Photo on our 2013 card provided by Andrew Gibson. More of his fine work can be found at : The Natural Treasures of Ohio blog. Master Gardeners and Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalists may use these events for their educational requirements.
Choose your Friday field trip: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, and much more.
We offer trips to accommodate all levels of energy and expertise. Friday's field trips are listed below:
Quest #1 Sheldon Marsh State Nature preserve—Life on the beach! Rick Gardner Ohio's Heritage Botanist
Ohio Heritage botanist will lead this trip to a Lake Erie barrier beach to see the only undisturbed beach remaining in the Sandusky bay. Interesting species include beach wormwood, inland sea rocket, seaside spurge, silverweed and brushy cinquefoil. Blanding’s Turtles are also a possible species.
Difficulty level: Difficult- One of our faster moving trips! Distance: 2-3 miles Limit: 10 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Quest #2 Big Swamp Preserve Dan / Becky Donaldson
Explore one of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's newest preserves ─ Big Swamp. Huron County's largest swamp boasts 400 acres of connected forest, high quality wooded buttonbush swamp, swamp forest wetland complex, rare plants and significant amphibian communities. Big Swamp is a State Designated Conservation Site and a Reference Wetland Complex.
Level: Moderate – walking in the field Distance: 2 miles Limit: 10
Quest #3 East Harbor State Park Jim McCormac / Chris Ashley
East Harbor State Park is at the interface between the open waters of Lake Erie, and inland marshes. Beaches offer habitat for rare coastal species like Inland Sea-rocket, Cakile edentula, Seaside Spurge, Chamaesyce polygonifolia, and Purple Sand Grass, Triplasis purpurea. Shallow marsh and wet meadows support a host of interesting plants, including Caribbean Spikerush, Eleocharis geniculate, and Nodding Ladies’-tresses orchids, Spiranthes cernua. There should also be plenty of migrant birds around to spice things up.
Quest #4 Meadowbrook Marsh and Lakeside Daisy Preserve. Jason Larson/ Todd Crail
Get the full sense of the Flora of the peninsula, as this trip has both wet and dry. Meadowbrook Marsh is a very important inland estuary with aquatic emergent vegetation and fall color, including a large population of American Lotus. It also features a prairie and woodland with interesting limestone-loving flora, including Great Blue Lobelia, Fragrant Sumac and Wafer-ash. The Lakeside Daisy preserve is a unique alvar habitat which features several of Ohio’s botanical rarities and many remnant prairie species of the historic Marblehead Prairie, including Great Plains Ladies'- tresses, Nodding Wild Onion, Stiff Goldenrod and Spiked Blazing Star.
Quest #5 Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge: Further Afield with Insects Larry Rosche / Judy Semroc
Our expert guides will be Judy Semroc and Larry Rosche the primary authors of the Dragonflies and Damselflies of North East Ohio. Not only are they experts on all thing odonate, they know the butterflies and plants as well. Ottawa has hosted the Ohio butterfly rarities, Dogface and Purplish Copper. We’ll see what we can find!
Level: Moderate: lots of walking Distance: 3 miles Limit: 10 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Quest #6 Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge: Botany Latin Jim Bissell / Fish & Wildlife Staff Justin Wolpert
Jim Bissell will be our in-house expert on wetland botany and wet prairie ecology in the Lake Erie Region. If you have not visited Ohio’s only National Wildlife Refuge, this is a must see trip. You will get the full tour by bus or tram, as well as some time to explore the grounds and Visitor Center. Our system of Wildlife Refuges plays a critical role in protecting and conserving wildlife, both game and non-game species alike.
Quest #7 Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge: Botany LiteMark Dilley / Fish & Wildlife Staff Justin Wolpert
Mark Dilley will be our in-house expert on wetland botany and wet prairie ecology in the Lake Erie Region. If you have not visited Ohio’s only National Wildlife Refuge, this is a must see trip. You will get the full tour by bus or tram, as well as some time to explore the grounds and Visitor Center. Our system of Wildlife Refuges plays a critical role in protecting and conserving wildlife, both game and non-game species alike. Home to Bald Eagles and rare orchids, Ottawa NWR provides federal protection to the largest wetlands remaining in Ohio.
Level: Easy Distance: Walk as little or much as your like. Limit: 10
Quest #8 Castalia Resthaven Preserve Guy Denny / Jennifer Windus
Castalia Prairie at Resthaven Wildlife Area is one of the finest and largest remaining tallgrass prairie and fen complexes in Ohio. Guy Denny and Jennifer Windus are very familiar with this wildlife area and will visit several locations, besides the well-known Castalia Prairie to see both prairie and fen plant species. The wildlife area supports a large number of rare prairie and fen species, including the state endangered small white lady's-slipper. This trip will entail some walking, but it will be worth it to see the Fringed Gentian and other fall-blooming species in bloom.
Difficulty Level: Moderate Distance: short walks and time in the field Limit: 10 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Quest #9 Birding and Botany Jim Berry / Tanner Morris
Jim Berry will bring his knowledge from being past State Park naturalist and his avian career at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History in New York. Jim is well acquainted with the botany and the birds of this region. Our charming tour guide will pick the best locations throughout the Lake Erie region. Tanner Morris- will round out the trip with his keen botanical knowledge. Bring binoculars along for the full experience.
Difficulty Level: Moderate Distance: short walks Limit: 10
Saturday: Please consider signing up for the Ohio Ornithological Society’s “Rally for Rail!” Great speakers, field trips and more. Oct 1 & 2, 2016 Info can be found at www.ohiobirds.org