Why do Tundra Swans come to Ohio for the winter?

Have you ever wondered why tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus) come to Ohio for the winter? Many people don’t want to be here along the lake with the wind and other winter weather, but the tundra swans don’t seem to mind it.

Volunteer Lori Monska decided to do some research on their breeding range. Here's what she found!

"Tundra swans have a breeding range from Bristol Bay, Alaska to the Bering Sea Coast going north, the Arctic Ocean to Baffin Island to the east, over to the northwest coast of Quebec. Fort Severn, Ontario, Canada was selected as the location for weather data. I have a source that knows tundra swans have been in that area. I chose July to obtain warm weather and February for cold weather data. The average high temperature is 62.6°F (17°C) in July.

In winter, it gets a bit chilly there. The temperature in February averages -18.4°F (-28°C) for a low and a high of 1.4°F (-17°C). This location is in the southern portion of the tundra swan breeding range, so there are others that come from areas that have even colder winters. I have been in Dryden, Ontario, Canada in February. I don’t remember the exact temperatures from that trip but the average high / low for February are 15.8°F (-9°C) / -4° (-20°).

Since the tundra swans visit from November to March, I looked up the temps for Oak Harbor, Ohio. Please refer to photo one for weather data through the year. Many of you know what January and February feel like here. So, for the tundra swans, they don’t seem to mind it too much." --Lori

Come to Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge December 2-3, 2023 and enjoy the tundra swans from the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Wildlife Drive!

Holiday Open House to be held

Sunday, December 3.

Join us for holiday crafts, sweet treats, shopping and a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus from 12-3pm!

New and current Friends members can take advantage of a special 20% off sale on all in stock apparel in The Rookery Nature Store during the Open House.

Do your holiday shopping with us! The Rookery Nature Store and the Rookery Online have a great selection of field guides, apparel, and locally handcrafted items for tons of great gifting options. Be sure to get a copy of our 2024 Federal Public Lands Calendar featuring winners from our photography contest!

The Visitor Center and Rookery Nature Store are open Wednesday - Sunday from 10am - 4pm. Come and see us! You can also shop online anytime and have items shipped or pick up in store. Proceeds from the store directly support the conservation mission of the refuge.

Shop Gift Cards

Shop Games and Puzzles

Shop Books

Announcing a Scholarship Opportunity for High School Seniors

Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge is proud to announce that we are expanding our impact on the community and the refuge through the launch of a scholarship program. This scholarship program will award two $2,500 scholarships to graduating high school seniors who:

Plan to pursue a degree in environmental science, natural resources, or conservation related field at an accredited college or university
Reside in Ottawa County or Lucas County, Ohio
Achieved at least a 3.0 grade point average in high school

Scholarships may be used for tuition, fees, books, personal protective equipment, tools, instruments, field equipment, etc.
Applications and associated documents must be submitted by February 15, 2024. For more information please visit our website.

Please share this opportunity with any students who may be interested in applying!

Donate Now

DOUBLE your good. Donate today!

Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge provides refuge lovers with the opportunity to support refuge operations and programs. Your support of the Friends group is so important because government funding only covers a portion of the total expenses needed to manage an 11,000-acre refuge…Just a mere 59 cents/acre per year of government funding is allocated for the National Wildlife Refuge System. You can be the difference that transforms a surviving refuge into a thriving complex.

We have raised over $7,500 of our $40,000 goal! Consider making a donation today to fund refuge priorities in 2024. Click here to learn how your donation made before December 31 will count twice!

Community Outreach

Sturgeon Fest
The Toledo Zoo has been working with multiple partners to recover the lake sturgeon population in the Maumee River and Lake Erie. Lake sturgeon are the oldest and largest species in the Great Lakes and have been unchanged for millions of years, which is why they are sometimes referred to as a “living fossil.” They can grow over 6 feet long, weigh more than 100 pounds, and live over 100 years. Historically, they were abundant in the Great Lakes, but currently, they are rare and threatened due to habitat loss and overharvest. The current population is estimated to be at only 1% of its historical abundance.

Lake sturgeon don’t reach sexual maturity until about 20 years of age, and once they do, they only spawn every few years, which has made recovery of the species difficult. However, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant funded a streamside rearing facility at the Toledo Zoo, which has seen some success rearing sturgeon from eggs. The fish are raised to about four months old, tagged, and then released into the Maumee River every year.

Sturgeon Fest which took place on October 7th, is a free annual event open to the public where attendees can learn about these incredible fish and even get an opportunity to release one into the river. This year, refuge staff from Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and fisheries staff from the Detroit River Substation in Gibraltar, Michigan participated in the event and interacted with over 700 visitors throughout the day. The highlight of the day was releasing sturgeon from a bucket down some slides into the river! We look forward to collaborating with the fisheries office in the future and attending the event again next year.

Stream to Bay Beach Cleanup
A new partnership between Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and the local brand FromStreamtoBay resulted in a beach cleanup event on November 12th. FromStreamtoBay was founded by Alec Ochs in 2020. The goal of the organization is 'to stop trash from getting into water sources and clean up what has already been swept away.' Alec worked with Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge staff to coordinate a beach cleanup at Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge. While most of this refuge is closed to the public, unfortunately this does not mean that it is not impacted by people as human impact extends far beyond where humans reside.

Over a dozen volunteers participated in the beach cleanup and were treated to some lovely fall weather. Many were experienced trash pickers who showed up with their own buckets and supplies. We started with an introduction by Alec and the refuge manager Jason Lewis. Jason thanked the volunteers for their help and talked about the effects of pollution and specifically plastics and microplastics on Lake Erie. The group targeted two areas at Cedar Point NWR: Secor Beach and Lambs Beach. Within two hours, volunteers found multiple tires, a buoy, an anchor, many plastic bins, and lots and lots of smaller plastic items that had washed up on the beaches. They ended the day with a grand total of 731.45 pounds of trash.

Six Ways to support Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge

1. Donate Stocks

Donating appreciated stocks, bonds, or mutual funds is a quick and simple way to support Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, and it may provide you with tax benefits. Learn more.

2. IRA Gifts

If you’re age 70½ or older you can give directly from your IRA or IRA rollover. Those aged 73+ must take Required Minimum Distributions (RMD) for their retirement accounts. These distributions count as taxable income, but giving directly to the nonprofit from your IRA avoids taxable income for you and reduces your RMD. This makes it a smart way to give.

3. Donate Vehicle

Have a car taking up space? Running or not, please consider donating your vehicle. We partner with Donate for Charity Inc who will pick up most cars, trucks, trailers, boats, vans, RVs, and motorcycles making it easy for you to support the refuge. Learn more.

4. Join the Blue Wing Flock and Give Monthly

Your automatic monthly gift as a Blue Wing helps ensure we're always ready to protect the refuge, when and where it's needed most.

5. Refuge License Plate

Ohio Residents - purchase an Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge license plate through the Ohio BMV. $20 of each plate sold directly supports the refuge and let's you show off your love for Ottawa NWR wherever you go.

6. Support the Refuge While You Shop

Link your Kroger Plus Card to our Community Rewards Account: KT924.

Upcoming Events

Saturday December 2 & Sunday, December 3: Wildlife Drive Open!
Saturday, December 3: Monthly Bird Survey
Sunday, December 3: Holiday Open House (12-3pm)
Sunday, December 24: Visitor Center Closed
Sunday, December 31: Visitor Center Closed
Monday, January 1: Christmas Bird Count
Sunday, February 4: Monthly Bird Count

2024 Wildlife Drive Dates are to be announced.
Visitor Center Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 10am-4pm

Virtual Programs

Thursday, December 7 at 7pm:

Online Program: Forecasting the Migratory Bird Surge with Meteorologist Ross Ellet. This program will be held online via Zoom. Registration is free but required. Register here.

Ross is the morning Meteorologist on 13 Action News that runs from 4:30am to 7am each weekday morning. He has made Toledo his home for the past 11 years. Before coming to the Glass City, Ross has worked in 3 other states and 4 other TV stations across the country. Ross’s broadcast career started in 2005 at WLFI in West Lafayette, Indiana as the weekend Meteorologist. Two years later he accepted a position in southern West Virginia. The next chapter of Ross's career took him right into tornado alley working for KHBS/KHOG in Arkansas.

Thursday, February 8 at 7pm:

Right Plants, Right Place, Right People: Restoration and Resiliency at the University of Toledo with Dr. Todd Crail. This program will be held online via Zoom. Registration is free but required. Register here.

Greening UToledo Through Service (GUTS) is a student-led project that works to increase native plantings on the Main Campus of the University of Toledo. Student employees convert turf to prairie, implement formal garden projects, and support these efforts through greenhouse cultivation of plant material. Much of the work is facilitated through service-learning opportunities where students experience real-life applications of what they have covered in class. In 2022-2023, GUTS facilitated 1000 student volunteer hours (600 for credit, 400 completely voluntary) to grow and plant ~12,000 native plant plugs. We will discuss what has made this program a success and what we’ve learned along the way

For the full calendar of events visit our website.