Well, a swing and a miss for the SCD’s “Otter Spotter’s” this year for our annual River Otter Bridge Survey.  The SCD, in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources-Division of Wildlife (ODNR), conducts this survey to determine if river otters are present in Seneca County waterways.  Since the ODNR’s river otter reintroduction efforts that started in the late 1980’s through the early 1990’s, they have conducted these bridge surveys to help determine how far the river otters have expanded their territory.

The SCD was assigned four bridge crossing locations by the ODNR over waterways where likely river otter habitat exists.  Our bridge crossing locations were scattered in three different watersheds in the county so there was variability in the study.  In addition to our four locations, ODNR staff surveyed three additional locations for a total of seven survey points in Seneca County.  This year’s Otter Spotter’s for the SCD consisted of Rick Hassinger, Andrea Smythe, and Maria Goshe.

The survey period takes place from mid-January to mid-February, a seasonal timeframe where you would expect to find some semblance of snow cover.  The snow helps otter spotters detect signs, such as tracks and slides that would indicate that an otter is present in the area.

This year, snow cover was non-existent during the survey period and the waterways were extremely high so very little stream bank was exposed for examination by our crew.  These conditions make it very difficult for survey personnel to document any river otter sign.