Save the Mason Wetlands

10/08/2020

The Mason wetland extends beyond the property owned by the City of Mason, onto land owned by Tufts University, which is near Boston (the land was donated to Tufts). Much of Tufts’ land is very wet farmland that would quickly revert to wetland if left uncultivated. But it also contains federally mapped wetland surrounded by mature stands of maple and cottonwood. It’s a favorite area for wood ducks, mallards, and blue and green herons. Tufts is currently in the process of trying to sell the entire property to a subdivision developer in order to fund a new “Center for the Study of Excessive Pathological Selfishness” at the university. This would destroy even more of the small amount of habitat that remains for waterfowl and other animals in this area. Please call Tufts' President at (617) 627-3300 and message him here https://president.tufts.edu/connect/, and tell Tufts to work with a local land trust or the Cincinnati Zoo to preserve this area as wildlife habitat.

09/11/2020

Please sign the petition to restore the wetlands that the City of Mason, Ohio is attempting to destroy, and turn them into a nature preserve!

Save the Mason Wetlands and Make it a Nature Preserve

08/29/2020

Until earlier this summer, there was a beautiful wetland, home to thousands of animals and plants, located just north of downtown Mason, Ohio just off Route 741. The City of Mason owns the land, and earlier this summer they drained it, trapped and killed a family of beavers, and destroyed the beaver dam and lodge, apparently in preparation to use the area as a detention pond to catch runoff from the factory and subdivision planned to be built on the adjacent property.

There's very little wilderness left in the Mason area. This would have been an ideal nature preserve. Imagine bringing your family to watch thousands of migratory birds land and take off from the water. Watch a young deer browse its way through the marsh. Catch a glimpse of an egret or a green heron wading through the shallows. See a mallard gently herd her ducklings along the shoreline.

Please sign the petition to restore the wetlands and turn them into a nature preserve: https://www.change.org/savethemasonwetlands. Please also call the City of Mason at 513.229.8510 and email them at [email protected]. Tell them to set this space aside as a nature preserve--with time, and perhaps some human help, it could come back. Stop the destruction and restore the natural wetland.

08/07/2020

On the top is a view of the beaver lodge (house), after the wetland was drained--this entrance would have been under water. On the bottom is a view of the beaver lodge being destroyed last month by people the City of Mason hired, so that another family of beavers couldn't move in and occupy it (they'd already trapped and killed the original occupants). These beavers weren't a nuisance--they'd simply helped the return of the natural wetland ecosystem, in an area that wasn't impacting humans at all.

08/06/2020

From the most recent edition of "Wild Ohio", the publication of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

08/04/2020

Here are the traps with which the City of Mason used taxpayer money to kill the beavers inhabiting the wetland off Route 741. They fenced off the beaver dam and placed five of these traps in gaps in the fence. Then they cut a trench in the dam, so the beavers would attempt to repair it, but would have to go through the traps to reach it. They look like they're probably Duke 330 conibear traps--look up videos to see how they work. Whether you're a nature lover, outdoors person, hunter, angler, photographer, or all of the above, the destruction of wildlife habitat affects us all.

07/30/2020

The City of Mason is using its residents' tax dollars to destroy a wetland. In the past two months this wetland, home to an abundance of wildlife, has been drained and all but destroyed. As part of their effort to drain the wetland the city paid to trap and kill a family of beavers and destroy their dam and house. Call the City of Mason at 513.229.8510 and email them at [email protected] and tell them to stop destroying the little bit of wilderness that remains in Mason.

07/01/2020

Before and after. About 3 weeks apart. Wetland almost totally drained. Tell the City of Mason to stop destroying the little bit of wildlife habitat left in the area. Call Mason City Council at 513.229.8510 or email [email protected]

06/11/2020

Sad to report that the City of Mason drained most of the wetland last week by cutting two trenches into it. Lots of mud, dead fish, and families of ducks wandering around in the mud confused. But also...at least one set of beaver tracks! So they didn't kill them all. Here's hoping they get busy building again. If you live in Mason and don't want your tax dollars used to drain wetlands, call the City at 513.229.8510 or email [email protected]

06/02/2020

This beaver was hanging out just 20 feet from the line of traps...hopefully plotting a way around them to rebuild the dam! Tell the City of Mason to save this wetland! Call them at 513.229.8510 or email [email protected]

05/31/2020

Great Egret landing in a tree on the wetland yesterday morning!

05/31/2020

Count the ducks! And look for the egret!