2026 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER STEWARDSHIP PROJECT SCHEDULE
We will include a short field trip on each project to see some of the preserve we are working at. When registering to volunteer, please allow at least 24 hours prior to the project as weather may impact conditions and we make every effort to inform our volunteers of changes.
Questions: Contact us HERE.
Registration: Please let us know you are joining us, sign up HERE.
Volunteer Forms: If you are joining us for volunteer stewardship training or for one or more stewardship projects,
please complete our Volunteer forms found HERE.
Volunteer Hours: At the completion of a project, please enter your time (Including travel time to and from the site) HERE.
Registration: Please let us know you are joining us, sign up HERE.
Volunteer Forms: If you are joining us for volunteer stewardship training or for one or more stewardship projects,
please complete our Volunteer forms found HERE.
Volunteer Hours: At the completion of a project, please enter your time (Including travel time to and from the site) HERE.
Please consider keeping the following dates for additional projects or alternate dates for any of the following projects that are cancelled/rescheduled due to weather -
Tuesday, September 1 Thursday, September 10 Tuesday, September 29
Tuesday, September 1 Thursday, September 10 Tuesday, September 29
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Tuesday, August 11, 2026 Invasive Species Control at Myersville Fen State Nature Preserve 10:30 am – 3:30 pm Myersville Road, Green Summit County Myersville Fen is a small, 27-acre wetland area owned by the City of Green that contains two small fen meadows. It is one of only two fens in Ohio containing the naturally occurring, state-listed pitcher-plant (Sarracenia purpurea). Surrounded by a housing development and besieged by invasive plants from the residences, Myersville Fen is truly an island of unique plants under constant threat and in need of persistent stewardship. |
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We will be removing invasive plant species such as purple loosestrife and invasive cattails which are encroaching upon the north fen meadows.
Directions: Two miles west of Interstate 77, take State Route 241 to State Route 619 west, then on to Myersville Road. Turn south on Myersville Road to Turtle Bay Circle. Park along Turtle Bay Circle where the nature preserve signs are located.
What to bring: Bring lunch, water, gloves, and muck boots. Herbicide treatment will be done by DNAP staff or trained ONAPA stewardship assistants. Tools will be provided.
RSVP: Please REGISTER HERE. Online registration is important for our planning. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE.
Directions: Two miles west of Interstate 77, take State Route 241 to State Route 619 west, then on to Myersville Road. Turn south on Myersville Road to Turtle Bay Circle. Park along Turtle Bay Circle where the nature preserve signs are located.
What to bring: Bring lunch, water, gloves, and muck boots. Herbicide treatment will be done by DNAP staff or trained ONAPA stewardship assistants. Tools will be provided.
RSVP: Please REGISTER HERE. Online registration is important for our planning. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE.
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Thursday, August 13, 2026
Woody Species Control at Brinkhaven Oak Barrens State Nature Preserve 10:00 am – 3:00 pm Township Road 13, Brinkhaven (Gann) Holmes County Brinkhaven Oak Barrens was designated as a state natural landmark in 2005 for being the best example in north central Ohio of what famous Ohio ecologist, Paul Sears called “oak openings.” It was just dedicated as a state nature preserve this year. The 114-acre preserve, owned by the private non-profit organization, Killbuck Watershed Land Trust, protects two oak barrens containing 6 state-listed plants, including the threatened thyme-leaved pinweed. ONAPA has been assisting the KWLT with habitat management to restore the two oak openings. We will work in one of the two openings, cutting woody stems and treating the cut stems with herbicide. Trained ONAPA stewardship assistants will conduct the herbicide application. We will also be removing Japapese stilt grass. Directions: From Brinkhaven (Gann) on U.S. Rt. 62, drive about 4 ¼ miles east on U.S. Route 62 to Holmes Co. Rd. 25. Drive about ¾ mile north to an intersection and turn |
left (west) on to Township Road 13. Drive for about 1.2
miles and the parking lot will be on the right. The parking lot is about 500 feet beyond the old railroad overpass, on the right (it is hard to see as it is a grass parking lot with no signage). What to bring: Bring lunch, water, hiking boots, and gloves. ONAPA and KWLT will provide tools and herbicide, and conduct herbicide application. RSVP: Please REGISTER HERE. Online registration is important for our planning. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE. |
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Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Cattail Control at Herrick Fen 10:30 am – 3:30 pm 8260 Seasons Road, Streetsboro Portage County Herrick Fen Preserve features unique geologic, hydrologic, biologic and physical features that resulted from the retreat of glaciers during the last ice age, some 12,000-14,000 years ago. The tamarack fen is the only native conifer in Ohio that sheds its needles each year,. The cinquefoil-sedge fen contains an extensive population of bayberry, a state endangered plant found in only three locations in Ohio.
The preserve provides habitat for over two dozen state-listed |
Photo courtesy of TNC - Karen Seidel
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species and is jointly owned by The Nature Conservancy and Kent State University. We will be assisting TNC staff with invasive cattail control by wicking treatment.
Directions: Near 8260 Seasons Rd, Streetsboro (just south of the railroad tracks on the east side of Seasons Road). The entrance is marked by a small, discreet sign. The gravel drive crosses a railroad track and leads back to a small parking area.
What to Bring: Bring lunch, water, hiking boots, and gloves.
RSVP: Please REGISTER HERE. Online registration is important for our planning. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE.
Directions: Near 8260 Seasons Rd, Streetsboro (just south of the railroad tracks on the east side of Seasons Road). The entrance is marked by a small, discreet sign. The gravel drive crosses a railroad track and leads back to a small parking area.
What to Bring: Bring lunch, water, hiking boots, and gloves.
RSVP: Please REGISTER HERE. Online registration is important for our planning. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE.
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Thursday, August 27, 2026
Woody Species Control at Daughmer Savanna State Nature Preserve Area 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
786 Marion-Melmore Road, Bucyrus (Crawford County) Daughmer Prairie Savanna is one of the finest prairie savannas in the country. It is a state nature preserve managed by the Crawford County Park District. The prairie has been grazed, but never farmed. Ever since ODNR purchased the site in 2011 and the |
sheep were removed, a number of invasive species have appeared, the most troublesome being common teasel. Work projects here over the last several years have greatly reduced common teasel numbers, but as yet, it has not been totally eradicated from the preserve. A few other herbaceous invasive plants have been documented as well. Some thickets of woody species such as dogwoods should be removed.
We will be concentrating on woody species such as dogwoods we encounter in the savanna.
Directions: Meet at the parking lot located at 786 Marion-Melmore Road, one mile north of State Route 294, in Crawford County about 9 miles southwest of Bucyrus.
What to bring: Bring lunch, work gloves, long-sleeved shirt and pants, hiking boots, a long-handled shovel, tick spray or repellent, and hand pruners.
RSVP: Please REGISTER HERE. Online registration is important for our planning. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE.
We will be concentrating on woody species such as dogwoods we encounter in the savanna.
Directions: Meet at the parking lot located at 786 Marion-Melmore Road, one mile north of State Route 294, in Crawford County about 9 miles southwest of Bucyrus.
What to bring: Bring lunch, work gloves, long-sleeved shirt and pants, hiking boots, a long-handled shovel, tick spray or repellent, and hand pruners.
RSVP: Please REGISTER HERE. Online registration is important for our planning. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE.
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Thursday, September 3, 2026
Invasive woody species control at Claridon Prairie 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Marion-Galion Road, Caledonia (Marion County) This grass land, extending one mile east between the road and the railway, is one of the few surviving remnants of the once extensive prairies that were part of pioneer Marion County. This strip, preserved by chance when the railway and road were constructed side by side, contains more than 75 species of significant prairie grasses and flowers. We will be cutting and treating invasive woody species shading out this prairie remnant. Herbicide will be applied by trained ONAPA volunteers. Long pants are recommended. What to bring: Bring lunch, water, gloves, insect repellant and boots. |
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Directions: Location: NE corner of OH 98 and Marion-Galion Road at the Conrail tracks
Latitude: 40.6181210
Longitude: -83.0287230
RSVP: Please REGISTER HERE. Online registration is important for our planning. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE.
Latitude: 40.6181210
Longitude: -83.0287230
RSVP: Please REGISTER HERE. Online registration is important for our planning. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE.
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Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Woody Species Control at Wolf Run Regional Park 10:00 am – 3:00 pm 17621 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. This park is adjacent to Knox Woods State Nature Preserve.
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 parking lot on Yauger Road, near the dog park. |
What to bring: Bring lunch, water, hiking boots, gloves, and water. ONAPA and the Park district staff will provide tools and herbicide and conduct herbicide application
. RSVP: Please REGISTER HERE. Online registration is important for our planning. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE. |
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Thursday, September 10, 2026
Woody Species Control at Brinkhaven Oak Barrens State Nature Preserve 10:00 am – 3:00 pm Township Road 13, Brinkhaven (Gann) Holmes County Brinkhaven Oak Barrens was designated as a state natural landmark in 2005 for being the best example in north central Ohio of what famous Ohio ecologist, Paul Sears called “oak openings.” It was just dedicated as a state nature preserve this year. The 114-acre preserve, owned by the private non-profit organization, Killbuck Watershed Land Trust, protects two oak barrens containing 6 state-listed plants, including the threatened thyme-leaved pinweed. ONAPA has been assisting the KWLT with habitat management to restore the two oak openings. We will work in one of the two openings, cutting woody stems and treating the cut stems with herbicide. Trained ONAPA stewardship assistants will conduct the herbicide application. We will also be removing Japapese stilt grass. Directions: From Brinkhaven (Gann) on U.S. Rt. 62, drive about 4 ¼ miles east on U.S. Route 62 to Holmes Co. Rd. 25. Drive about ¾ mile north to an intersection and turn |
left (west) on to Township Road 13. Drive for about 1.2
miles and the parking lot will be on the right. The parking lot is about 500 feet beyond the old railroad overpass, on the right (it is hard to see as it is a grass parking lot with no signage). What to bring: Bring lunch, water, hiking boots, and gloves. ONAPA and KWLT will provide tools and herbicide, and conduct herbicide application. RSVP: Please REGISTER HERE. Online registration is important for our planning. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE. |
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Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Woody Species Control at Cranberry Bog State Nature Preserve 10:00 am – 3:00 pm Buckeye Lake, Licking County Now called Buckeye Lake, this lake was once a swamp that was to be converted into a reservoir to feed the Ohio and Erie Canal system. The plan did not work well because the new lake was too shallow to feed the canal for barge traffic, especially during the dry season. Strangely, it was the impoundment of the swamp in 1830 which made
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Cranberry Bog so unique. As the waters backed up behind the dike, all of the big swamp was inundated and destroyed, except the very youngest and therefore most buoyant segment of the bog mat. Instead of disappearing beneath the mucky waters, as did most of the adjacent swamp forest, a 50-acre upper segment of the bog mat along the north shore stretched and expanded like a giant water-logged sponge and rose 8 feet with the new water level. No longer did the floating bog mat surround the glacial lake as is typically the case with bogs. Now the lake surrounded the bog mat, the only known such occurrence of its kind in the world.
Activities will include cutting woody species, hauling cut stems to brush piles, and trained volunteers or DNAP staff will treat the cut stems with herbicides. We will be working in the west meadow near the boardwalk to remove woody species.
Directions: We will be meeting at the North Shore boat ramp at Buckeye Lake State Park at 10am to take a pontoon boat to the island. Take State Route 79 south from I-70, then follow SR 79 south until the curve where you enter the state park. Park in the large parking lot and look for the boat at one of the docks to take us to the island. Be sure to register if you wish to attend this project and more details will be provided in advance. We will need to know how many people are coming to arrange for sufficient boat transportation as the state park will be providing the boat.
What to bring: Bring lunch, water, gloves, and muck boots. Herbicide treatment will be done by DNAP staff or trained ONAPA volunteers. Tools will be provided.
RSVP: Please REGISTER HERE. Online registration is important for our planning. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE.
Activities will include cutting woody species, hauling cut stems to brush piles, and trained volunteers or DNAP staff will treat the cut stems with herbicides. We will be working in the west meadow near the boardwalk to remove woody species.
Directions: We will be meeting at the North Shore boat ramp at Buckeye Lake State Park at 10am to take a pontoon boat to the island. Take State Route 79 south from I-70, then follow SR 79 south until the curve where you enter the state park. Park in the large parking lot and look for the boat at one of the docks to take us to the island. Be sure to register if you wish to attend this project and more details will be provided in advance. We will need to know how many people are coming to arrange for sufficient boat transportation as the state park will be providing the boat.
What to bring: Bring lunch, water, gloves, and muck boots. Herbicide treatment will be done by DNAP staff or trained ONAPA volunteers. Tools will be provided.
RSVP: Please REGISTER HERE. Online registration is important for our planning. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE.
Sundew
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Thursday, September 17, 2026
Woody Species Removal at Singer Lake Bog (Cleveland Museum of Natural History) 11:00 am - 4:00 pm Thursby Avenue, https://maps.app.goo.gl/RPq91EE8EVfet9kAA?g_st=ic Summit County Singer Lake Bog is one of the largest and most pristine bog complexes remaining in Ohio. The site is home to over 30 state listed plant species and 72 species of Odonata have |
state listed plant species and 72 species of Odonata have been documented. It is owned and managed by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. We will be cutting and treating woody invasive plants that threaten thiswetland complex. The area we will be working in is fairly dry, but knee high boots are recommended.
Directions: Singer Lake Bog Preserve is located north of Massillon. Take SR 241 north from Massillon and turn left or west on to Mount Pleasant Street. Turn right or north on Thursby Avenue and you should see cars along the road. Or use this point to find the parking location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/RPq91EE8EVfet9kAA?g_st=ic
What to bring: Bring lunch, water, gloves, and good hiking boots. Herbicide treatment will be done by licensed or trained CMNH staff and ONAPA stewardship assistants and volunteers. Tools will be provided.
RSVP: Please REGISTER HERE. Online registration is important for our planning. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE.
Directions: Singer Lake Bog Preserve is located north of Massillon. Take SR 241 north from Massillon and turn left or west on to Mount Pleasant Street. Turn right or north on Thursby Avenue and you should see cars along the road. Or use this point to find the parking location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/RPq91EE8EVfet9kAA?g_st=ic
What to bring: Bring lunch, water, gloves, and good hiking boots. Herbicide treatment will be done by licensed or trained CMNH staff and ONAPA stewardship assistants and volunteers. Tools will be provided.
RSVP: Please REGISTER HERE. Online registration is important for our planning. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE.
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Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Seed collection at Kitty Todd Preserve 10:30 am – 3:30 pm 10420 Old State Line Road, Swanton Lucas County Ohio’s earliest European colonizers found the sandy soils of the Oak Openings Region to be unfit for growing crops, but it didn’t take botanists long to figure out that this ‘sand country’ was unparalleled in the state for the propagation of rare and wild plants. The 1,300-square-mile Oak Openings Region is a complex of oak savanna and wet prairie that developed on sand and clay deposited by glacial Lake Warren, the ancient predecessor of present-day Lake Erie. The combination of porous sandy soils of the former beach ridges and an impervious clay layer beneath those soils creates an unforgiving environment that fluctuates from flooding in the spring to arid in midsummer.
The Nature Conservancy’s 1,400-acre Kitty Todd Preserve is a centerpiece of the Oak Openings region and is a model of land management practices for the region. |
Photo by Ian Adams
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We will be assisting TNC staff with seed collection for restoration efforts.
Directions: We will meet at the TNC office at 10420 Old State Line Road, which is north of State
Route 2 near the intersection with Eber Road.
What to Bring: Bring lunch, water, hiking boots, and gloves. Herbicide treatment will be done by TNC staff or trained ONAPA stewardship assistants.
RSVP: Please REGISTER HERE. Online registration is important for our planning. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE.
Directions: We will meet at the TNC office at 10420 Old State Line Road, which is north of State
Route 2 near the intersection with Eber Road.
What to Bring: Bring lunch, water, hiking boots, and gloves. Herbicide treatment will be done by TNC staff or trained ONAPA stewardship assistants.
RSVP: Please REGISTER HERE. Online registration is important for our planning. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE.
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Thursday, September 24, 2026
Bush Honeysuckle Control at Newberry Wildlife Sanctuary, Great Parks of Hamilton County 11:00 am – 4:00 pm 5300 Sheits Road Cincinnati, Hamilton County Newberry Wildlife Sanctuary is a state-dedicated natural area featuring waterfalls, wooded hillsides with diverse plant and animal life. Acquired in 1975, it remains a protected conservation area managed by Great Parks to preserve Hamilton County's natural beauty.
We will be cutting and treating bush honeysuckle. Herbicide will be applied by trained ONAPA and Great Parks volunteers and staff. What to bring: Bring lunch, water, gloves, and sturdy footwear. |
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RSVP: Please REGISTER HERE. Online registration is important for our planning. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE.
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Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Woody Species Control at Brinkhaven Oak Barrens State Nature Preserve 10:00 am – 3:00 pm Township Road 13, Brinkhaven (Gann) Holmes County Brinkhaven Oak Barrens was designated as a state natural landmark in 2005 for being the best example in north central Ohio of what famous Ohio ecologist, Paul Sears called “oak openings.” It was just dedicated as a state nature preserve this year. The 114-acre preserve, owned by the private non-profit organization, Killbuck Watershed Land Trust, protects two oak barrens containing 6 state-listed plants, including the threatened thyme-leaved pinweed. ONAPA has been assisting the KWLT with habitat management to restore the two oak openings. We will work in one of the two openings, cutting woody stems and treating the cut stems with herbicide. Trained ONAPA stewardship assistants will conduct the herbicide application. We will also be removing Japapese stilt grass. Directions: From Brinkhaven (Gann) on U.S. Rt. 62, drive about 4 ¼ miles east on U.S. Route 62 to Holmes Co. Rd. 25. Drive about ¾ mile north to an intersection and turn |
left (west) on to Township Road 13. Drive for about 1.2
miles and the parking lot will be on the right. The parking lot is about 500 feet beyond the old railroad overpass, on the right (it is hard to see as it is a grass parking lot with no signage). What to bring: Bring lunch, water, hiking boots, and gloves. ONAPA and KWLT will provide tools and herbicide, and conduct herbicide application. RSVP: Please REGISTER HERE. Online registration is important for our planning. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE. |