Quest Descriptions

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.

Click here for

photos

and

species

list

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Flowers

Photography

Butterflies

Birds

Trips will be filled on a first-come first-served basis, so be sure to register early!

To download "Quest" as a PDF click here.
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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
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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

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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.

Difficulty Level: Moderate Distance: 2.5miles Limit 10
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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.

Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate Distance: 2.5miles PM Limit 10
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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
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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.

Level: Moderate: serious botany Distance: 1 mile —PM Limit: 10

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Quest #7 Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge: Botany Lite Mark 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

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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
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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