------_=_NextPart_001_01C5766C.E547D282
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Howdy gang. I thank you all for your feedback. This gave me time and =
reflection to form a better decision and now see the release spot about =
a half mile down the same stream cooridoor where there is far less =
encroached upon habitat behind a school where I maintain a couple tanks =
(and a large metropark reserve to the east). If she decides she needs =
to head back to the fringes of that neighborhood, she can do so without =
touching any roads... It's a fairly large cooridoor down there and only =
begins to pinch-in-their neighborhood (and continues so to the west). =20
=20
I still don't buy that she wandered into the neighborhood on her own, I =
really think someone drug her into it. This development is the =
quintessential "emerald asphalt" poster community. I grew up in _urban_ =
to semi-urban environments, and when I was a kid, we'd also find snakes =
and turtles and bugs and all sorts of stuff... Believe me... I've always =
been lookin'! Then came the 80's with everyone treating lawns and =
stuff, and this is the first non-human disturbance benefitting critter =
I've found in 20 years any place that my parents live besides some =
species of birds passing through. And remember... I'm the guy running =
around ditches looking-in-gobs of fishes that "shouldn't be there". I =
know life persists... But this is reaaaaally stretching it ;)
=20
Speaking of ditches and like, um, native aquatic biodiversity... In the =
headwaters of the Ottawa River (one of the EPA top hot spots) where I'm =
doing my research, we've come across a huge population of least darter, =
which is listed as special concern in Ohio. I've never found them as =
much of a population in the state besides a few individuals-in-known =
localities. In one "standardized" 180 degree seine sweep last week, we =
got 61 individuals! There were a couple others in the "heterogeneous" =
replicates that pushed into the 30's. Amazing.
=20
Also found a live Liguma pondmussel (along with a pile of relicts and =
some really nice fresh kill material downstream), which is either the =
eastern and State Endangered with closest populations occurring in the =
Cuyahoga headwaters, or the western and State Extirpated, with closest =
populations occurring in Indiana in the Tippecanoe and Wabash =
headwaters. Going to send pictures off to the good Dr. Watters today to =
get a confirm. This, my friends, is pretty danged cool.
=20
Thanks again!
=20
Todd
The Muddy Maumee Madness, Toledo, OH
It's never too late to have a happy childhood.
http://www.farmertodd.com
=20
------_=_NextPart_001_01C5766C.E547D282
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<META HTTP-EQUIV=3D"Content-Type" CONTENT=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Diso-8859-1">=0A=
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">=0A=
=0A=