Mentor Marsh: I Recall a Visit to an American Wetland on the Fourth of July
Walking on the Wake Robin Boardwalk Trail at Mentor Marsh
revealed the area’s attractiveness after its restoration and caused me to
reflect on the song, “America, the Beautiful.” The boardwalk and marsh are
pictured on July 4, 2023.
By Anna Krejci
In recent years, I have not watched a fireworks display on
the Fourth of July. I desire to be patriotic, but being in nature calls me more
strongly. About three years ago, I visited Mentor Marsh, which is a state
nature preserve, on a gorgeous, sunny and warm Independence Day. I walked on a
boardwalk to see the green plants overstretching themselves and pressing in
along both edges. As a layperson in natural sciences, I meandered above the
still, glassy water and breathed in the air. To me, the marsh looked as
stunning as all the multiplicity there would allow – from insects, to plants,
to birds, to the very people coming to look. In an awe-inspiring display of
biodiversity, I stood and admired it.
The country’s natural landscape has inspired many writers
and thinkers. Katharine Lee Bates, the famous 19th century English
literature professor, wrote a poem that later was set to the song, “America,
the Beautiful.” She looked upon the country’s mountains, prairies and coasts as
her inspiration; in addition, she saw the best of human nature and its
vulnerability - both senses were captured in her poem. Her lyrics beginning
with “O beautiful, for spacious skies,” make me think of our gorgeous country and
the American people who live in the landscapes; our dedicated people uphold that
for which the country stands. Yet, the country was not perfect then, and Bates
penned a line that is relevant always, but especially now: “America! America! God
mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!” Her
poem, originally published July 4, 1895, in a Boston newspaper called “The
Congregationalist,” is a more revealing, honest and humbling choice for lyrics
than what we currently have in “The Star-Spangled Banner,” if I compare the two.
I thought of the song, “America, the Beautiful,” when I
reflected on my visit to Mentor Marsh. The wetland’s history is triumphant in
how people can reverse the harm of pollution. The marsh is cared for by the
Cleveland Museum of Natural History. On the museum’s Science Blog, a post
titled, “The Story of Mentor Marsh: How a Devastated Ecosystem Gained a Hopeful
New Chapter,” by Anna Alger, with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, recounts
decades. According to the blog, in the 1960s, industry introduced salt-mine
tailings into a tributary to the marsh, which caused environmental conditions
for an invasive reed called Phragmites australis to thrive and push out native
plants and wildlife. Because the invasive plant was so populous and so prone to
catch fire, the marsh burned on multiple occasions, but in 2003, a particularly
large wildfire took over. The marsh began to mend itself after that fire when
native plant growth returned to areas where ecologists could clear the invasive
plant. I think nature has a way of repairing itself, and the role of people in
helping it should not be discounted. Now, thanks to the Cleveland Museum of
Natural History, the marsh is in an improved biodiverse state.
Will our nation repair itself in other ways, too? We are in
a difficult time, in my opinion. The environment is still being overused by
people who deny it the opportunity to replenish itself. The cost of living is
high. Young people question the value of a college education against their
chances at securing employment. Warring - in the literal and figurative senses –
does not bring a positive conclusion to anything in the current era, in my
faith perspective. White supremacy and the mistreatment of immigrants in
America needs to end. As Americans, we all need to take seriously, and with
much consideration, the responsibility for electing leaders to public office. Whether
they are Republicans, Democrats or independents, we need to elect individuals
based on their ability to compassionately solve problems that Americans face.
I am a patriotic person who recognizes both the good and the
bad about my country. The United States, as it turns 250 years old, is my home,
and I want to contribute positively to making America great in this century. If
becoming more involved in my local community is the way, I hope I can be a
force for betterment.
About My Visit
To access Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve, I parked in a
small lot next to the entrance off Woodridge Lane and Wake Robin Road in Mentor,
Ohio. The parking lot is in a residential neighborhood. I walked on the Wake
Robin Boardwalk Trail at the marsh. It can be very sunny on a bright day. The Nature Center is located on Corduroy Road. See the following links for information on visiting the marsh.
Work Cited
Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Anna Alger. “The Story of Mentor Marsh: How a Devastated Ecosystem Gained a Hopeful New Chapter,” 19, Sept. 2025, https://www.cmnh.org/learn/science-blog/2025/09/19/the-story-of-mentor-marsh-how-a-devastated-ecosystem-gained-a-hopeful-new-chapter .
Additional
Resource
Ryerson, Jade. “Places of Katharine Lee Bates and ‘America, the Beautiful.’” U.S. National Park Service, 19 Feb., 2025, https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/places-of-katharine-lee-bates-and-america-the-beautiful.htm .
For more information on Mentor Marsh from the Cleveland
Museum of Natural History, click on the following link.
About the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s
Conservation Work
https://www.cmnh.org/science-conservation/areas-of-study/natural-areas-conservation
Ohio Department of Natural Resources – Mentor Marsh
https://ohiodnr.gov/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/mentor-marsh-state-nature-preserve
