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If taking hike in Cedar Bog, be prepared to see orchids, cool springs, mosquitoes
By Bob Downing
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Sunday, Aug 24, 2008
URBANA TWP.: Never hike into an Ohio bog in July without protection.
Yes, the mosquitoes were out in force, as I explored always-cool Cedar Bog Nature Preserve 60 minutes west of Columbus in Champaign County.
The preserve offers its own mosquito warning by the entrance building: from one to five mosquitoes may be posted. One is mild and five is severe, requiring spray and long sleeves.
The preserve's former manager claimed there are two types of mosquitoes at Cedar Bog: small ones that can squeeze through the mesh in screen doors and large ones that just open the doors and fly in, says Bob Glotzober of the Ohio Historical Society.
Mosquitoes aside, the 427-acre preserve between Springfield and Urbana is one of Ohio's most outstanding natural areas with its delicate ecosystems.
It is the largest and best calcareous bog in Ohio, filled with unusual plants and animals that were once common in Ohio 14,000 years ago after the glaciers retreated. That includes rare orchids. It features cool ground-water springs that do not freeze and moist soils.
Cool air collects around the bog's low points and that allows boreal vegetation found nowhere else in Ohio to flourish. It is a touch of Canada in west-central Ohio.
Cedar Bog is actually not a bog but a fen with its alkaline water. Jackson Bog in Stark County is another example of this type of wetland.
The fen itself is not big — perhaps 20 acres. Several inches of water cover the ground and it moves slowly under the wooden boardwalk.
Water remains in a bog. It escapes only by evaporation. Fens, however, may include small streams that flush the fen.
The water is hard, with dissolved bicarbonates of calcium and magnesium. Those elements combined with mud to create a lime-rich soil for some plants called marl.
The fen is surrounded by bog meadows and marl meadows, a shrub community, a swamp forest and hardwood forests.
Cedar Bog also features prairie and coastal plain species.
The preserve is dominated by northern white cedars that do well under the harsh conditions.
The slow-growing trees, also known as arborvitae, are found in only 11 Ohio counties. They are more common in northern Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
The trees have shallow root systems and uproot easily in high winds. The wood decays slowly; railroads loved the cedar for railroad ties.
Today, the namesake cedars occupy about 10 percent of the preserve.
Some of the plants you might see include the prairie rose, the gray-headed coneflower, the small yellow and showy lady-slipper orchids, the grass-pink orchid, the round-leafed sundew, the smaller fringed gentian, the swamp birch, the shrubby cinquefoil, the prairie valerian, Riddell's goldenrod, prairie-dock, prairie dropseed, queen-of-the-prairie and big bluestem.
You might see rare spotted turtles, the Massasauga rattlesnake and three butterflies — the Milbert's tortoise shell, swamp metalmark and the silvery checkerspot.
The bog meadows are home to the majority of Cedar Bog's 42 species that are listed as endangered, threatened or potentially threatened in Ohio.
The meadows, also called sedge meadows, are the heart of the preserve and can be viewed from three spots along the boardwalk.
Cedar Bog was formed 14,000 to 18,000 years ago when the glaciers melted and filled depressions with dirt and limestone gravel. The preserve is flanked by two long ridges or moraines with a deep valley in between them.
At first, the white cedars thrived in the cold, boggy conditions left after the glaciers retreated.
The low-lying Cedar Bog typically gets about 85 frost-free days a year. There have been frosts every month except July.
The constant flow of cool alkaline water at 54 degrees created shallow wetlands dominated by sedges. Gradually shrubs and trees flourished along the East Branch of Cedar Run.
Brook trout and 17 other fish species are found in the gin-clear, cold-water stream that flows north to south on the eastern edge of the preserve.
Cedar Bog was the first state nature preserve in Ohio purchased with state funds. The state paid $5,000 for the initial 98 acres in 1941-42. It was turned over to the Ohio State Historical and Archaeological Society to operate. More land was added in the 1970s.
National recognition
In 1967, it was designated a National Natural Landmark and in 1977, Cedar Bog became a state nature preserve.
Cedar Bog once covered an estimated 7,000 acres. It was known locally as the Cedar Swamp, the Urbana Bog, Dallas Cedar Swamp and Dallas Bog.
By 1910, it had shrunk to about 600 acres by agricultural and development pressures.
The preserve features nearly a mile of wooden boardwalk that loops through the preserve.
You might see swamp or dwarf birch. It is at the southernmost limit of its range at Cedar Bog.
More than 100 species of birds have been recorded at Cedar Bog.
One of the biggest attractions at Cedar Bog occurs in the spring, when amorous toads begin their trilling in the wetlands.
Toads come out of hibernation for their annual mating ritual after the first few 60-degree evenings. The males have a high-pitched trill or song that they use to attract females. Hundreds of singing male toads may congregate at a single pond.
Today Cedar Bog is jointly owned by the Ohio Historical Society and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Natural Areas and Preserves.
But it is managed by the grass-roots Cedar Bog Association under an agreement worked out last May.
Facing a $2 million-a-year deficit, the Ohio Historical Society worked out four agreements to have local groups manage state-owned facilities. That included the Tallmadge Church on the Tallmadge Circle.
The Ohio Historical Society will pay the Cedar Bog Association $8,000 a year to manage the preserve. It will get to keep admissions. The state will manage major capital improvements.
The preserve is also getting a new visitor center. It was under construction during my visit and the $711,000 facility is scheduled to open this year. It will provide 2,600 square feet of space and will feature a number of green or environmentally friendly features.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.
The bog is off Woodburn Road. From Akron, take Interstate 76 west to Interstate 71. Take I-71 south and Interstate 270 west to Interstate 70 west and Springfield. Take U.S. 68 north about nine miles to Woodburn Road. Look for a small Cedar Bog sign at the intersection. Turn left (west) and proceed one mile. The preserve will be on your right after the railroad tracks.
Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for students and $2 for children 6 to 12 years old.
For information, write to Cedar Bog, 980 Woodburn Road, Urbana, OH 43078; or call 937-484-3744 or 800-860-0147.
You can also check http://www.ohiohistory.org or http://www.cedarbog.org.
Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.
URBANA TWP.: Never hike into an Ohio bog in July without protection.
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