2023 MEMBER FIELD TRIPS & EVENTS
ONAPA field trips will last from 2 to 3 hours or longer depending on interest.
Bring water and a snack or a bag lunch to tide you over and dress for the weather and terrain. Insect repellent is recommended.
Most trips require registration. To register, please email guy.denny7@gmail.com with your name and cell phone. You will receive a confirmation email for field trips that have limited participation and where additional directions will be provided.
If you are not a member or if your membership is not current you can join or renew now
using PayPal or by downloading a membership form HERE.
Bring water and a snack or a bag lunch to tide you over and dress for the weather and terrain. Insect repellent is recommended.
Most trips require registration. To register, please email guy.denny7@gmail.com with your name and cell phone. You will receive a confirmation email for field trips that have limited participation and where additional directions will be provided.
If you are not a member or if your membership is not current you can join or renew now
using PayPal or by downloading a membership form HERE.
See Johnson Woods through the seasons: April 29, May 27 and October 14
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Join naturalist Gordon Maupin for an easy walk along the mile-long boardwalk at Johnson Woods State Nature Preserve. Maupin is the retired Executive Director of The Wilderness Center and on the board of the Ohio Natural
Johnson Woods (Photo by Beth Sanderson)
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Areas and Preserves Association. He is a conservation biologist. Gordon has scheduled three walks:
10 a.m., Saturday, April 29, 2023 10 a.m., Saturday, May 27, 2023 10 a.m., Saturday, October 14, 2023 Johnson Woods is an amazing old growth forest. The towering trees never cease to inspire every visitor. Johnson Woods has forested wetlands with vernal pools and native wildflowers in all seasons. On the walks, Maupin will address the many features that make Johnson Woods amazing in all seasons. Johnson Woods is managed by the Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, a state agency charged with preserving Ohio’s “crown jewels of nature.” Johnson Woods is located a few miles north of Orrville on Fox Lake Road between Highways 57 and 94. Registration not required. |
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Take a nature walk at Blackhand Gorge Saturday, May 6, at 10 am
Join naturalist Dick Moseley for an easy wallk through Blackhand Gorge. The prime feature of this preserve is a narrow, east-west gorge cut by the Licking River through the famous Black Hand sandstone formation. The Black Hand, for which the preserve is named, originated from a dark, hand-shaped Native American petroglyph which was engraved on the face of a massive sandstone cliff along the north side of the river. Unfortunately, the engraving was destroyed in 1828 when canal builders dynamited the cliff face, during construction of the Ohio-Erie Canal, which ran through the gorge. Remnants of the canal towpaths and canal locks may be seen from the trails along the river. Several species of glacial relic plants continue to live in the gorge as well as other plants typical of southeastern Ohio. Blackhand Gorge is located in northeast Licking County in Hanover Township, eight miles east of Newark on State |
Route 16. Exit to right on State Route 146, travel one
quarter mile to County Road 273, turn right and travel about one and a half miles to the preserve. Pack a lunch, and dress for the weather; insect repellent recommended. Registration is not necessary |
Photo of Asterella tenella moss, by Bob Klips
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Saturday, May 13, 10 am, join us for a close look at mosses and ferns at Deep Woods Preserve
Dr. Robert Klips, Assistant Professor Emeritus at OSU, will lead this hike through the sandstone woodland [reserve in Hocking County. One of the more interesting habitats at Deep Woods is a small open patchs of elm/green ash swamp forest dominated by ferns and sedges. The ground is patterned with hummocks and hollows, home to interesting mosses. Registration is REQUIRED. To register, email guy.denny7@gmail.com. Participation limited to 20. |
Wednesday, May 17, 10 am, explore Birding & Botany of the Oak Openings Region
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Dr. Elliot Tramer, retired professor (University of Toledo), biologist, naturalist and expert birder, will lead this driving and walking tour through several sites in the Oak Openings region of northwestern Ohio. This is a globally distinct ecosystem, designated by The Nature Conservancy as “One of the 200 Last Great Places on Earth.” It is a birder's paradise, not only the nesting place of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Whippoorwills, Lark Sparrows, and many other species, but an excellent location to see migrating songbirds in the spring. Details will be provided to registrants.
Registration is REQUIRED. To register, email guy.denny7@gmail.com. Participation limited to 20. |
Oak Openings - Photo by Guy Denny
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Saturday, May 20, 10 am. visit North Kingsville Sand Barrens State Nature Preserve
Lupine - Photo by Guy Denny
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Dr. James K. Bissell, distinguished botanist, naturalist and natural areas manager, will lead this tour through one of the finest natural areas of northeast Ohio.
North Kingsville Sand Barrens is a treasure trove of rare species, and a naturalist's delight. Several very rare plants occur, such as Striped Maple (Acer pensylvanicum) and Bluebead Lily (Clintonia borealis). The site is especially showy in May, when the Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis) is in bloom. The sand barrens are habitat to rare beetles, spiders, and an endangered moss as well. Registration is REQUIRED. To register, email guy.denny7@gmail.com. |
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Join us on Saturday, June 10, 1 pm, for a tour of Spring Brook Sanctuary next to Geauga County's Bass Lake Leaders: Geauga Park District Biologist Paul Pira and retired Geauga Park District Senior Naturalist Dan Best. This ONAPA outing is an introduction to Ohio’s only known native brook trout population found in the Chagrin River headwaters. The outing includes this fish’s cold water ecology and the story of its multi-agency preservation, protection and propagation presented by Geauga Park District Biologist Paul Pira. Following this brief indoor program in the Bass Lake Lodge, a venture into the Spring Brook Sanctuary will take place with a trout capture for a close up look at this amazing Ice Age relic with its unique native genetic pedigree. Addressed will be the geology and hydrology of Spring Brook as a brook trout refugium along with other rare and uncommon wildlife found in this small but critical State Nature Preserve. Be aware that ticks are present in all types of natural areas throughout Geauga County in all seasons. For precautions |
Osprey - Photo courtesy of ODNR
and more information, see: the OSU extension article, Expect more ticks in Ohio this season.
For those who have more time to spend and can provide their own canoe or kayak, Dan Best will lead a float on Bass Lake, a 160 acre natural lake home to nesting bald eagles and river otter that once featured hotels as a popular resort and event venue from 1870’s to the early 1900’s. Registration is REQUIRED. To register, email guy.denny7@gmail.com. Participation limited to 20. |
Tour of Denny's Tallgrass Prairie set for Saturday, July 22, at 10 am to 1 pm
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Registration not required.
Several prairie experts will be on hand to guide small groups through the native flora of the prairie situated in Knox County. Members and friends are invited to tour the gently rolling landscape in peak bloom: compass plants, royal catchfly, coneflowers, cup plants, and so much more host a gathering of butterflies, bees and other pollinators, during the tour. The prairie was created on 20-plus acres of once-cultivated farmland and also features two ponds with native hibiscus, gentians and other natives that thrive in wetter conditions. This “free to the public event" takes place at Denny’s Tallgrass Prairie which is a 20-plus acre prairie located in Knox County about 45 minutes north of Columbus. The street address is 6021 Mt. Gilead Road (SR95) Fredericktown, Ohio. From the junction of Interstate 71 and State Route 95, follow SR95 east just under 5 miles to the |
Photos by Terry Duncan & Jan Kennedy
Knox County Line Just about 20 feet beyond on the North side of SR95 is the driveway where there will be an ONAPA events sign directing participants up the drive to the designated parking area.
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Saturday, August 12, at 10 am, we are on the hunt for spiders of Ohio
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Our field trip leader will be Dr. Richard A. Bradley, Associate Professor Emeritus in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at The Ohio State University, and President of the American Arachnological Society. Dr. Bradley is also author of Common Spiders of North America, published by University of California Press.
Dress for the weather, bring insect repellent, water and a snack or pack a lunch. Directions will be sent upon registration. Registration is required. To register, email guy.denny7@gmail.com. |
Saturday, August 26 at 10 am, join us for fall Lake Erie Shorebird identification trip
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Leader Jason Larson, naturalist, expert birder, and Director of the Richland County Park District and Gorman Nature Center, will lead a shorebird identification field trip to several of his favorite sites along Lake Erie during the peak of fall shorebird migration.
Plans are to visit several of Jason's favorite shorebird sites. Bring binoculars, bird book, and a spotting scope if you have one. Participants should dress for the weather (rain or shine) and pack a lunch. Directions will be sent upon registration. Registration is required. To register, email guy.denny7@gmail.com. |
Collect seeds of prairie plants for your garden October 7 with the help of guides
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Prairie Seed Collecting - October 7, 10 am: Here is your chance to try your hand at growing native prairie plants. Visitors to the free Saturday event may collect all the seeds they want from Denny’s Tallgrass Prairie and learn how to establish their own prairie gardens. Several prairie specialists will be on hand to answer questions and help identify various species of prairie plants.
Participants should bring hand pruners, and containers such as paper bags in which they can deposit and label the seeds they collect. |
This “free to the public event" takes place at Denny’s Tallgrass Prairie which is a 20-plus acre prairie located in Knox County about 45 minutes north of Columbus. The street address is 6021 Mt. Gilead Road (SR95) Fredericktown, Ohio. From the junction of Interstate 71 and State Route 95, follow SR95 east just under 5 miles to the Knox County Line Just about 20 feet beyond on the North side of SR95 is the driveway where there will be an ONAPA events sign directing participants up the drive to the designated parking area. Registration is not required.