Where to observe dragonflies in Ohio

Fully meeting the goals of the Ohio Odonata Survey survey requires observers to go out and find new dragonflies, especially in locations that have not benefitted from much attention.

Our New Survey Goals

This map shows counties where we are below 1,000 observations and/or short of 60 species recorded. The darker the gold, the more attention needed. A number of counties (the lightest yellow) are only a few observations short of 1,000. Given the rate of observation activity in 2022 and 2023 we are likely to reach the goal in those counties, soon. Where we are well short of 1,000 there are plus signs (+) indicating the number (in hundreds) to get to 1,000.

At the start of Survey II we set goals to try to get all counties to 300 observations and 50 species. We achieved those goals, and then adjusted them. We succeeded again, and are readjusting our goals. The premise is that every county supports at least 60 species. To get the species, you need the observations - hence the goal of at least 1,000 observations in every county. Our understanding of our odonate population will remain incomplete until we expand the observation activity in these counties.

But even within counties that otherwise have relatively high observation volume, there may be certain habit types, especially rivers and creeks, that have not yet been fully explored by survey participants. Filling those gaps will not only advance our knowledge of Ohio’s odonate population, but it offers individuals the opportunity to establish new county records. As not everyone can just look out into their own backyard and find cool odes, this means we have to identify accessible locations. There are many different categories of potentially accessible habitat in Ohio, each of which has its own considerations, both in the initial identification, and in the conditions of use if you choose to visit.

Private Land

Only go onto private property if you have landowner permission. Most people are more than happy to have someone interested in their flying critters, but respect their decision to decline access. Be aware that rural landowners may already be dealing with multiple requests for hunting and mushroom collecting access, and may have encountered poachers.

Some tempting areas are owned by private companies, but are closed to public access for safety reasons. This is especially true for many of the gravel pits, quarry lakes and active mines across Ohio. Although a site may look promising on Google Maps, that does not mean it is safe to access. Many of the quarry lakes have sharp cliff faces that make it especially challenging to get back out once you fall in. Others may have heavy machinery running. Other areas are active blast zones, so most quarries should be avoided unless you have talked directly with the crew manager.

Parks

Ohio has a large number of municipal, state, and even a few federal parks. Most of these allow public access, but be sure to read signage and obey their rules indicating whether you can go off trail or are restricted to marked paths.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources owns and manages more than 800,000 acres of land, including 75 state parks, 24 state forests, 143 state nature preserves and 150 wildlife areas. Properties range from huge tracts of reclaimed strip mine to narrow riverside slivers just wide enough to launch a canoe. These locations take a variety of forms, including state forests, state parks, nature preserves, and wildlife areas. Parks typically have paved parking areas, hiking paths, boat docks and ramps, and toilets. Wildlife Areas have no toilets, minimal parking, and relatively few paths. Most of these locations are open for visit without restriction, but some nature preserves (19 of them) require applying for a permit. Some of the properties, such as the Killbuck Wildlife Area, have wildlife ‘refuge’ areas that are closed to public access, but are not well signed. These restricted areas are indicated on the detailed maps that can be searched for and downloaded on the ODNR site.

Water Conservancy Districts

In February 1914, after a devastating flood the previous year, the Ohio General Assembly passed the Conservancy Act of Ohio. The act allowed the creation of regional agencies to provide flood protection for communities within the state and the current regulation encourages recreational use. The Miami Conservancy District in southwest Ohio controls 42,000 acres, with 3,000 acres leased out for recreational purposes. The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District in southest Ohio owns over 56,000 acres of land, most of which is open to the public. The MWCD has 10 permanently flooded lakes, half of which have parks and campgrounds.

Power Company Land

The American Electric Power website currently claims over 20,000 acres open for public recreation, but the maps have not been updated since 2018. Tens of thousands of power company land has mostly been under the control, and rules, of ODNR, since the early 1960s. The state of Ohio has been steadily acquiring reclaimed strip-mine land, with a major purchase of 31,000 acres from AEP in 2019, and a purchase of 18,000 acres in 2021, virtually all of which is publicly accessible. The Wilds animal conservation center is a 10,000 acre chunk of land donated by AEP, most of which is not publicly accessible. AEP continues to own land that is managed by the ODNR as Public Recreation Lands, and it continues to own land that is not open to the public. The ODNR Find-A-Property site is the most reliable guide to what is publicly accessible, along with guidance on parking and facilities.

Private Nature Preserves and Land Trusts

Land trusts are community-led and supported projects to conserve land by acquiring and stewarding it, or through conservation easements, and much of the acquired land is maintained as nature preserves, with an emphasis on wetlands. 32 Ohio land trusts are protecting a growing amount of land, currently over 400,000 acres. Much of this land is open to the public, but finding out what is open, and where it is, generally requires some online searching.

Ohio has numerous private nature preserves, ranging in size from several thousand acres (Morgan Swamp Preserve), to several hundred acres (Brown Family Environmental Center) to a half acre (Bigelow Cemetery State Nature Preserve). Many of these are administered by ODNR and can be found on ODNR Find-A-Property.

River and Stream Access:

Major rivers, including the lower Scioto, Muskingum, and Ohio, and many smaller creeks, streams and rivers, such as the Mohican, primarily flow through private land, and are relatively difficult to access. Municipal parks provide some of the most convenient access to Ohio’s rivers. Many boat launches provide public access to rivers that may be otherwise difficult to access. Especially in rural areas, the publicly accessible area around a boat launch can often provide access to species that breed in running water and are difficult to find away from water. Of course, if you do have a boat, Ohio’s many boating and paddling access points can provide more intimate access to a river, stream, or lake.

Bridge can provide an adequate level of access to capture identifiable photos of river species that might not otherwise be observable. Obviously, the closer a bridge is to the water, the better a viewing platform it provides, and fortunately, smaller and lower bridges tend to have less car traffic.

See "Ohio Stream Access – Rights and Restrictions", p. 3 in The Ohio Dragon Flyer 31 2: 2022 February.

Army Corps of Engineers

The dams and other water management facilities managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers allow public access, and often have several types of aquatic habitat within close proximity. As many of these sites are dams and locks, you should be mindful of water levels and areas that are off limits for safety reasons.

Other areas to look for dragons

Virtually any permanent body of water is likely to attract some dragonflies and damselflies, even artificial ponds in urban settings (34 species have been observed at the cement duck pond in Columbus’ Park of Roses). Ohio has a large and growing number of retention basins, permanent artificial ponds that help manage stormwater runoff. Sometimes hosting dozens of species, these can be surprisingly productive environments. Most cemeteries allow public access, and some of them are near streams. Botanical gardens and arboretums often have ponds that attract odonates, as do commercial garden centers.

Safety Considerations

Dragonflies are often in areas that can be difficult, even dangerous to visit. Be careful—no county record is worth risking injury. And if you are not in an area where you can expect to encounter other people, be safe, and hunt in pairs. Its no coincidence that the least explored odonate habitats tend to be in areas with little or no cell phone coverage. Many interesting and insect-rich ODNR and publicly-accessible private locations are large, remote, and only occasionally visited. When you visit an area like that, even if you do have a companion, summoning emergency help can take hours. Satellite communications devices offer mechanisms that can summon emergency services anywhere on the planet without the need for cell connectivity. Satcom offerings are available at $15/month from Garmin, and are included as a standard feature with Apple devices starting at the iPhone 14, and Android phones with satellite capability are now entering the market.

Mapping Tools

Ohio’s wealth of publicly accessible land can be difficult to find, with jagged and uneven borders, and poor signage. Mapping applications on a smart phone can greatly simplify the task of finding and navigating a poorly-marked out property. Designed primarily, but not exclusively, for hunters, the onX Hunt application, which runs on Apples, Androids, and with a browser, on desktops and tablets, is an ideal tool for planning an Oda Expedition, and keeping it on track. It overlays topographic maps with property maps, and the maps and overlays can be downloaded, so you can always be sure that you know which property you are on, even if you are otherwise off grid. Access to the ownership overlays for a single state is $29.99 a year

Finding Publicly-Accessible Locations for Dragon Hunting