>From: "Jay DeLong" <thirdwind_at_att.net>
>Reply-To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
>To: <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
>Subject: NANFA-- Ohio farmland and a valuable book
>Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2000 10:50:30 -0700
>
>Yeah, Rob, the Great Black Swamp was probably home to a very different fish
>fauna than are there now. I imagine the present ranges of fishes like the
>pirate perch (not found in Ohio for decades) and the bowfin are quite
>different than before that wetland was drained.
>
>Most of the land in Ohio now in agriculture was once heavily forested.
>Prairies never made up much of the landscape there. According to K. Roger
>Troutman in "Ohio's Natural Heritage" there were about 300 treeless
>prairies
>ranging in size from a few acres to more than several townships. Ohio
>prairies were small versions of the large western prairies and made up
>about
>1000 square miles (2-1/2 % of the land area). There are a few small
>remnants of native tall grass prairie still in Ohio. Two were preserved
>because they are old cemeteries. One in north central Ohio (I can't
>remember exactly where) that I think is called Smith Cemetery is less than
>500 sq ft in size and when you are in it you feel like you're on a small
>knob because the surrounding farmland has eroded away so much. It's maybe
>2
>feet above the surrounding fields.
>
>In a few cases, when farmers plowed their fields but didn't plant it for
>some reason, native prairie plants sprouted from long-dormant seeds. This
>happened in an area now known as Chapparal Prairie Nature Preserve in south
>central Ohio which was for many years a tobacco field. Of course the
>farmland of Ohio and throughout the midwest is here to stay, but it's not
>too late for the streams and rivers of the region to make great strides
>towards recovery from human activity!
>
>Anyone interested in the natural history of Ohio should locate this book:
>Ohio's Natural Heritage
>Michael Lafferty, Editor
>Ohio Academy of Science, 1979
>I just did a search on Bibliofind and found 6 copies starting at $24.
>
>--
>Jay DeLong
>Olympia, WA
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-nanfa_at_aquaria.net On Behalf
> > Of Robert Carillio
> > Sent: Saturday, September 16, 2000 7:14 AM
> > To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
> > Subject: Re: NANFA-- Natives should get TV exposure
> >
> >
> >
> > In Milton Trautman's FISHES OF OHIO, there is a section in the
> > begining that
> > describes Ohio from the early 1700's. Just going back that far
> > was amazing
> > to read about. How western Ohio contained what was called "The
> > Great Black
> > Swamp" along the coast of Lake Erie must have been an incredible
> > sight.... a
> > swamp stretching 120 miles long, and 40 miles wide. Today, onle remnants
> > remain along the shores of the lake. These are protected, and one
> > can get a
> > glimpse into the past in that area. The land has been drained for
> > agricultural use and the like.... you know how it goes!!!.... The
> > tall grass
> > prarie descriptions are also incredible. If any one gets a chance, they
> > should read this section of that book!
>
>
>
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/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association"
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association
/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org