Agency Details:

Friends Of Magee Marsh

The Friends of Magee Marsh (FOMM) is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to preserving Magee Marsh Wildlife Area and the Sportsmen's Migratory Bird Center.

Description:
The Friends of Magee Marsh was founded in 1997 and has about 200 members. Some of their projects that have improved the marsh include: a weather station, benches on the trails, landscaping, pull offs for wildlife viewing, an observation blind and transporation grants to schools.

History:
In 1903, John N. Magee, of Elmore, Ohio acquired 1,000 acres of marshland belonging to the Crane Creek Shooting Club and 1,700 acres from the Cleveland Hunting Club. Today, this comprises part of the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area and the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Mr. Magee's original intent was to dike off and drain the marsh utilizing it's fertile soil for agricultural purposes. However, after several years of high lake levels, farming this area became impossible. After realizing the habitat was ideal for waterfowl and furbearers, he allowed it to revert back to marshland for muskrat trapping and waterfowl hunting.

Mr. John N. Magee

During the 1920's through 1940, Magee Marsh was leased to an exclusive hunting group of ten men from Detroit for duck hunting. After Mr. Magee's death in 1925, his two daughters, Julia and Ruth continued to supervise the 2,700 acres of marsh.

In 1940, the Magee family sold their beloved marshland to a private hunting club known as the Magee Marsh Hunt Club. Damage to dikes and channels caused by continued high lake levels made maintenance very costly for the hunting club.

Punter's Party

In 1951 the Ohio Department of Natural Resources purchased 1,821 acres. This land was divided between Division of Wildlife (1171 acres) and the Division of Parks and Recreation (650 acres).

The Division of Wildlife's intention was to create a public hunting area which is known as the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area. The Division of Parks and Recreation created what was known as Crane Creek State Park. In 1955, the State Park allowed swimming on a portion of the beach.

Jack and Ralph Boyd

Up until the middle of 2008, the State Park then reduced to 79 acres was still in operation. On June 1, 2008 Parks and Recreation shut down Crane Creek State Park and transfered 42 acres to Division of Wildlife adding to the size of the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area.

Today, Magee Marsh is one of the few remaining wetland complexes on the Lake Erie shoreline. Current plans are for the State Park beach area to revert to wildlife beach with the possibility of a wildlife beach trail.

Contact person: Mary Warren, Naturalist, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (419) 898-4017

Address:

13229 West State Route 2 Oak Harbor, OH 43449 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.friendsofmageemarsh.org

Last updated on September 25, 2009