Old Woman Creek is one of the few naturally functioning estuary environments left in the western basin of Lake Erie, where chemically distinct bodies of water meet and mix. Its ecosystem includes marshlands, sand beaches, and upland forests that support plants and animals unique to natural coastal communities. Nearly 300 bird species, including bald eagles, 40 fish species, and hundreds of native plants have been recorded there. Old Woman Creek is Ohio’s only national estuarine sanctuary and became a state nature preserve in 1980.