MCCUTCHEONVILLE: The bald eagle was surprised.
So was I.
The bird took off from its treetop perch with a steady stream of squawking as I walked toward the Sandusky River in the Howard Collier State Nature Preserve in Seneca County in north-central Ohio.
It flapped downstream above the muddy brown river waters, then stopped in a tree at a bend in the river where it could keep an eye on human interlopers. It stayed there for quite a while.
That gave me time to explore the 301-acre state nature preserve that straddles one of Ohio’s wild and scenic rivers, known for its mature floodplain forest and its spring wildflowers. Sycamore, cottonwood, green ash and basswood trees dominate the river banks. Red oak is also found.
In the spring, the preserve boasts some of the best wildflowers in Ohio. That includes spring beauty, sharp-lobed hepatica, Dutchman’s breeches, squirrel-corn, twinleaf, white and yellow trout-lily and three species of trilliums, including Ohio’s state flower: the large-flowered trillium.
Temporary vernal pools are used by salamanders, frogs and other amphibians for breeding.
A large wooden stairway leads from the ridgetop parking lot down to the heavily wooded floodplain. It is an impressive feat of engineering.
The preserve is named after Howard L. Collier of Toledo (1932-1990), a former Ohio budget director.
Upland areas are dominated by beech-maple forests. That includes red and white oak, sugar maple, shagbark and shellbark hickory, white ash, American beech and black cherry.
The 1-mile Beech Ridge Trail runs from the preserve’s parking lot on Township Road 38 to the floodplain. You can also access the floodplain via Little Fox Run Trail.
Visitors are reminded to stay on the trails. The preserve is closed to vehicles in the winter, but foot traffic is welcome. There are no restrooms or drinking water.
To get there, head east from McCutcheonville three miles on County Road 58, go north one-quarter mile on Township Road 131 and go east one-quarter mile on Township Road 38. The preserve is on the left. For more information, call 419-981-6319.
The preserve features a healthy riparian corridor that helps protect the Sandusky River.
Ohio has designated the Sandusky in the Ohio Scenic Rivers Program. The other designated streams are the Big and Little Darby creeks, Chagrin River, Grand River, Kokosing River, Little Miami River, Little Beaver Creek, Maumee River, Mohican River, Olentangy River, Stillwater River/Greenville Creek and Upper Cuyahoga River, including 25 miles in Portage and Geauga counties.
Little Beaver Creek, Big and Little Darby creeks and the Little Miami River have all been recognized by the federal government as national wild and scenic rivers.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources provides for three designations for streams: wild, scenic and recreational. The designation depends on a stream’s length, adjacent forest cover, biological characteristics, water quality, present use, natural conditions and level of development.
The 130-mile-long Sandusky River starts as a brook near Crestline in Crawford County. It twists its way to the west, passes Bucyrus and enters Wyandot County. It then turns north as it flows through prime farming country.
Its state scenic designation stretches 65 miles from U.S. Route 30 in Upper Sandusky in Wyandot County north to Roger Young Memorial Park in Fremont in Sandusky County.
The section between Fremont and Tiffin is known to paddlers for its sense of remoteness and very few signs of civilization. Waterfowl is abundant, and the river has more than 70 species of fish, mollusks and other organisms. The watershed was once home to Seneca and Wyandot Indians.
A big change is planned on the Sandusky River: removing the city-owned Ballville Dam in Fremont. The aging dam is 34 feet tall and 407 feet long. It was initially built in 1911 to provide hydroelectric power. It was destroyed in 1913 by floods, rebuilt and converted to a steam-electric plant due to insufficient year-round flows.
The reservoir served as the city’s primary drinking water source until early 2013. The city built a new 100-acre reservoir because the dam was in need of major repairs and the in-river reservoir suffered from high nitrate levels in the summer.
The biggest issue with removing the dam is the large volume of sediment behind it. The cost is estimated at $8.8 million.
The dam is the first on the Sandusky River as you head south from Sandusky Bay and Lake Erie. Its removal will make the Sandusky a free-flowing river to Tiffin and open up another 22 miles to spawning fish. It could boost walleye numbers significantly in Lake Erie, experts say.
One nearby attraction is the historical Wyandot Indian Mill north of Upper Sandusky in Crane Township. The restored gristmill was built in 1861 by Lewis Rummel. It is owned by the Ohio Historical Connection and managed by the Wyandot County Archaeological and Historical Society.
The original mill was built in 1821 by the U.S. government for the Wyandot Indians as a reward for the tribe’s loyalty to the United States in the War of 1812.
The mill is open May through October. Hours: 1 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for children 4 to 12. For information, call 419-294-3857 or 419-294-3556.
There are three state nature preserves south of Upper Sandusky in the Sandusky River watershed.
That includes the Daughmer Prairie Savannah eight miles west of Bucyrus in southwest Crawford County. The 34-acre state nature preserve is dominated by huge bur oaks that are up to 250 years old, with thick, gnarled trunks up to 5 feet in diameter and burly branches. The 157 trees are surrounded by a prairie patch. There are short loop trails through the tract on Marion-Melmore Road in Dallas Township.
The preserve is owned by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and operated by the Crawford County Park District. You can contact the park district at 419-683-9000, www.crawfordparkdistrict.org.
The other nearby preserves are Sears Woods and Carmean Woods, both with significant old-growth forests. They are close together on Mount Zion Road in Crawford County’s Bucyrus Township.
Sears Woods contains 98 acres of beech-maple forest, while Carmean Woods has 39 acres of mixed swamp forest. Sears Woods sits on a bluff that slopes down to the Sandusky River.
For more information, call 614-265-6453, or visit www.ohiodnr.gov and click on Recreation.
Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.