III 8:30 – 8:50 D'Alessandro*, Domenico Conversion of existing marinas to fish refugia

8:50 – 9:10 Cole, James B., R. Kroll, & J. Lewis

Restoring hydrologic connectivity, fish passage, and coastal marsh at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in the Maumee River watershed Area of Concern

9:10 – 9:30 Dilley, Mark A., J. Adkins, B. Macolley, & L. Soposki

Community partnering for maximum return on investment of public funds: Two ecological restoration project examples from central Ohio

9:30 – 9:50 Lacerda, Thomas, C. Peck, A. Pund, J. Bingham, & D J. Taylor

Restoring degraded wetlands: A case study of the Hiram College Frohring Wetlands integrating public and private agencies with education and restoration

Streams. Room 159 8:30 am -11:50 am Moderator: Mazeika Sullivan 8:30 – 8:50 Majka, Brian & S. Kogge Wetland and stream restoration techniques following emergency

response actions to the line 6B oil leak in Marshall, Michigan

8:50 – 9:10 Kovalcik, Paul & J. Berg Stream restoration as a tool for meeting TMDL goals: Recommendations from the EPA's expert panel

9:10 – 9:30 Wise, K. & Matt Hils Eagle Creek Stream Restoration: Partnerships for successful funding, design, and construction

9:30 – 9:50 Jefferson, Anne, S. Clinton, & M. Osypian

Evaluating the effects of restoration on transient storage and ecosystem services in urban headwater streams

9:50 – 10:10 Break

10:10 – 10:30 Rieck, Leslie O. & S.M.P. Sullivan Ecological-geomorphic linkages in urban streams: Implications for restoration

10:30 – 10:50 Kautza, Adam R. & S.M.P. Sullivan

Influences of land cover on reciprocal aquatic-terrestrial invertebrate fluxes: Implications for biodiversity and riparian restoration in a multi-use river system

10:50 – 11:10 Goss, Charles W., P.C. Goebel, & S.M.P. Sullivan

Transitions in land cover, ecological thresholds, and restoration of stream ecosystems in agricultural landscape

11:10 – 11:30 Lenhart, Chris, D. Smith, A. Lewandowski, & J. Nieber

Development of a basin-wide strategy for reduction of ravine, bluff and stream bank sediment in the Minnesota River Basin

11:30 - 11:50 Smiley Jr., Peter C., R. B. Gillespie, K. E. Sanders, K. W. King, D. R. Smith, & E. Pappas

Similarities in fish-habitat relationships within channelized agricultural headwater streams in Ohio and Indiana

LUNCH, BUSINESS MEETING, & AWARDS CEREMONY (12:00 - 2:00 PM)

JOINT PLENARY SESSION, MELLINGER FARM TOUR, AND SECREST ARBORETUM TOUR – SATURDAY APRIL 13, 2013

(2:15 – 5:30 pm)

MANAGING SUSTAINABLE ECOSYSTEMS CAN LEAD TO CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION

Scientists from the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center’s (OARDC) Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, Department of Entomology, and School of Environment and Natural Resources will highlight how their research on managing aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems for sustainability can help restore important ecosystem functions. Following these presentations, scientists from OARDC’s Agroecosystem Management Program will provide a virtual tour of the Mellinger Farm (http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/amp/pageview.asp?id=1368), an overview of the issues and future plans for farm, and lead an audience discussion of how the farm might be designed with sustainability and restoration in mind. More information on the Mellinger Farm is included below. Following this virtual tour and discussion attendees will have the choice of participating in a guided tour of the Mellinger Farm or the Secrest Arboretum. The tour of the Mellinger Farm will focus on walking the farmstead and discussing restoration and sustainability options, and will include transportation for the first 20 individuals wishing to participate in the tour. The guided walking tour of the Secrest Arboretum will examine current research projects associated with Emerald Ash Borer and recovery from the 2011 tornado.

Time Presenters Title2:15 – 2:20 Charles Goebel Introduction

2:20 – 2:40 John Cardina Demographics of an Invasive Species, Chinese Privet

2:40 - 3:00 Dan Herms Emerald Ash Borer and Restoring Ash to Forests of the Midwest

3:00 – 3:20 Richard Moore Participatory Approaches to Watershed Restoration and Nutrient Trading

3:20 – 3:40 Question and Answer Session

3:40 – 4:15 Casey Hoy Designing Sustainable Landscapes – Virtual Tour and Planning Discussion of the Mellinger Farm

4:15 – 4:30 Break

4:30 – 5:30 Mellinger Farm and Secrest Arboretum Tours

DESIGNING SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES - VIRTUAL TOUR AND

PLANNING DISCUSSION OF THE MELLINGER FARM SATURDAY APRIL 13, 2013 (3:40 – 4:15 pm)

Small family farms with a few hundred acres or less dominate Ohio’s landscape, despite well-known trends in farm consolidation. The technology of large-scale farming is highly developed, leading to a highly efficient system of farming at least in terms of farm labor input.

Alternative or adaptive technology, however, is also emerging for farming at relatively small scales. The Mellinger farm is being developed to provide a unique and needed venue for demonstrating, developing, adapting and educating about the technology devoted to small scale, entrepreneurial and ecological approaches to farming. To stay small and successful, farms need both alternative markets and alternative efficiencies in production. Rather than capital, machinery and input-intensive production approaches, small farm

technology must rely on information, management, and ecological efficiencies for such otherwise costly inputs as pest control, fertility, feed, and energy. Often this means a focus on rehabilitating and restoring important ecosystem processes. Far from being regressive, the approaches that gain these efficiencies make use of farmer ingenuity and modern science and technology to achieve needed production efficiency. Small and diversified farms could be integrated into the landscape in ways that enhance resource use efficiency, as well as air and water quality, at landscape scales. Small farms may produce biofuel and other energy sources, reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels and even adding energy revenue to the farm’s income. The Mellinger Farm is a recent gift to The Ohio State University (OSU) and it has been rented for no-till corn and soybean production for at least the past two decades. Therefore, it is at the very beginning of a transition to the vision described above. In this session, we will offer participants a virtual tour of the farm including a brief history, its soils and current land use patterns, and some of the plans and ideas that have emerged from students, faculty and stakeholders. We will then open the floor for a discussion among OSU and Midwest-Great Lakes SER Chapter meeting attendees to generate and capture ideas for demonstration and research in ecological restoration on a small Ohio farm. Following the virtual tour and discussion session, attendees will have to option to travel to the farm, a 10-minute drive, and continue the discussion while walking the fields, woods, fence lines, and farmstead.

OFFSITE FIELD TRIPS - SUNDAY APRIL 14, 2013 * For all field trips participants are responsible for their own transportation and meals. Information on

meeting locations and times are listed below in the descriptions of the individual field trips. 9:00 am to 1:00 pm: Johnson Woods Field Trip – Old-Growth Mixed-Oak Forest in Transition. Meeting Location – Johnson Woods State Nature Preserve. Directions: Approximately 4 miles north of Orrville, Ohio on SR 57, then 1 mile east (right) on Fox Lake Road. Charles Goebel, The Ohio State University, Wooster, Ohio. Email: goebel.11@osu.edu

Johnson Woods is one of largest and least-disturbed old-growth forests in the state of Ohio with white oak and swamp with oak trees more than 400 years old. In her classic text “Deciduous Forests of Eastern North America,” E. Lucy Braun provided extensive information on the undisturbed forests that existed throughout the East in the early 1900s, and for Johnson Woods, she provided compositional data that can be compared with the present status of this old-growth forest. In this field trip, we will explore the ecology of Johnson Woods and discuss the results of several studies that examine forest development processes in this old-growth forest. We will specifically examine whether the Braun’s predictions of stand development have been realized, with a focus on if there has been a shift in the successional trajectory of this forest, as an “oak-hickory forest … undergoing succession to beech and sugar maple.” We will also discuss the potential mechanisms for this shift in composition, and implications for future conservation of old-growth forests in the region. 9:00 am to 1:00 pm: Wooster Memorial Park Field Trip - Threats and Opportunities for Restoration in Disturbed Forested Watersheds. Meeting Location – Wooster Memorial Park. Directions: Approximately 5.5 miles west of Wooster, Ohio on US 250, then 0.2 miles north (right) on Jefferson Road. Kristin Jaeger. The Ohio State University, Wooster, Ohio. Email: jaeger.48@osu.edu

Wooster Memorial Park, located approximately 8 km west of Wooster, is a 1.3 km2 forested watershed, characterized by a large forested floodplain, steep wooded tributary ravines and hemlock forests, and upland prairie fringed by agricultural land use. The park maintains approximately 9 km of trails designated for foot traffic only, which is maintained by Wooster Parks and Recreation and the very active volunteer organization formed in 2002, Friends of Wooster Memorial Park (FWMP), who also host multiple programs and projects throughout the year. This field trip will be a hike that highlights the several ongoing restoration efforts and explores challenges and opportunities in the restoration of upland forest, riparian, and stream ecosystems fragmented within an agricultural landscape. Specifically, we will discuss projects that target invasive plant removal, the acquisition of adjacent lands for continued park expansion, and ongoing monitoring that tracks stream erosion, channel change, and other geomorphic processes within the watershed. In addition, we will discuss challenges in restoration future planning related to anticipated threats of invasive species. We will use the hemlock woolly adelgid, which causes widespread mortality to this foundation tree species as an example. The invasive pest has spread throughout the eastern forests in the United States since its introduction in the 1950’s, and has recently been found in southeastern Ohio. We will spend the morning hiking along the trails, covering an approximately 4.0 km route. 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Olentangy River Corridor Field Trip. Meeting Location – Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park, 352 W. Dodridge Street, Columbus, Ohio: Gil Bohrer 1, Kay Stefanik 1, and William Fleece 2. 1 The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. 2 Stantec, Cincinnati, Ohio. GB Email: bohrer.17@osu.edu; WF Email: cody.fleece@stantec.com

This field trip will include visits to the Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park (ORWRP) and to the Fifth Avenue Dam Removal Project. Both of these urban restoration sites are located on the Olentangy River, which is part of the one of the most biologically diverse river basins in Ohio. The field trip will begin with the ORWRP. The ORWRP has a long history of aquatic ecosystem research and outreach involving wetland and river restoration. In 2008 the ORWRP was designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. Join us for a tour of the current eddy flux research at the site and learn about the legacy of 20 years of research. Following a short lunch break the second part of the field trip will focus on the Fifth Avenue Dam Removal Project. This new restoration project represents a significant contribution towards restoring the Olentangy River through the removal of a low head dam located near Fifth Avenue. Removal of this dam and subsequent restoration practices will transform this portion of the river from a lentic to a lotic system and reform and re-vegetate the river channel. The second part of the field trip will begin at the former dam site and will also include stops at key locations within the project area to observe ongoing channel restoration work.

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Location of Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and Shisler Conference Center

The physical address of the Shisler Conference Center is 1680 Madison Avenue, Wooster, Ohio 44691

The red square on the map above indicates the location of Shisler Conference Center on OARDC campus.

Parking is free and is indicated by the blue square on the map located just north of the Shisler Conference Center.

http://chapter.ser.org/midwestgreatlakes/