Though a recent SmileHub study placed Ohio as seventh-worst in the nation for protecting wildlife — using 17 metrics that included data on things like the number of animal and environmental protection agencies per capita — the Buckeye State must be doing something right.

Flora and fauna that were thought long gone from the state are reappearing. Most recently, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources reported fishers (mammals related to river otters and weasels) are colonizing again in the state. According to ODNR, they’ve been missing from Ohio since the mid-1800s.

Now, it seems to be moving west from Pennsylvania and settling in the northern part of the state. The first modern sighting of a fisher in Ohio was in 2013, but since then there have been 40 sightings in nine northern Ohio counties. According to the ODNR, two-thirds of those sightings happened in the past three years.

Something has made fishers and other species feel safe again inside Ohio’s borders. As scientists try to figure out what we’re doing right (and, of course, what we could be doing better), they need the help of citizen scientists. Buckeye State residents are very good at observing and reporting the data ODNR needs. (One wonders whether that kind of involvement is part of the analysis of how well Ohio protects its wildlife).

If you’d like to be involved, find out more about the state wildlife reporting system here: https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/safety-conservation/about-ODNR/wildlife/Report+Wildlife+Sightings.

Among other things, we’re being asked to keep an eye out for: wild turkeys, badgers, bald eagle nests, barn owls, black bears, bobcats, feral swine, fishers, gray foxes, porcupines, river otters, ruffed grouse, sandhill cranes, snowshoe hares and weasels.

“Remember to always view wildlife from a respectful distance for your safety as well as the safety of the animal,” ODNR notes.

Ohio has done an excellent job of creating spaces in which humans might be more likely to spend some time outdoors, too, in recent years. While you’re out and about enjoying them, watch for creatures about which the state is trying to learn more. It really is an important part of how Ohio protects its wildlife.

And, if you find yourself wandering in the woods longer than intended, it’s OK. It’s for science.