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Though a recent SmileHub study placed Ohio as seventh-worst in the nation for protecting wildlife -- using 17 metrics that included data on things like the number of animal and environmental protection agencies per capita -- the Buckeye State must be doing something right.
Flora and fauna that were thought long gone from the state are reappearing. Most recently, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources reported fishers are colonizing.
The first modern sighting of a fisher in Ohio was in 2013, but since then there have been 40 sightings in nine northern Ohio counties. Something has made fishers and other species reappear inside Ohio's borders. As scientists try to figure out what we're doing right, they need the help of citizen scientists. Buckeye State residents are very good at observing and reporting the data ODNR needs.
If you'd like to be involved, find out more about the state wildlife reporting system here: https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/safety-conservation/about-ODNR/wildlife/Report+Wildlife+Sightings.
Among other things, we're being asked to keep an eye out for: badgers, bald eagle nests, barn owls, black bears, bobcats and other species.
Ohio has done an excellent job in creating an ecosystem centered on wildlife. Let's do our part.