A marvelous marsh worth saving and strengthening

BAY VIEW — Thousands of species call the 500-acre property home. And millions of people rely on its vibrancy for economical, environmental, ecological and several other purposes.Two men, Eric Kraus and Roy Kroll, understand the importance Lake Erie provides to many different people — hunters, fishermen, boaters, swimmers, environmentalists, bird-watchers, kayakers and anyone who drinks from the Great Lake — which drove them to undertake an overwhelming task.In 2015, Kraus and Kroll, partners who jointly run Standing Rush Marsh at Bay View, oversee the wetland hugging Bay View's eastern and southern borders. Kraus, the founder, serves as company president. Kroll, meanwhile, takes on the manager role.From left, Eric Kraus and Roy Kroll oversee conservation and restoration activities for Standing Rush Marsh at Bay View. Their main priorities for the wetland, on the eastern and southern borders of Bay View, focus on improving this 500-acre area, home to thousands of species.Due to severe factors over the years, such as resource limitations from past ownership and unchecked environmental stressors, the marsh found itself at a critical crossroads in 2015: Without major intervention, high waters, invasive species and other destructive forces would have significantly impaired its function."Beyond the almost incomprehensible biological diversity wetlands support — think of them as 'nature's kidneys' — these habitats are nature's last line of defense before runoff water carrying pollutants enters Lake Erie, our source for drinking water," Kraus said.Through natural means, water in the marsh — historically known as Medusa Marsh and Neilson Marsh — gets treated before being transferred into the adjacent Sandusky Bay and Lake Erie."If someone told you that you lost 90 percent-plus of your kidney function, that would be alarming to you," Kraus said. "That's what happened to our wetlands. The time to go protect and invest in these critical habitats is now."Wetlands, such as Standing Rush Marsh at Bay View are important, for many ecological and environmental reasons. "These habitats are nature's last line of defense before runoff water carrying pollutants enter Lake Erie, our source for drinking water," said Eric Kraus, Standing Rush Marsh's founder and president.More on the marshKraus explained the most important details about conserving and restoring Bay View's marsh with the Register, which toured the wetland Wednesday morning: Q: What is Standing Rush Marsh at Bay View?EK: Standing Rush Marsh is a 500-plus acre coastal wetland that resides south and east of the village of Bay View on the south shore of central Sandusky Bay. Its scale is significant, particularly when one considers that only 20,000 to 30,000 acres of marsh habitat remain on the western basin of Lake Erie, an area that supported approximately 1 million acres of wetland habitat at the time of European settlement. This means that (more than) 90 percent of what once existed as wetland is now gone, and Standing Rush represents approximately 2 percent of all that remains.Q: What is all within the marsh property?EK: Wildlife living and visiting the marsh are almost too numerous to quantify. As the habitat continues to be restored, Standing Rush Marsh supports hundreds of species of plants, likely a comparable number of insect species, 200-plus species of birds, and dozens of species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish, just to name a few of the most recognizable groups. These coastal habitats offer key shelter, food and nursery habitat for a multitude of living things that inhabit or visit the marsh.Q: What are some main priorities your company wants to do with the marsh?EK: The five foundational tenants of Standing Rush's mission are:1. Conservation: ensuring long-term habitat protection and preservation2. Management and restoration: supporting holistic ecological wetland function and values3. Educational enrichment: encouraging student access, research, monitoring and/or public access; The extent to which, for each, is still being determined.4. Recreational use: foresting sustainable and responsible hunting, bird-watching, fishing and general wildlife viewing5. Financial solvency: providing a reasonable return for stakeholders involvedWhile the project goals have been established as guiding principles to secure the long-term legacy of the marsh, the specific steps, and active participants executing the vision to achieve these ends, will continue to be assessed and evaluated through time.Standing Rush Marsh at Bay View is located on the eastern and southern borders of Bay View.Q: Can people hunt on this land?EK: While Standing Rush welcomes the opportunity for human interaction with the marsh, access must be strategically limited to maximize ecological functionality and wildlife usage. Public access is not permitted, however, private tours and work projects increase the availability of the site to an ever-increasing number of people.Q: What type of hunting can occur on the grounds?EK: Waterfowl hunting continues on the property as it has for more than 150 years. While this may seem counterintuitive to some, we feel strongly that responsible hunting is not only consistent with the historical heritage of the site, but it is crucial to its future. Without the passion of area hunters, the marshes of Lake Erie would likely have been eliminated entirely. Hunting and conservation are very intimately interrelated. Hunting on the site is limited to a very finite number of leaseholders. Approximately 20 hunters are granted hunting access from September through January. Not only must they abide by federal and state regulations, they are also held to more stringent rules by Standing Rush. This ensures that hunting pressure is limited and that the habitat and its inhabitants can utilize the site even during the hunting seasons.Q: While this land is privately maintained, can you explain the public partnerships happening there?EK: Collaboration is fundamental to the work that we do. We seek financial and technical assistance from both public and private partners. Our partnerships range from local entities, such as the Erie Conservation District, to a broad array of departments and divisions within the state, such as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife and the Office of Coastal Management, and the federal government, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. We also work with non-governmental organizations, like The Nature Conservancy and Black Swamp Bird Observatory, and are starting to get involved with educational institutions, such as Toledo Public Schools and Bowling Green State University.Eric Kraus, the founder and president of Standing Rush, explains how water transfers from Sandusky Bay and Lake Erie into the marsh. "That is a way for us to either actively or passively bring water onto the property. Water levels drive the vegetation that we are trying to promote."Q: Since acquiring the wetland, what has Standing Rush Marsh done to improve it?EK: Here are some highlights:• Rebuilt the west marsh interior dike; This project was critical to maintaining optimal water levels within the marsh.• Restored the 40-acre "rest pond area;" This project substantially increased the biodiversity on the 40-acres most adjacent to Sandusky Bay.• Planted 1,100 hardwood trees adjacent to the east marsh; Substantial woodlots are increasingly scarce yet extremely valuable along the waterfront.• Accepted into the United States Department of Agriculture's Conservation Easement program. This is the first step in the long-term legal protection of the site.Q: Are you working on any projects right now?EK: We are working on a major initiative to improve our west marsh's connection to Sandusky Bay. This has far-reaching impacts that benefit water quality, the vast fisheries community that utilizes the marsh and the ecosystem health as a whole.Q: What are the short- and long-term goals for the marsh?EK: We want to continue to advance the five pillars that serve as the foundation of our project mission. This is a story that is being written one chapter, and one day, at a time. We feel strongly that this site can have a profound impact on how people view and experience wetland habitats. Our strategic thinking, and our actions each day, are all motivated by building the grassroots passion for these habitats. More people need to know and understand these environments. One of my guiding principles and favorite quotes was spoken by forestry engineer Baba Dioum: "In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught."Editor's note: The project expenses, past and future, will total in the millions. For more information, visit standingrush.blogspot.comSince Standing Rush Marsh at Bay View acquired the wetland in 2015, the organization has made many environmental improvements there, including rebuilding the west marsh interior dike.Reach reporter Andy Ouriel at ouriel@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @AndyOuriel.