Grand Lake St. Marys State Park - Ecology

Ecology

The land on which Grand Lake St. Marys is located was once part of a forest that stretched from the Appalachian Mountains in Pennsylvania to the prairie in Illinois. Much of the forest was cleared by pioneer farmers as the area was settled in the years following the Northwest Indian War. The forests have been replaced by farmland with fields of wheat, soybeans, and corn.

Grand Lake St. Marys was once a swampy prairie. When the lake was constructed in the early 19th century, the prairie was flooded. Now the shore of the lake includes woodlands, wetlands and prairie ecosystems that are surrounded by residential development and farms.

The park is located along a major migration route for migratory birds. Commonly seen waterfowl include, geese, loons ducks, grebes, and swans. Wading birds found in the marshy areas of the park include egrets and herons. Other birds found at the park are cormorants and ospreys. The once endangered Bald Eagle has returned to the area and is nesting in the Grand Lake St. Marys Wildlife Refuge on the southwestern corner of the lake. The most commonly found mammals found in the park are Fox squirrels, White-tailed Deer, Beaver, Coyote, Mink and Raccoons.