Fernald Preserve was developed on the former site of the Fernald Uranium Processing Plant Materials Production Center which had to undergo extensive environmental remediation due to radioactive contamination. The center was a product of the Cold War. After WWII, U. S. military leadership was looking to centralize the production of uranium for nuclear weapons. Starting in 1951, they moved operations that were taking place at several locations across the country to Fernald, Ohio, where the campus eventually totaled 1050 acres. Over the years, 7000 workers had been employed there. The facility closed in 1989 due to the end of the Cold War and the uncovering of toxic emissions into the community. The heaviest contamination was at the processing plant and the waste pits, but there was more widespread radioactive spread through atmospheric dust release and wind dispersal. The ground and surface water was contaminated. In 1989 Fernald was listed as a Superfund site and remediation was begun. The 1980 Superfund Law prioritized sites for long-term cleanup due to the risks they posed to human health and the environment. The intense Superfund remediation was certified complete in 2007. Native trees and shrubs were planted, habitats such as wetlands and micro-prairies developed, and invasive species removed. That same year, the 1050 acre campus opened to the public as the Fernald Nature Preserve. Although we had been to some surrounding parks and preserves, Footpaths had never been to the Fernald campus itself.
I went to the Fernald Preserve in late February to attend a Taking Root tree conference, accompanied by our middle daughter Ellen. As we exited the venue, we stopped at an overlook on Lodge Pond, noted 9 species of migratory waterfowl, and I decided Footpaths needed to return to capture the diversity of this place. Unfortunately life intervened with travel and other schedule conflicts, and we did not get there until mid-April. By then the migratory waterfowl season had passed and Lodge Pond was empty except for some Canada Geese and a pair of swans in the distance. As is often the case with outdoor adventures, we needed a Plan B.
After a brief stop at the Visitors Center, which has an excellent displays on the history of the processing plant and on the wildlife found in the preserve, we opted to hike the Biowetland, Shingle Oak, and Sycamore Trails after the on-site naturalist listed a variety of habitats that we would pass through.
The Biowetland Trail went around a pair of ponds,
and transitioned into the Shingle Oak Trail, which was a wide gravel path through an open woodland.
Early on we were excited to see the work of nature’s engineers, the beavers. Yes, it appeared that all the fallen timber in the photo below was the work of the hard working beavers. Their dam can be seen below the horizontal logs. We did not see any beavers at this pond but did see one in a pond as we left the preserve.
Soon we found ourselves in a more extensive wetland, with a large vernal pool to the left of the path. Vernal pools are depressions in the terrain that fill with water during the late winter and spring rains. They play an important ecological role by providing areas for amphibians and insects to breed and lay eggs, that are free from predation by fish. For the most part the trees in these low wetlands were Boxelder and Sycamore.
Soon we transitioned to the Sycamore Trail which went into a different woodland that included some White Pines.
It was still somewhat a wetland and stones were placed for ease of passage.
While the woods here would generally be described as young growth, there was an occasional massive specimen, such as this Sycamore that was perched on a ledge above a creek.
After completing the woodland loop on the Sycamore Trail we were delivered to a boardwalk that passed over a small wetland.
True to form for wetlands, it provided many things for us to observe. Can you identify the objects floating on the water in this image?
The insect, of course, is a Water Strider. How about the others? They are Sycamore seeds. As we hiked on this breezy April day, last season’s seeds were being released from the seed balls hanging high in the trees – at times mimicking a snow shower with thousands of seeds passing by us. They are wind-born, with a design not unlike that of a parachutist, with the extended hairs acting as the parachute.
Also in the pond we noted numerous tadpoles darting through the shallows. They are also known as pollywogs. Can you appreciate one in this photo?
We were surprised when we studied this photo of a feather that was floating on the surface of the pond. We had not noted them at the time, but there are two Spotted Fishing Spiders in this photo.
They can run atop water as well as dive down beneath the surface. When they go underwater to pursue prey or to escape a predator, they take along a bubble of air that functions like a scuba tank, allowing them to stay down longer. They primarily feed on water insects but will also eat tadpoles and small fish. They themselves are prey for Bullfrogs, fish, and birds.
After leaving the wetland we returned to the Visitor Center parking via another section of the Shingle Oak Trail that passed through a White Pine wood.
Along the edge of the wood we noted this old pine snag that had 43 cavities that I could see from the path. That is why dead tree snags should be allowed to remain upright in a forest as they provide nesting cavities as well as food for many species of wildlife.
Odds and Ends:
While this was not a targeted spring wildflower hike we did have some luck:
Toadshade Trillium and Woodland Phlox
The Mayapples were just beginning to flower. They hold their single, large (two inch) flower beneath their umbrella-like leaves. Following pollination, a light green seed pod, the “apple”, will be found beneath the leaves in May.
Wild Ginger is always fun to see. Its unique flower is nestled at the base of the plant and frequently the leaves need to be pushed aside to fully appreciate it. Note the abundance of hairs on the stems of the leaves and the base of the flower in the second photo. Like the Pawpaw flower, it is maroon, the color of decaying meat, and has a foul odor, both of which attract the Carrion Flies and gnats that pollinate it.
In addition to the wildflowers we saw a couple flowering trees in the understory and along the edge of the woodlands:
American Bladdernut and Redbud.
Flowering Dogwood
We also had our first butterfly and moth sightings of the spring on this hike;
Duskywing Skipper and Confused Eusarca Moth. Dusky Skippers are known to be one of the earliest butterflies of the season. The name “confused” for the Eusarca Moth comes from the fact that it easily confused with many other moth species – so the moth is not confused, but the naturalist is.
But a couple of Zebra Swallowtails stole the show. Without the benefit of the telephoto lens, it is hard to appreciate the red and blues in their coloration. When we saw them repeatedly feeding on Purple Deadnettle it gave me a new appreciation for the ecological value of this plant that I tend to treat as a weed in my flower borders. Zebra Swallowtails overwinter as a chrysalis, usually attached to a Pawpaw tree. The chrysalis starts green, resembling a curled up Pawpaw leaf, and then turns brown to resemble a dry leaf over the winter. This allows them to fool would be predators.
Another fun sighting was this Blanchard’s Cricket Frog. Their identifying features are the rough skin and the dark triangle on the top of the head between the eyes. While this fellow was not vocalizing, their call sounds just like a cricket and gives them their name. We have heard them several times in wetlands on our hikes.
Lastly, Fernald Preserve is gaining increasing recognition as a birding hotspot and over 250 bird species have been recorded there. While we have noted the song of the Yellow-throated Warbler on our Merlin app many times, we have never had a good sighting – until this day.
In summary, our Plan B at Fernald Preserve was a big success. We had numerous fun sightings and observations and its clear that the extensive acreage of the preserve offers much more. There are over 7 miles of trails that pass through habitats that include prairies, upland forests, open water and a creek valley corridor. I am also sure that this venue would be outstanding in all 4 seasons. We plan on hiking the Hickory Trail in the near future, and to target the Lodge Pond trail during another migratory season.
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Photo credits to Peggy Juengling Burns.
Overview:
Location – 7400 Willey Road, Hamilton, OH 45013, twenty-five miles from downtown Cincinnati.
Parking – asphalt lot for 100 plus cars.
Trail Conditions –gravel and bare dirt. The terrain is generally flat and this would be considered an easy hike. We hiked about 2.5 miles on this outing.
Print Map Link – https://www.energy.gov/documents/fernald-preserve-ohio-trails-mappdf
Benches – yes.
Picnic Tables – yes, near the visitor center.
Facilities – yes, in the visitor center.
Kids – kids of all ages would do well on these trails.
Dogs – prohibited.
Suggested Paired Hikes – The Hickory Trail (3.0 miles) and the Lodge Pond Trail (1.4 miles).
Links: