BEAVERCREEK — May is National Wetlands Month and the Beaver Creek Wetlands Association is looking for new members.
In 1988, BCWA was formed, by ordinary people like you. Those private citizens saw a beautiful piece of nature that could be lost forever and they wanted to save it. Since then, this all-volunteer organization has helped protect nearly 2000 acres of amazing habitat by raising money to buy land, working with partners like parks and local officials, daily fighting invasive plants that could destroy the wetland ecosystem, building and maintaining trails and everything possible to make sure the beauty of the wetlands will be preserved forever.
BCWA depends on members to do volunteer tasks, to spread the word about the values of wetlands and to raise funds. As the protected wetlands grow in size, BCWA needs more members to do all these things. You can see the great work they have done by visiting many of the wetlands and using the trails those volunteers have made and maintain.
Another thing the BCWA does is to educate the community about nature and all the things that make wetlands so important. Workshops on pollinators, perennial plants, bluebirds, kid-centered activities like butterfly searches, and Monarch butterfly tagging are popular events each year. Each year, BCWA is present at festivals and passes out educational information on the wetlands, displays pictures of the amazing flowers and animals, and maps that show just how close the wetlands are to where people live. BCWA provides educational opportunities and gives illustrated talks to groups who want to know how wetlands prevent floods, clean the water we drink and moderate our climate.
You can join BCWA and take part in this monumental effort. As a member, your dues help them do whatever is needed to protect the Beaver Creek Wetlands and if you wish you can become part of their Volunteer Crews. Volunteers usually come out on Saturdays or Sundays and during the workweek if they have time. The jobs they do are important, but getting out in nature to do the work is an education in of itself! Some volunteers work every weekend, others just come when they have time. Some bring friends and the volunteer pool expands. Service organizations pitch in, too. BCWA is fortunate to have many helpers, but it is never enough. There are far more jobs to do than they can ever get done. BCWA needs your help and becoming a member is the first step.
This month BCWA kicks off a major fundraising drive to purchase the few remaining parts of a miles long corridor of wetland, one of the very best in Ohio.
To become a member or get more information contact BCWA through their website www.beavercreekwetlands.org or by calling their office at 937-320-9042.
