ONAPA 2024 ANNUAL MEMBER MEETING & SOCIAL
Saturday, September 14, 2024
NuHop Hemlock Campus
(formerly Mohican Outdoor School)
5370 Bunkerhill North Road, Butler
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Walk-ins welcome, but lunch items may be limited. Register on EVENTBRITE by Sept 8
Guest Speaker:
Jeffrey Davis, Herpetologist
Jeff Davis has been conducting amphibian and reptile surveys for the Ohio Division of Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1995. Most significant is his work with the Eastern Spadefoot, Cave Salamander, Smooth Greensnake, and Eastern Massasauga, all of which are endangered species in Ohio. Jeff’s experiences with Ohio amphibians and reptiles have led him to work in each of the state’s 88 counties and he has collected all 14 frog and toad species native to Ohio, as well as 23 of the state’s salamander, 22 snake, all 5 lizard, and all 11 turtle species. His extensive field work has resulted in two publications on the distribution of Ohio’s frogs and toads. He was also an editor of and contributing author to Amphibians of Ohio, and most recently, Reptiles of Ohio. Jeff taught Botany, Zoology, Biology, and Environmental Science at Northwest High School in Cincinnati but left the classroom in 2015 after 29 years to do consulting work full time. He has also taught Vertebrate Zoology, Herpetology, Environmental Biology, and Tropical Ecology at Miami University and is an Adjunct Research Associate in Herpetology and Ichthyology at the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History and Science.
Field Trips starting at 2:00 p.m. are each limited to 20 people):
Brown’s Lake Bog Nature Preserve - this 100-acre nature preserve is owned by The Nature Conservancy and features a 7-acre kettle lake and glacially formed hill known as a kame. The bog around the lake is a unique and fascinating rare plant community that is home to more than 20 rare plants. The sphagnum mat surrounding the lake features large cranberry, round-leaved sundew, rose pogonia, pitcher-plant, and bog buckbean, to name a few. The 1.1-mile trail system includes a boardwalk into the bog meadow and an earthen trail to the kame. This area was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1968. The leader will be Guy Denny, an expert on Ohio bogs and fens (ONAPA President).
Clear Fork Gorge Nature Preserve - This glacially reversed valley is located in Mohican State Forest along the Clear Fork of the Mohican River. The geologically significant river valley was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1967 and has exceptional array of vegetation including an eight-acre stand of a virgin white pine and hemlock forest. Due to the steepness of the valley’s slopes, the vegetation differs due to aspect. The north-facing slopes are cool and wet featuring the Canadian relic plants, while the south-facing slopes are drier and hotter and feature a forest of red and white oak, tulip-tree, beech and maple and a floodplain of sycamore, cottonwood, and willow. The leader will be Aaron Bartley, Ohio Division of Natural Areas & Preserves.
Donald G. Beam Brinkhaven Oak Barrens - This 114-acre nature preserve is owned and managed by the Killbuck Watershed Land Trust and recently became Ohio’s 138th State Nature Preserve. This preserve protects one of the best remaining examples of oak barrens in the state. Black and white oaks are scattered in the open prairie grasses of the two barrens. This community features a variety of prairie plants including hairy sunflower, tall coreopsis, butterfly milkweed, big bluestem, and Indian grass. The preserve is located on a tributary of the Mohican Scenic River. The leader will be Randy Carmel, President of the Killbuck Watershed Land Trust.
Annette’s White Pine Forest - This 122-acre property is owned by ONAPA member, Annette McCormick who purchased this in-holding in Mohican State Forest in 2015 to prevent it from being logged. About 80 acres of her personal preserve is a mixture of forest types with white pine and hemlock on part of the area and hardwood forest with white oak and black oak dominating this section of the forest. The floodplain of the stream that meanders through her property is known for its spring ephemerals. The white pine forest has an outstanding population of round-leaf orchids. This area is quite hilly so be prepared for strenuous hiking to see this outstanding forest. The leader will be Annette McCormick.
Download the Agenda Here
Jeffrey Davis, Herpetologist
Jeff Davis has been conducting amphibian and reptile surveys for the Ohio Division of Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1995. Most significant is his work with the Eastern Spadefoot, Cave Salamander, Smooth Greensnake, and Eastern Massasauga, all of which are endangered species in Ohio. Jeff’s experiences with Ohio amphibians and reptiles have led him to work in each of the state’s 88 counties and he has collected all 14 frog and toad species native to Ohio, as well as 23 of the state’s salamander, 22 snake, all 5 lizard, and all 11 turtle species. His extensive field work has resulted in two publications on the distribution of Ohio’s frogs and toads. He was also an editor of and contributing author to Amphibians of Ohio, and most recently, Reptiles of Ohio. Jeff taught Botany, Zoology, Biology, and Environmental Science at Northwest High School in Cincinnati but left the classroom in 2015 after 29 years to do consulting work full time. He has also taught Vertebrate Zoology, Herpetology, Environmental Biology, and Tropical Ecology at Miami University and is an Adjunct Research Associate in Herpetology and Ichthyology at the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History and Science.
Field Trips starting at 2:00 p.m. are each limited to 20 people):
Brown’s Lake Bog Nature Preserve - this 100-acre nature preserve is owned by The Nature Conservancy and features a 7-acre kettle lake and glacially formed hill known as a kame. The bog around the lake is a unique and fascinating rare plant community that is home to more than 20 rare plants. The sphagnum mat surrounding the lake features large cranberry, round-leaved sundew, rose pogonia, pitcher-plant, and bog buckbean, to name a few. The 1.1-mile trail system includes a boardwalk into the bog meadow and an earthen trail to the kame. This area was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1968. The leader will be Guy Denny, an expert on Ohio bogs and fens (ONAPA President).
Clear Fork Gorge Nature Preserve - This glacially reversed valley is located in Mohican State Forest along the Clear Fork of the Mohican River. The geologically significant river valley was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1967 and has exceptional array of vegetation including an eight-acre stand of a virgin white pine and hemlock forest. Due to the steepness of the valley’s slopes, the vegetation differs due to aspect. The north-facing slopes are cool and wet featuring the Canadian relic plants, while the south-facing slopes are drier and hotter and feature a forest of red and white oak, tulip-tree, beech and maple and a floodplain of sycamore, cottonwood, and willow. The leader will be Aaron Bartley, Ohio Division of Natural Areas & Preserves.
Donald G. Beam Brinkhaven Oak Barrens - This 114-acre nature preserve is owned and managed by the Killbuck Watershed Land Trust and recently became Ohio’s 138th State Nature Preserve. This preserve protects one of the best remaining examples of oak barrens in the state. Black and white oaks are scattered in the open prairie grasses of the two barrens. This community features a variety of prairie plants including hairy sunflower, tall coreopsis, butterfly milkweed, big bluestem, and Indian grass. The preserve is located on a tributary of the Mohican Scenic River. The leader will be Randy Carmel, President of the Killbuck Watershed Land Trust.
Annette’s White Pine Forest - This 122-acre property is owned by ONAPA member, Annette McCormick who purchased this in-holding in Mohican State Forest in 2015 to prevent it from being logged. About 80 acres of her personal preserve is a mixture of forest types with white pine and hemlock on part of the area and hardwood forest with white oak and black oak dominating this section of the forest. The floodplain of the stream that meanders through her property is known for its spring ephemerals. The white pine forest has an outstanding population of round-leaf orchids. This area is quite hilly so be prepared for strenuous hiking to see this outstanding forest. The leader will be Annette McCormick.
Download the Agenda Here
Looking forward to seeing you there!