Summer 2014 - Marietta College

Public Is Invited
Marietta Natural History Society
Summer 2014 Newsletter
Remembrances
of Marilyn
Thursday, July 10, 7:00 PM
Selby 150, Marietta College
We invite everyone to share some
stories and remembrances of
Marilyn Ortt, a MNHS founder
and Board member. We’ll also
discuss plans for the MNHS,
which is now in its third decade.
Refreshments will be available.
Devol’s Dam – A
Lock and a Key
to the Past
Thursday, August 14, 6:45 PM
Carpool from IGA parking lot - meet
at the north side closest to Greenleaf
Join us at the Devol’s Dam Lock #2. A
state park employee will give us the
history of the lock and dam system on
the Muskingum River, a National
Historic Civil Engineering
Landmark. We’ll see a demonstration of the hand-operated lock.
Afterwards, you can stay to see aquatic
insect light trapping; we could find
anything from tiny caddisflies to
giant fishflies over 6” long!
The Wonderful
Botanical World
Thursday, September 11, 7:00 PM, Selby 150, Marietta College
Presenter Jason Larson
Jason, Director of the Richland County Park District, will help us
Explore Ohio's botanical wonderland. Jason is also a great
photographer and will share some of his most
exciting Ohio finds with us.
Page 2
Marietta Natural History Society
Summer 2014
The MNHS and Marietta will Miss Marilyn
July 1935 - May 2014
by Steven Spilatro
Look at your mailing
address label!
Is there a red dot? If so, it means that
your MNHS membership is past due.
Membership dues can be sent to
address on last page of newsletter.
We periodically encounter forces
that alter landscapes and human lives.
They are formidable, pulling the world
in their wake, with an aftermath felt over
generations. We call these “forces of
nature”.
Marilyn Ortt was a Force of Nature –
a force that made our city, county and
world a better place. We mourn her
recent passing.
Forces of nature are irrepressible,
and as we all know, when Marilyn
embraced an objective,
every available resource was
employed and little could waver
her resolve. Marilyn did not seem to respond in the normal
way to impediments – to the disappointments and frustrations
that cause most of us to buckle– it seemed that these only
served to strengthen her resolve.
While many people felt her influence, the breadth of
Marilyn’s accomplishments is not easily grasped. While this tribute
cannot do full justice to her legacy, possibly in hearing more of it,
others will be inspired by what a single, dedicated individual can
achieve. It also does not adequately acknowledge the efforts of
Marilyn’s numerous collaborators, but those of us who were involved
know that little would have been accomplished without Marilyn’s
presence.
Coming down Muskingum Dr past the hospital, you know when
you’ve entered Marietta. A distinct ambiance greets you, a character
that would not exist but for Marilyn’s tireless efforts on the City Tree
Commission. Serving on the Tree Commission for over three
decades, Marilyn introduced modern urban forestry practices and
standards, greatly expanded diversity of the urban forest, and made
our Commission respected throughout the state.
At some point in their lives, all large urban forest trees need to be
inspected, and Marilyn was always there to do it. She knew
the distinctive qualities and growth habits of different species,
and by memory the maintenance history of many individual
trees. While there are sciences for doing both, predicting a
tree’s future condition can be as reliable as forecasting next
week’s weather. Marilyn had to make hundreds of tough decisions, to
prune or remove large city trees, always considering a tight budget,
knowing full well who gets blamed when the weather forecast doesn’t
pan out.
We do not readily recognize the fruits of Marilyn’s tree husbandry.
Our big trees seem always to have been here, but they wouldn’t be
had Marilyn not helped select and plant thousands of trees in Marietta
and along the entranceways. What were mere saplings 30 years ago
are now monuments of the urban forest and have replaced thousands
that have been lost. Try envisioning Marietta without these trees. And
during severe wind storms in recent years Marietta has generally
suffered less tree damage than surrounding areas because of the
healthier urban forest.
Cont. on page 4
Page 3
Marietta Natural History Society
Summer 2014
Upcoming Events at the
Anderson-Hancock Planetarium
Join us in exploring the late summer sky! Each of these
shows will begin with a star talk pointing out the
highlights of our current evening skies, including visible
planets and other notable sky features.
Sunday, July 20 at 2pm - includes the fulldome video
Oasis in Space which explores our Solar System and
where water can be found.
Thursday, August 14 at 7pm - includes the fulldome
video The Cowboy Astronomer A fun-filled voyage
throughout our Solar System specially designed for
children.
The AH Planetarium is located in the Rickey Science
Center, Marietta College.
Recycled Paper
30% Post-Consumer
Page 4
Marietta Natural History Society
Summer 2014
knotweed, and multiflora rose, as
Cont. from page 2
well as other damaging, non-native
And next time you drive
Marilyn’s Invasive Plants Series
species
to Belpre, notice just past the
Articles in the MNHS Newsletter
What would seem futile to many
Solvay overpass about120
Series Introduction – Winter 1999
was not to Marilyn. She wrote
trees extending for over a
extensively about invasive plants
Garlic mustard – Spring 1999
mile along the top of the
while recruiting a battalion of
hillside. Marilyn organized
Autumn clematis – Fall 1999
volunteers to help battle their
planting of these trees as a
Wintercreeper – Winter 2000
spread. I’m sure the troops, with
Community 20/20 project in
Autumn olive – Spring 2000
ingrained ‘spot and pull’ reflexes, will
2001 to provide some visual
Japanese knotweed – Summer 2000
continue to push the vanguard of
remediation of an otherwise
Miscanthus – Fall 2000
extermination in forests, fields and
austere industrial zone.
Poison hemlock – Winter 2001
along the local riverbanks,
Marilyn endeavored to
Tree-of-heaven (‘Stink Tree’) – Spring
Marilyn had great love of our local
help us recognize the
waterways,
their riparian spaces and
2001
importance of our city trees
watersheds.
Although a city
Ground ivy – Summer 2001
by organizing Arbor Day
Riverbank
Conservation
Program
Ceremonies. Every year,
Cinnamon vine (‘Air Potato’) – Fall 2001
was
developed
in
1987,
she
found it
even if only a few individuals
Crownvetch – Winter 2002
necessary to continuously promote
were present, a proclamation
Japanese honeysuckle – Spring 2002
coherent management and
was read and an Arbor Day
Mile-a-minute – Summer 2002
protection of Marietta’s riverbanks.
tree was planted.
Multiflora
rose
–
Winter
2003
Marilyn recognized the importance of
In 2000 the City
Dame’s
rocket
–
Spring
2003
trees to riverbank stability and
Arboretum in Sacra Via
encouraged protection wherever
Purple
loosestrife
–
Summer
2003
Park was established and
possible of natural a riparian habitat.
Oriental
bittersweet
–
Fall
2003
Marilyn was recognized on
Her concerns were prescient,
the plaque for her
Common privet – Winter 2004
evidenced by riverbank erosion and
contributions to the
Bush honeysuckle – Fall 2004
occasional collapse along the
community. For years,
Spring bandits – Spring 2005
Muskingum, some requiring
Marilyn helped make the
Japanese stilt grass – Summer 2005
significant City investment to
arboretum a show case for
Johnson grass– Fall 2005
stabilize.
the diversity of native,
English
Ivy
–
Winter
2005
Always looking to the future,
flowering and sometimes
Marilyn
helped the city develop and
Royal
paulownia
–
Spring
2006
unusual trees.
adopt
in
2004 the Gilman Street
Invasive
species
On
the
road
again
I doubt there were many
Area Community Transportation
locations in Washington
– Summer 2006
Corridor Plan for riverbank
County upon which Marilyn
Pond problems – Fall 2006
protection. should a north
had not laid foot or eye, and
Plan now to avoid later – Winter 2007
Muskingum crossing
she was an expert on our
Cryptic
invasives
–
Spring
2008
bridge be built. And
area’s native and urban
Lesser
celandine
–
Spring
2010
again in 2010,
plants. She was employed
Marilyn served on
from 1983-1995 (and under
a City ad hoc
contract afterward) by the
Riverbank
Ohio Department of Natural
Task Force that
Resources, Division of Natural
addressed riverbank maintenance
Areas and Preserves, serving as a Plant Community
issues.
Cont. on page 5
Ecologist and Field Botanist for the Ohio Natural
Heritage Program. Her field surveys traversed much of
Washington County recording plant communities and rare
and endangered species.
Her knowledge was widely recognized throughout the
region, and Marilyn was asked to serve on the boards of
many organizations. These included the Ohio Biological
Survey, and she was awarded its Naturalist Award (one
of the OBS’s two top honors) in 2013. Also were The
Nature Conservancy, Rural Action Forest Advisory,
and the Ohio Invasives Plant Council.
Anyone who knew Marilyn knew of her relentless battle
against invasive plants, such as garlic mustard, Japanese
Page 5
Marietta Natural History Society
Cont. from page 4
The Friends of the Ohio River Islands National
Wildlife Refuge an independent, non-profit organization
that encourages participation in and support of the refuge.
Marilyn served on the Board of this organization and was
recognized by the organization for Outstanding Volunteer
Service in 2012.
Marilyn had particular concerns for the Muskingum
River, and was a cofounder in 2001 and later President of
Friends of Lower Muskingum River. FLMR is a nonprofit
watershed protection and Land Trust organization with a
mission to restore and protect the lower Muskingum River
and to protect and promote its historic, cultural,
recreational and socioeconomic resources. These goals
have been pursued with educational programs, cleanup
campaigns, water quality studies, and submission in 2014
of a Watershed Action Plan for maintaining and improving
the health of the lower Muskingum watershed.
As nonprofit Land Trust organization, FLMR works to
set aside protected natural areas through creation of land
conservation easements. A conservation easement allows
a landowner to place permanent restrictions on future uses
of the land, such as to protect its natural resources.
Through Marilyn’s efforts and the generosity of land
owners, FLMR acquired conservation easements for
numerous tracts of land, including Dana Island Preserve,
Luke Chute Conservation Area, Fairfield Tract, Devol
Run Preserve, and Marietta College’s Barbara A. Beiser
Field Station.
FLMR acquired in 2001 and then passed to the City of
Marietta the easement for the Kroger Wetland. Originally
15 acres and expanded in 2007 to 21 acres, the Kroger
Wetland was always a special place for Marilyn. She
worked to establish trails, parking spaces and educational
materials on the site. The close proximity made this
wetland an educational watershed and opportunity for
volunteer projects – bridges
erected, trails cleared, trees
planted, and bird blinds built.
Development of the
Kroger Wetland was just
one of Marilyn’s efforts
toward greenspace
protection in the
City. She helped in
the establishment
of Kris-Mar
Woods, through
which runs a leg of the North
Country Trail system.
Cont. on page 6
Summer 2014
Some Remembrances
by Brad Bond
When du Pont sent me to the Parkersburg plant to
get me out of supervision and back into research in
1972, we chose Marietta. It took Marilyn Ortt and the
Hiking Club to get me acquainted with the area, and
finding abandoned quarries got me interested in local
history. With Marilyn’s help, looking up leases in the
Recorder’s Office and locating the sites of the
abandoned quarries and mills Grindstone Country
was first printed in 1979 with a 3rd edition in 2003. She
joined me in some of these explorations, me looking
for rocks and she for wildflowers.
I asked her to suggest a wildflower project for me,
and she suggested chrysogonums (C. virginianum).
Previously she convinced The Nature Conservancy
that they should conserve the Tefft property on the
border of Dunham and Decatur Townships to protect
the chrysogonum population there.
I tracked that population for 10 years noticing a
gradual decline which was confirmed when I returned
in 2013. The large stands of 1993-2002 were mostly
gone, but plants were found along deer trails.
Chrysogonum was still common in sunnier exposures
in the area surrounding the Tefft property. Best guess
was that logging prior to 1993 provided the sun
needed for the major Tefft stands and increasing
shade was gradually doing them in.
Outdoor Education for elementary school children
was begun in the early 1970s by Marilyn Ortt and
Caroline Putnam. I became a guide on retirement in
1990. Trails had been prepared back of what’s now
the Career Center, and kids were bused to the site
once or twice a week in spring and fall. Lynn Barnhart
would set up nets and band birds. The busload was
broken up into groups of 4-8 depending on the number
of guides for a walk in the woods.
Marilyn and Caroline also cooperated in starting up
a recycle center where the marina is today. Rob
Putnam and John Ortt both remember flattening cans
in a trailer there to minimize air transport. Marilyn got
the County Commissioners to finance the operation
initially and arranged for hauling out what came in.
This involved dealing with recycle handlers as far away
as Zanesville, Stockport and, now, Pennsylvania for
clear and brown glass.
She kept a philogeny for Outdoor Education plants.
When I did the long-horned beetle study, I used her
flower matrix to record which plants I found LHBs on
and for what period of time, and set up my own time
lines for insect appearance the same way.
Once I told Marilyn that I had seen a chestnut tree
out near Cutler, and she drove out there only to find it
was a chestnut oak. I never made that mistake again.
Page 6
Marietta Natural History Society
Summer 2014
by other people. This was
Cont. from page 5
recycling at its best.
Over the years she worked with numerous
For 20 years, 1991 –
citizens’ groups and city committees, such as
2010 Marilyn assured that
the Mayor's Alternate Transportation
everyone knew that the
Advisory Committee, and helped to promote
collection days were coming
land protection within Marietta through
with posters, fliers, billdevelopment of Land Development and
boards, newspaper ads and
Parking Lot Green Space ordinances.
articles. And county
Always ahead of the curve, Marilyn
residents participated
vigorously promoted recycling in Marietta.
enthusiastically;
Long before curbside recycling was part of the
meticulously collected data
city trash hauling contract (a service even
showed on average over
now not available in the County),Marietta area
1000 households
residents could drop off recyclables at
participated annually. Records show
Marietta Area Recycling Center.
the HHWD recovered tons of solid
The recycling center was
waste and tens of thousands of
established in 1976 and is the oldest
BOTANY
gallons of liquids. Likewise,
community drop-off volunteer
There should be no monotony
thousands of gallons of paint were
recycling center in the state. Always
In studying your botany;
recycled by participants on Paint
well-supported by area residents, the
It helps to train
Swap Day.
recycling center yields high-quality
And spur the brainYet, I wonder for how many
sorted materials. In recent years
Unless you haven't gotany.
participants
the most memorable part
around 800 tons of recyclables were
of
the
HHWD
was being greeted
collected annually, far exceeding
It teaches you, does Botany,
every
year
at
the
entranceway by
recycling of comingled materials at
To know the plants and spotany,
Marilyn to be offered fliers, a survey,
Solid Waste Management District
And learn just why
and mercury-free thermometer.
trailers. The Center received the
They live or dieMarilyn was certainly not going to
ODNR Recycle Ohio! Volunteer
In case you plant or potany.
let Earth Day go unnoticed, and
Recycling Award, in April 2002, and
working with the Earth Day
the Natural Environment Heritage
You learn, from reading Botany,
Committee she helped organized the
Award from Ohio's Hill Country
Of wooly plants and cottony
local Earth Day Celebration. The
That grow on earth,
Heritage Area in 2004.
effort in planning of these events is
And what they're worth,
The Household Hazardous
little appreciated by those attending.
And why some spots have notany.
Waste Day was one of Marilyn’s
It involved not only recruitment of
most widely recognized
individuals and organizations with
You sketch the plants in Botany,
accomplishments. Through her
displays and activities for people of
You learn to chart and plotany
remarkable powers of persuasion, the
all ages, but acquisition of city
Like corn or oatschemical industry’s Responsible Care
approval for using the Armory
You jot down notes,
Group of Washington County agreed
grounds, liability insurance coverage,
If you know how to jotany.
to fund an annual hazardous waste
and of course, port-a-johns. This was
pickup day, beginning in 1991. Dale
also a day when Marilyn could help
Your time, if you'll allotany,
Loudermilk and later Mark Potochnic
people appreciate practical uses of
Will teach you how and what any
from Solvay organized and
our ‘beloved' sweetgum fruit balls.
Old plant or tree
supervised the on-site collection,
Possibly Marilyn's greatest
Can do or bewhich, with Marilyn’s inspiration,
contribution was a an educator. For
And
that's
the
use
of
Botany!
expanded to include tires, car
over 50 years, for young and for
– Berton Braley
batteries and fluorescent bulbs.
adults, she promoted understanding
March 1929
In 1995 a Paint Swap Day was
and sensitivity toward the natural
added to give participants the
world around us.
opportunity to not only dispose of old
Cont. on page 7
paints, but also acquire paints or stains no longer needed
Page 7
Marietta Natural History Society
Cont. from page 6
Marilyn was a co-founder of
the Marietta City School
volunteer Outdoor Education
Program in the 1970s, for
which she received an NSF
grant to train guides. Marilyn
and other guides provided ½
day nature hikes for both the
school system and the 4-H for
over 30 years. How many
school children and 4-H'ers on
these hikes first saw Jack protruding from his pulpit,
discovered nascent fireflies begin life as a glow worm, and
shot each other with projectile jewelweed seeds?
Marilyn contributed many courses to Marietta
College’s Institute for Learning in Retirement, and
received the Marietta College Community Member
Outstanding Education Volunteer Award in 2004 for her
work on environmental education. Telesis recognized her
as a Telesis Community Leader in 1991.
To better foster awareness of, sensitivity to, and
education about our environment, Marilyn cofounded the
Marietta Natural History Society (MNHS). Now in its third
decade, this organization offers monthly presentations and
field trips on widely ranging topics of local interest– from
rattlesnake and mushroom biology to local archeology and
the history of our region’s petroleum industry. Even Bigfoot
made a (rather fuzzy) appearance. From March1993
through the present, Marilyn unfailingly planned over 250
monthly events, as well as numerous natural walks, bird
watching tours, and night hikes.
Beginning in 1998, a quarterly newsletter was started
which presented additional articles and information. The
Society’s web page (www.marietta.edu/~biol/mnhs/
mnhs.html), houses an archive of all these newsletters,
which includes Marilyn’s series on invasive plants and
other articles she authored.
In Summer 2002, Marilyn organized publishing by
MNHS of “The Natural View of Washington County”. I’m
sure most residents have seen this annual circular being
distributed around the city. For 13 years it has provided
articles on natural history as well as advertising
opportunities for local businesses.
The MNHS has also championed a variety of causes.
Members participate in annual winter bird counts and even
helped rescue endangered freshwater mussels. Through
Marilyn’s efforts, the MNHS collaborated with the Ohio
River Islands National Wildlife Refuge to develop the
“Ohio River’s Wild Side” plaque, dedicated in October
2000 and located along the Ohio River levee. Ths plaque
Summer 2014
describes some of the major types
of wildlife living in and around the
Ohio River.
Marilyn once told me that she
tried to be a voice for nature -- to
communicate for a world that could
not speak for itself. The volume of
correspondence she provided – the
letters, emails and articles – is hard
to quantify. But we can get some
sense from the approximately 180
Our Earth Columns written for the
local newspaper.
There are many superlatives that could be used to
describe Marilyn as a person. A recognition she received in
1985 conveyed some of the best, noting that she was:
“inspired, cheerful, witty, patient, courteous, sensible,
instructive, gracious, helpful, wise, conscientious,
wonderful, questing, communicative, virtuous,
humane, loyal, nature-loving, generous, observant,
capable, punctual, reputable, distinguished,
responsible, knowledgeable, courageous,
informative, intelligent, imaginative, beautiful [and]
mostly-veracious”.
Marilyn was our benevolent force of nature. Her words
and actions made Marietta a better and smarter place to
live. We will miss her presence dearly, but I know that like
the many trees she planted, what she gave us will continue
to grow.
Trees that will Attract Butterflies
by Marilyn Ortt (Spring 2007)
Alder: Orange Harvester Butterfly; Rusty Tussock
Moth; Luna Moth
Buttonbush: Luna, Polyphemus, Prometheus and
Wood Nymph;
Hackberry Mourning cloak; Question Mark;
Hackberry Emperor;
Hawthorn & Witch Hazel: Harvester
Hickory: Banded Hairstreak; Hickory Hairstreak;
Pawpaw: Zebra Swallowtail;
Sassafras: Spicebush Swallowtail; Spicebush
Silkmoth
Serviceberry: triped Hairstreak; White Admiral
Spicebush: Spicebush Swallowtail; Eastern Tiger
Swallowtail;
Tulip Tree: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail; Canadian
Tiger Swallowtail;
Willow: Mourning Cloak; Viceroy
Benefits of
Membership
Invite a Friend to Join the
Marietta Natural
History Society
L Monthly programs
L Field trips
L Quarterly
Wood Thrush — Individual $15
River Otter — Family $25
Monarch — Friend $50
newsletter
L Educational
experiences for
kids and adults
L Conservation Projects
Why not give a gift membership? Mail check to address
The MNHS Mission
i To foster awareness of and sensitivity to our environment and its biodiversity
i To provide a place where people with these interests can gather for information and activity
i To create a presence in our community representing these ideas
Marietta Natural History Society
P.O. Box 983
Marietta, Ohio 45750
(740) 373-5285