A Little Help from My Friends
Volunteers brave the cold to save Cranber ry Bog

CRANBERRY BOG - Our own natural wonder is fighting for survival. Each year, waves from passing boats undermine its edges, causing pieces of the sphagnum mat to break off. Invasive species attack the Canadian origin bog vegetation itself.

Last Saturday, about three dozen volunteers, part of the newly formed Friends of Cranberry Bog, helped the bog fight back by removing some of the invaders from the meadows. Long-time bog manager, Greg Seymour, Preserve Manager for ODNR's Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, and Steven Maurer, Chief of the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, provided expert guidance and helped volunteers avoid poison sumac. The cold, biting weather actually helped protect volunteers from the sumac - if it's too cold to sweat you don't need to wipe your brow.

Volunteers enjoyed a hot lunch prepared by the Jacksontown United Methodist Church and served at its Waters Edge Community Center. Food was donated by local businesses. See Friends organizer George O'Donnell's letter on Page 6 for the details.

Thanks to these hardy volunteers, the bog's orchids, pitcher plants, ferns and, yes, cranberries, will face less competition this year.

Photos by Charles Prince