2017 Annual Report

Nahant Marsh preserve is one of the largest urban wetlands on the Upper Mississippi River. It is comprised of marshy areas; mesic, wet and sand prairie; and bottomland forest. A spring-fed quarry, known as Carp Lake,

and the surrounding grounds, are part of the Nahant Marsh preserve as well. The 305-acre preserve is owned by the City of Davenport and the Nahant Marsh Board, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Conservation and

restoration efforts on the preserve are directed by the Nahant Board. The educational programming is overseen by Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC). EICC’s Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center

(ATEEC) is also a critical part of Nahant Marsh.

Welcome to Nahant Marsh

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Chair, Tim Murphy Vice-Chair, Ellen Kabat Lensch Treasurer, Curtis Lundy Secretary, Kathy Wine

Dawn Anderson-Rascher Robert Bryant Denise BulatBrock Earnhardt Steve Gustafson Josh Hoffman

Amy Kay Dave Murcia Michael Ryan Kim Strunk Cal Werner Jonathan Wilmshurst

The mission of Nahant Marsh Education Center is to protect, enhance, and restore the Marsh through education, research, and conservation.

Our vision is to foster wonder, appreciation, and stewardship of the natural world.

Our Board

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Lynn Abel Jane Broughton Bob Bryant Arnie Christian Terry Collins Sheri Colman Denise DeNeve Amy Groskopf Kathy Lenaghan Curtis Lundy

Julie Malake Kathy Nice Darren Speth Sherry Staub Kent Turner Britt Vickstrom Jack Wiley

Advisory Committee John Arter Vince Lamb Curtis Lundy Rob Porter Randy Pribyl Mary Haney SchermerAaron Schulz

Education Committee Dawn Anderson-Rascher Ellen Kabat LenschDave Murcia Carrie Smysor Kim Strunk

Fundraising Committee Brock Earnhardt Josh Hoffman Curtis Lundy Jonathan Wilmshurst

Marketing Committee Denis Bulat Josh Hoffman Jared Johnson Melissa Reke Michael Ryan

Operations Committee Don Allen Bob BryantMik Holgersson Steve Gustafson Amy Kay Tim Murphy Zach Strong Betsy TubbsJack Wiley

Brian Ritter Executive Director Jevonnah Prashaw Natural Resource Manager Amy Loving Education Coordinator Liz Schramm Program Specialist/Naturalist

Lindsey Kennedy Marketing Coordinator

AmeriCorps Educators Kinsey Edmonds Eric Shersen Jenna Skopek

Conservation Technicians Kory Darnall Madeline Kull Zach Strong

Our Staff

Our Committees

Friends of Nahant Marsh

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Our Grants

Our Corporate Sponsors

Our Partners

I’ve been fortunate to serve at Nahant Marsh for over 10 years now and have seen remarkable growth and change occur. From seeing species like river otters, bobcats, and sandhill cranes return to the marsh after decades of absence, to seeing the incredible impact our educational programs have on both children and adults, we’ve accomplished a great deal.

With tremendous support and generosity from volunteers, families, businesses, and community partners, we were able to reach two major milestones this year. For the eighth year in a row, our staff provided programming for a record number of people. This year’s total was 17,960. And with the acquisition of a new property at the end of the year, the amount of land in the preserve grew from 265 acres to 305 acres. But despite these achievements, we still have challenges ahead. This year, we will begin the hard work of cleaning up and restoring the newly acquired parcel. This will be a multi-year effort that will ultimately improve the marsh ecosystems and the many plants and animals that call it home. Additionally, we have begun to study future improvements and extensions to our network of trails. These improvements will ultimately provide better public accessibility and safety while still protecting the most sensitive areas of the marsh. We will also not forget our existing areas. Our staff continues to find creative ways to combat invasive species and protect biodiversity. In addition, we will continue to improve and expand our educational offerings in 2018 and beyond.

Education, research, and conservation is what Nahant Marsh does. And we are able to do it well because of all of you. We have a lot of work ahead of us still, but we are up to the challenge. We thank all of you for your continued support and look forward to working with you to make Nahant Marsh a better and more resilient place.

Brian Ritter Executive Director

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From the Executive Director20

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Nahant Marsh’s newly acquired property.

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I have been asked to write a reflection of 2017 at Nahant Marsh Education Center, and as I reflect, one word keeps bouncing around: volunteers. There is a good staff at Nahant—dedicated, organized, and committed to provide outdoor education and to preserve the ecological integrity of the marsh. For their efforts, we are grateful. But, the word volunteer continues to revolve in my mind.

I reviewed the quarterly newsletter and the number of logos representing organizations that have provided gifts, financial assistance, planning, and labor seems to have grown exponentially. All of this, of course, is voluntary. We had volunteers from Local 4 News WHBF, United Way, and John Deere among others help us complete major projects in spite of blazing heat and torrential downpours.

I look at the growing numbers of financial supporters, and wish to thank them. Without these volunteer contributions, we have no means to support programming or the ecological integrity of the marsh.

The Nahant Board of Directors has also added volunteers. New Board members include Amy Kay, Denise Bulat, Steve Gustafson, and Josh Hoffman. These four have brought energy, expertise, and enthusiasm, and we are thankful they have participated. Of course, our more established volunteers, Friends of Nahant Marsh, Master Naturalists, and our esteemed Board continue to provide consistent service and assistance.

Finally, I continue to run into people who have a connection to Nahant Marsh. Most have told me they have helped with one project or another. Not only have they helped, but they have enjoyed the experience. The magic of nature surely lends to this. It is worth working for. We must be doing something right. Tim Murphy Board President

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From the Board President

In addition to hours volunteered by the Friends of Nahant Marsh, our Board, and Committees,

2,063 hours were volunteered in 2017.

“We love Nahant Marsh! It's my son's favorite place. He loves all of the wildlife and thanks for adding the new Preschool area! It was a hit too!!” Megan Rieck, 5 star Facebook Review • June 26, 2017

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Education

School Programs9% Non-School

Programs17%

College Students

6%

Events 8%

Outreach60%

Nahant Marsh Education Center2017 Educational Reach

In 2017... 1,564 general

visitors explored the Education Center...

...8,710 people participated in

educational programs...

...3,587 students were served in environmental

education programs from 34 schools, representing 17 school districts...

...6 summer camps

were held for 86 kids. ...616 education programs were provided

for a total of 15,012 impact hours with Naturalist Educators...

1,817

913

342

1,131 1,066

1,4161,656

1,918

2,365

3,203 3,312

2,589 2,506

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

2004 2005 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Num

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NAHANT MARSH EDUCATION CENTERK-12 ATTENDANCE

2004-2017

July Turtles for Tots camp participants and their families observe a large common snapping turtle held by Mik Holgersson.

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ResearchIn 2017... 1,750 hours of on-site research was conducted by St.

Ambrose University, Western Illinois University-Quad Cities, and the

summer LSAMP IINSPIRE program...

The prothonotary warbler (pictured above) is a “species of concern” as its numbers have declined over 40% due to deforestation and habitat loss from human activities. Carp Lake provides these beautiful birds with ample mosquitos to feed on and swampy, wooded areas far away from the disturbance of people. Through the research project, WIU-QC created habitat for the prothonotary warblers, placing 250 boxes around the Nahant Marsh preserve.

In addition to their individual research projects, LSAMP students assisted Mik Holgersson (pictured

above in blue) with turtle research. Now in its seventh season, this work has documented more than one thousand individual turtles representing

five species, including the regionally rare and protected Blanding’s Turtle at Nahant Marsh.

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Conservation20

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tIn 2017...

26 acres were burned with prescribed fire...

5.5 acres of invasive grasses were treated and 35 acres of invasive species were cut and

sprayed or mowed...

150 native trees and shrubs were planted...

BOBCATS were confirmed at

Nahant Marsh by trail cameras...

2 federally-endangered bats and 1 state-threatened mussel were identified at Nahant Marsh...

29 wood duck boxes were installed and maintained at

Nahant Marsh and Carp Lake by Delta Waterfowl...

32 new plant species were found

at Nahant, including 1 state- threatened species.

At the Earth Day Spring Cleanup alone...

30 bags of garbage, 18 tires, and

20 bags of garlic mustard were removed...

During the year... 53 bags and 40 truck

loads of garbage were removed...

Lynn AbelCatherine Alexander and Michael WoodsAlfaretta Young TrustAltorfer, Inc. Dawn Anderson-RascherAnimal Family VetJerome BaldMarilynn Bartels and Ryan LessBass Pro ShopBarbara BiggsBike and HikeJohn BlackmanThe Bodenbender-Benner FamilyJane BroughtonPaul and Kathy Brown Bob BryantDenise BulatJolinda BurrThomas and Susan BushCamera CornerThe Callahan FamilySusan Castro Arnie ChristianCity of Davenport Parks and RecreationMark and Lisa CleveTerry CollinsSheri ColmanContinental Cement John ConleyRaymond CraneDavenport Compost FacilityLaurel Davis Denise DeNeveThe Douglas FamilyCandace Egger Dirk FisherNancy Flaherty Larry FlathmanFriends of Nahant MarshTom FritzFront Street BreweryGeneral Asphalt ConstructionRyanne GillGirl Scout Troop 5299Dick’s Sporting GoodsTrey and Claire GordonMax and Jacki GuinnEmily Gutzmann

Each gift received is appreciated and used to help fund educational programming, research, and internship opportunities and helps to restore, enhance, and protect the dynamic, yet fragile Nahant Marsh ecosystems.

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Our StewardsKelly HarrouffBeth HodgesPatti HolmlundShirley HorstmannHUB InternationalHubbell-Waterman

Dave and Peg IglehartIMEG Corp Kelly JanoskiJerry and Sparky’s Cycling & FitnessMary JohannsenJohn Deere Classic/Birdies for Charity Kyah and Kile Johnson and Marte McKinneryJohn and Robin JurichAmy and Kevin KayMadeline KullMarion LardnerKathleen and Andy LenaghanLinwood Mining and Minerals CorpLive Well Chiropractic & Wellness CenterCurtis LundyJulie Malake David McCoy Michael’s Fun WorldMiller Trucking and ExcavatingSean Moeller Mumford Family FoundationTim MurphyCindy NagelNational Mississippi River Museum & AquariumKathy NicePaul Olsen Lori ParkerParr Instrument Randy PribylScott and Raelene PullenQuad City Conservation AllianceDavid Quinn

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Kristin Quinn The Rakus FamilyLori RalfsK.J. RebarcakRescuedBrian RitterRiver ActionRiver Stone GroupRock River PhotographyLydia RohnerRosemary RomineMark RuhsBeth RupeSCHEELSGreg SchermerNate and Liz SchrammSchramm SeedsKendall and Susan SchwartzSears ManufacturingTony SinghDarren SpethHugh StaffordSue StaleyStanley Consultants, Inc.Sherry StaubMary Ann StoffelDiane StrainKatie SturmerSubatlanticPat TandySue and Bob ThoresenTri-City Garden ClubBrian TuganaKent Turner and Amy GroskopfUnited WayJim Van Fossen Britt VickstromWallace’s Garden CenterWater Park Full Service Car WashAnn WernerCal and Jill WernerWestern Illinois University - Quad CitiesWHBF-TV 4Michael WieseJack WileyThe Wille FamilySpin and Mindy WilliamsJonathan WilmshurstKathy Wine

Honorariums Dawn Anderson Rascher in Honor of the Anderson Family Heather Cox in Honor of Caleb Cox Jane Cox in Honor of Aryanne Encarnacion-Cox Patty Gillette in Honor of Guthrie, Laithe, Juniper, & Cort Vince and Melissa Lamb in Honor of the Lamb Girls Marsha Loving in Honor of Bill LovingCurtis Lundy in Honor of Theodore BoucherCurtis Lundy in Honor of the Liam Lundy FamilyAdam and Kristin Pruitt in Honor of Grayer, Olive, & TalonDeborah Robertson in Honor of Reece & Kendall KuhlmanJoe Stewart in Honor of Sally StewartSusan Stiles in Honor of Bridgette, Kailin, & Sadie Christopher Swanson in Honor of Julie LindbeckAnn Werner in Honor of Hannah, Lizzie, & Sarah McVey MemorialsRoland Caldwell in Memory of Anne CorbiJohn Conley in Memory of Laura CalhounTerry Ousley in Memory of Terry and June OusleyAudra Ramp in Memory of Sandy Coussens Schiller Family Foundation in Memory of Mike Flaherty

Our Stewards (continued)

Sunset taken by Steve Thompson.

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Our MembersCatherine Alexander and Michael Woods Lynne AllisonAnne and Ken BaskenLinda BaxleyHolly BerkeyBarbara BiggsBernadene BowlesRebecca Briesmoore and Theresa BriesPaul and Kathy BrownDenise BulatDan ByerAlana CallenderCarla ChapmanMichelle ChavezLinda CookAndrew CraigTeri CzarneckiJ Hobart DarbyshireMarilyn DavisGary DembickiMelonee DochertyOlivia DorothyBrock EarnhardtCandace EggerNancy FlahertyLarry and Monica FlathmanTom FritzLoretta GambleLinda GoffTrey and Claire GordonChelsea HaleyPatricia HalversonKelly HarrouffJudy HartleyAlex HoggPatti HolmlundMary JohannsenAndrew KarrerPam KaufmanAmy KayDave KinneyJennifer KorchClaire KovacsRonald LangStephen LeeseKathleen LenaghanJulie LindbeckBill Loving

Curtis LundyPaul and Ann MayesDavid McCoyTim MurphyPam OhnemusGail Paarmann-NikulskiDylan ParkerLori ParkerKristin QuinnDavid QuinnMichael RieckLaurie RohnerJames SamalonTony and Helen SchiltzLeo Schubert and Susan ShararEric SchumannKendall and Susan SchwartzJerry SkalakMark SlaterEileen SmithAmanda and Samuel SmysorCarey SmysorHugh StaffordSherry StaubBrian TuganaBritt VickstromLori WalljasperPatrick WaltonAnn WernerCathy WhiteJo Ann WhitmoreBetty Wood

Visitors explore the prairies with nets borrowed from Nahant Marsh Education Center’s Lending Library.

• Attending monthly Friends of Nahant Marsh meetings.• Cooking and baking for lunches served to NCCC AmeriCorps workers, snacks for summer camps, and goodwill bake sales at fundraising events. • Serving as docents on Saturdays at the Education Center. • Completing bird counts on Saturdays. • Painting the hallway between the addition and animal room. • Assisting with the preparation and installation of the children’s playscape. • Assisting with the design and building of the Carp Lake pavilion. • Assisting with John Deere United Way Day of Caring. • Sorting and cataloging the Education Center’s upstairs library. • Maintaining trees and shrubs around the Education Center. • Removing invasive species from the preserve. • Assisting at events such as Bald Eagle Days, X-Stream Cleanup, Spring Celebration and Eco Egg Hunt, Quad Cities Pollinator Conference, Monarch Release, and An Evening with River Rats. • Assisting with the solicitation and collection of silent auction items for the annual Trivia Night silent auction. • Taking photographs at our events.

In 2017, the Friends of Nahant Marsh volunteered 709 hours of their time by:

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The Friends of Nahant Marsh (FNM) exists to assist the Nahant Marsh Education Center in caring for, learning about, and teaching others the importance, value, and beauty of Nahant Marsh.

The hallway from the addition to the animal room was painted by Friends of Nahant Marsh member, Julie Malake in 2017.

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Special Events20

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tSPRING CELEBRATION &

ECO EGG HUNT

Nearly 100 guests enjoyed AN EVENING WITH RIVER RATS,

music by Big Blue Sky & Storytelling by Kenny

Salwey, on October 12.

125 children and 197 adults came out for the

MONARCH RELEASE PARTYon September 16.

11children and 71 adults volunteered during the SPRING

CLEANUP on April 22.

84 children and 105 adults participated in the SPRING

CELEBRATION & ECO EGG HUNTon April 8.

There are many ways you can support Nahant Marsh: • Join as a Member

• Sponsor an Animal Ambassador• Personalize an Education Center Patio Paver

• Purchase Nahant Merchandise • Join the Friends of Nahant Marsh • Volunteer at Events or Cleanups

• Attend Programs and Events • Share Your Experiences on Social Media • Host a Birthday Party at Nahant Marsh

For more information, visit www.nahantmarsh.org, call 563.336.3370, or email nahantmarsh@eicc.edu

Education Center Hours

Getting to Nahant Marsh

4220Wapello Ave

4220 Wapello AveDavenport | IA 52802­3024

Description

Nahant Marsh 4220 Wapello Ave.

Davenport, IA 52802

From Davenport, IA – Take Highway 22 South, turn left on Wapello Ave.

(last turn before the I-280 overpass). Follow Wapello Ave. toward the river. Nahant Marsh will be on the left just

before the railroad crossing.

From Rock Island IL – Take I-280 to Iowa to the Highway 22/Rockingham Road exit. Turn right onto Highway 22 and

right onto Wapello Ave. Follow Wapello Ave. toward the river. Nahant Marsh

will be on the left just before the railroad crossing.

Continue Your Support