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Tuesday, March 28, 2025
Woody species control at Wolf Run Park, Knox County Park District 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
717621 Yauger Road, Mt Vernon Knox County |
The state-endangered Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a small woodpecker, utilizes wooded habitat in the park for foraging and shelter. Granite boulders carried by Ohio’s last ice age 100,000 years ago dot the landscape. Small streams that comprise the headwaters of Wolf Run, which flows to the Kokosing River, grace the landscape.
We will be assisting the Knox County Park District to control woody species invading grassland units which have been burned recently (ONAPA helps the park district with prescribed burning). We will work in at least two units in or adjacent to Wolf Run Park, which is located on the east side of Mount Vernon.
DIRECTIONS: We will meet at the park district house on Yauger Road, which is just east from the Wolf Run main parking lot.
What to bring: Bring lunch, water, gloves, and good hiking boots. Herbicide treatment will be done by licensed or trained ONAPA stewardship assistants and volunteers. Tools will be provided.
RSVP: If you would like to attend, please REGISTER. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE. Online registration is important for our planning.
We will be assisting the Knox County Park District to control woody species invading grassland units which have been burned recently (ONAPA helps the park district with prescribed burning). We will work in at least two units in or adjacent to Wolf Run Park, which is located on the east side of Mount Vernon.
DIRECTIONS: We will meet at the park district house on Yauger Road, which is just east from the Wolf Run main parking lot.
What to bring: Bring lunch, water, gloves, and good hiking boots. Herbicide treatment will be done by licensed or trained ONAPA stewardship assistants and volunteers. Tools will be provided.
RSVP: If you would like to attend, please REGISTER. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE. Online registration is important for our planning.
Three stewardship projects completed in January with no cancellations due to weather
Lakeside Daisy SNP
Bonnett Pond Bog
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Lakeside Daisy SNP
Brinkhaven Oak Barrens
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Despite some cold and snowy days in January, ONAPA started off the new year with three stewardship projects and did not have to cancel any of them. We appreciated the hardy volunteers and DNAP staff that joined us as we accomplished good work on these preserves all three days:
- Lakeside Daisy Preserve (January 14) - red cedar removal with six people
- Brinkhaven Oak Barrens (January 23) - woody species removal in the north barrens with five people (photo)
- Bonnett Pond Bog (January 28) - woody species removal in the bog meadow with nine people
Tinkling, sweet song of farm fields welcomes spring
Horned lark not happy with winter
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Horned lark in early spring field
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Story and photos by John Watts
As we depart winter, the earliest of warm, sunny days sparks a small, often unnoticed bird of Ohio’s farmland that begins singing and performing courtship displays. The Horned Lark is one of the most widespread species of songbirds in the Northern Hemisphere and the first nesting songbird in Ohio annually. It is the only native species of lark in North America. In Ohio, this species is commonly encountered flying across country roads in western and northwestern Ohio’s farmland. The gray-brown back with black tail feathers blends in to the background colors of roads and roadsides. The Horned Lark, while present east and southeast of the glacial boundary, becomes much less common in smaller farm fields of Ohio’s forested hill country.
Horned Larks are permanent residents in Ohio, meaning they spend their entire life cycle in this state. Prior to the cutting of Ohio’s original forests, Horned Larks were migrants in Ohio arriving in early November and departing in early April. They were not considered a nesting species in Ohio until after 1880 (Peterjohn 2001). During winter weather events they can be found congregating together, scratching field and roadside edges for small seeds. Flocks of 50 or more are not uncommon.
While the Horned Lark’s top colors are not spectacular, a nice breeding plumage male displays a bold head and facial pattern. During breeding season, the “black horns” are often held erect while singing and displaying. The alternating yellow and black facial mask and throat blending into a white breast is distinctive and adds a splash of color to an otherwise bland habitat. Like other birds, the Horned Lark’s courtship flight display rises from the ground, often silently, culminating at the top with the sweet, tinkling cascade of notes as it falls back to the ground hoping a female suitor is impressed. While driving between nature preserves this spring in Ohio’s rural areas, watch for a small gray-brown bird with a black tail flit across the road ahead. Also, take a moment to stop and listen for the tinkling song of this bird who prefers to live where there are no trees.
References:
Peterjohn, Bruce G. 2001. Birds of Ohio. The Wooster Book Company. Wooster, Ohio. pp. 344-346.
As we depart winter, the earliest of warm, sunny days sparks a small, often unnoticed bird of Ohio’s farmland that begins singing and performing courtship displays. The Horned Lark is one of the most widespread species of songbirds in the Northern Hemisphere and the first nesting songbird in Ohio annually. It is the only native species of lark in North America. In Ohio, this species is commonly encountered flying across country roads in western and northwestern Ohio’s farmland. The gray-brown back with black tail feathers blends in to the background colors of roads and roadsides. The Horned Lark, while present east and southeast of the glacial boundary, becomes much less common in smaller farm fields of Ohio’s forested hill country.
Horned Larks are permanent residents in Ohio, meaning they spend their entire life cycle in this state. Prior to the cutting of Ohio’s original forests, Horned Larks were migrants in Ohio arriving in early November and departing in early April. They were not considered a nesting species in Ohio until after 1880 (Peterjohn 2001). During winter weather events they can be found congregating together, scratching field and roadside edges for small seeds. Flocks of 50 or more are not uncommon.
While the Horned Lark’s top colors are not spectacular, a nice breeding plumage male displays a bold head and facial pattern. During breeding season, the “black horns” are often held erect while singing and displaying. The alternating yellow and black facial mask and throat blending into a white breast is distinctive and adds a splash of color to an otherwise bland habitat. Like other birds, the Horned Lark’s courtship flight display rises from the ground, often silently, culminating at the top with the sweet, tinkling cascade of notes as it falls back to the ground hoping a female suitor is impressed. While driving between nature preserves this spring in Ohio’s rural areas, watch for a small gray-brown bird with a black tail flit across the road ahead. Also, take a moment to stop and listen for the tinkling song of this bird who prefers to live where there are no trees.
References:
Peterjohn, Bruce G. 2001. Birds of Ohio. The Wooster Book Company. Wooster, Ohio. pp. 344-346.
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Apply by March 15 for ONAPA Stewardship Assistant openings
The Ohio Natural Areas & Preserves Association (ONAPA) is once again offering 3-6-month part-time contract positions, beginning in May, designed to assist ONAPA with stewardship activities including habitat management on nature preserves, rare plant monitoring, preserve monitoring, and administrative activities.
These activities will provide an individual recently graduated from college, or college student going into their senior year, with excellent field experience, training, and good contacts for future employment. |
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Three projects completed in December and weather moves fourth to January
ONAPA finished up 2024 with three stewardship projects in December - Zimmerman Prairie on December 5, Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area - one of the prairie fringed orchid sites - on December 10, and Sears/Carmean Woods on December 17. Despite some cold, dreary weather for these projects, we still had 6-11 people working on each day to remove woody, invasive species. In January, we have had one project - January 14 - removing red cedars at Lakeside Daisy Preserve.
ONAPA finished up 2024 with three stewardship projects in December - Zimmerman Prairie on December 5, Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area - one of the prairie fringed orchid sites - on December 10, and Sears/Carmean Woods on December 17. Despite some cold, dreary weather for these projects, we still had 6-11 people working on each day to remove woody, invasive species. In January, we have had one project - January 14 - removing red cedars at Lakeside Daisy Preserve.
Killbuck Marsh
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Killbuck Marsh
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November stewardship projects aides partners with their preserves
We had five important stewardship projects in November to Brown's Lake Bog, Travertine Fen, Cedar Bog, Daughmer Savanna, and Medway Prairie Fringed Orchid Site. These sites are all managed by partners other than the Division of Natural Areas & Preserves (DNAP) but are important natural areas in Ohio.
Four of the five are dedicated state nature preserves, while the Medway site is owned and managed by the City of Dayton. We worked on removing woody species at all these sites to improve the open meadow habitats of these bogs, fens, and savannas. |
Thank you to all our wonderful stewardship volunteers who have helped so much on our projects this year. We could not accomplish our partner efforts without your help and dedication, so a big THANK YOU to each of you! New projects for January-March will be posted soon.
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October projects tackle woody invasives
Projects slowed down in October, as we normally wind down the season. We had five projects, including ones to Kitty Todd, Brinkhaven Oak Barrens, Cranberry Bog (photo), Erie Sand Barrens, and Clifton Gorge. These projects all involved cutting and treating woody invasive species. We also did some rare plant surveys for Virginia spiraea, a federally listed shrub, in southern Ohio with DNAP and our stewardship assistants. This work included walking along stretches of Scioto Brush Creek, looking for this rare shrub.
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VOLUNTEERWe have many volunteer opportunities available throughout the year. Invasive control, preserve monitoring, etc.
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