The old saying, “many hands makes light work” rang true at Spencer Lake Wildlife Area recently in northeast Ohio, as 30+ volunteers came together for a cleanup effort. We loaded up a 16 foot trailer full of all sorts of trash, cleaning up all the trail areas, the lakeshore areas, as well as the archery range.
All of this qualifies any cleanup event as a killer boots on the ground success, but the real success story is the collaboration that created the event and the connections made while we were pulling rusty Bud heavy cans from the shorelines.
The Ohio BHA leadership team was looking for a few cleanup projects, and had been making plans for a couple of events in District 3 for the rest of the year. At the same time, the awesome folks at the Medina Raptor Center, a raptor rehabilitation center in northeast Ohio, were noticing a lot of raptors coming in from the areas surrounding Spencer Lake with fishing line relate injuries.
BHA member Greg Emmert, who also manages the Homerville KOA campground near Spencer, connected the dots between the two groups, we worked with the local Wildlife Officers in the area, and all came together to plan and execute the event.
After a morning of hard work, the Homerville KOA hosted volunteers for a cookout, which was a great way to wrap-up the event, sharing stories, and getting to know one another.
Collaboration works, and more importantly, consumptive and non-consumptive conservationists have A LOT in common, and can make great allies to fight for public lands and wildlife habitat.
If you haven’t made it out to Spencer Lake Wildlife Area, put it on your list. Great hunting and fishing opportunities, and the native pollinator habitat is the best I’ve seen, supporting scores of insects, birds and butterflies that make for a great day on our public lands.
Big thanks to the Division of Wildlife, the Medina Raptor Center, and Homerville KOA for a great event!
About Ohio BHA Chapter
Our chapter is dedicated to serving the interests of conservation and access to clean public lands and waters. Through planning, collaboration, and dedication, we will make a difference.