Virginia Gordon
Communications Coordinator
Lots of visitors love to go fishing in the parks, and we love having you as visitors. This sport, or pastime, is one of the most popular recreational activities across the entire world. So do come, whenever you feel the urge to cast a line, to any of the 13 Metro Parks where fishing is available. Check the 13 parks and available fishing here
But please, we do want to remind all of you of the vital importance of discarding broken fishing lines in the recycling receptors available at many of our fishing sites, or taking those lines home with you to discard safely. I say ‘vital’ in terms of the importance because it can be very much a case of life or death for wildlife that may be caught up in abandoned or improperly discarded fishing lines. And sadly, and despite the heroic efforts of Metro Parks staff, I have to share a harrowing story of a pileated woodpecker that got entangled in an abandoned fishing line at Prairie Oaks Metro Park.
Sometimes, a fishing line may get caught in the branches of a tree, and we realize how difficult it can be to retrieve a line that is stuck in that way. But please make every effort to retrieve it, or let park staff know if you have abandoned a line that is caught in that way. That just may save a life. Unfortunately, that was not the case for the pileated woodpecker at Prairie Oaks.
A visitor (but not the angler who left his or her line in the tree) approached park staff and told them he had seen a woodpecker apparently stuck in a tree on the bank of Big Darby Creek. Prairie Oaks park technicians John Klever and Jarrett Jermann headed out to attempt to rescue the bird. It appeared to be hanging from a branch and was in clear distress. Our technicians used a ladder and a pole saw to get to the bird. They had to cut a few branches before getting to the woodpecker and cutting the branch it was hanging from. Then they brought the woodpecker down from the tree using a net on the end of an extending pole.
The woodpecker was taken to Ohio Wildlife Center for treatment and we hoped for the best. But in this case, the outcome was the worst possible. The fishing line had caused irreparable damage to the woodpecker’s leg, and in the opinion of the vets treating the bird, he would not have been able to survive if released back into the wild. And so, very sadly, they had to humanely euthanize the woodpecker.
The heroic efforts of John and Jarrett were unavailing, in the end, but we are all proud of their valiant rescue attempt.
Another bird, a mallard, also found itself in difficulty when its tongue was pierced by a fishing hook on the end of an abandoned fishing line. This was at Scioto Audubon Metro Park. The outcome was a happier one for the mallard than for the woodpecker, but it is just one more case of wildlife being negatively impacted by a discarded fishing line. Again, we have a park visitor to thank for alerting staff to the distress of the mallard. Park Operations Manager Dan Kaderly used a kayak to try to get to the mallard, and then used the kayak as a cleverly-utilized water broom, to gently sweep and guide the mallard towards a dock, where it was safely caught. Then Dan and Ranger Haven Horton-Kunce worked together and very quickly freed the hook from the mallard’s tongue using a pair of pliers. They were able to release the mallard there and then, back onto the river. The park visitor sent us a written note to thank our staff, plus a photo of them working to free the hook from the mallard’s tongue.
