2026 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 [email protected] 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.
We recommend you dress for the weather, bring water and a bag lunch or snack on all field trips.
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 [email protected] 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.
We recommend you dress for the weather, bring water and a bag lunch or snack on all field trips.
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.
May 1 Field Trip to Soon-to-Open "The Woodlands"
A field trip was just scheduled with the Knox County Park District to visit a new park site called The Woodlands. There have been many efforts to protect these impressive woods on the east side of Mount Vernon, owned by the state as a part of the Mount Vernon Developmental Center. The park district was finally successful - a driveway, pavilion and hiking trails are nearing completion. The official opening is May 9, but we are getting a sneak preview. We will meet at the parking lot, 1740 Vernonview Drive in Mount Vernon at 10 a.m. The driveway to the gravel parking lot is directly across from Arden Lane. The hike will last two to three hours and will be a distance of about two miles. Hiking boots, water and trekking poles are recommended. Use the CONTACT US link to sign up for updates.
A field trip was just scheduled with the Knox County Park District to visit a new park site called The Woodlands. There have been many efforts to protect these impressive woods on the east side of Mount Vernon, owned by the state as a part of the Mount Vernon Developmental Center. The park district was finally successful - a driveway, pavilion and hiking trails are nearing completion. The official opening is May 9, but we are getting a sneak preview. We will meet at the parking lot, 1740 Vernonview Drive in Mount Vernon at 10 a.m. The driveway to the gravel parking lot is directly across from Arden Lane. The hike will last two to three hours and will be a distance of about two miles. Hiking boots, water and trekking poles are recommended. Use the CONTACT US link to sign up for updates.
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Friday, May 15 at 9 pm
Night Owl Moth Survey 9:00 p.m. – Midnight. Our program leader - naturalist Judy Semroc - will be assisted by Greg Cudworth. Using special lighting techniques, we will be inventorying and identifying moths and other night-flying insects at the Denny Nature Preserve in Knox County. In the event of inclement weather, this event will be rescheduled for Monday, June 15. Registration Required - participation limited to 25 - email [email protected] |
Cecropia moth
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Purple Wood Sedge - (ODNR Photo)
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Tuesday, June 9, at 10 am
Learn more about sedges Andrew Lane Gibson, ODNR DNAP botanist/ecologist will lead this field trip that will examine how to identify some familiar sedges. The location - to be determined - will be in southcentral Ohio. Registration REQUIRED - participation is limited to 25 - email [email protected]. |
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Saturday, June 13, 10 am
Tour of Brown's Lake Bog SNP ONAPA founding member Guy L. Denny - author of Peatlands of Ohio and the Southern Great Lakes Region - will be exploring part of this 100-acre National Natural Landmark, featuring a rare kettle hole lake with a floating sphagnum moss mat. The preserve is known for its unique boreal life.
Registration REQUIRED - participation is limited to 10 - email [email protected]. |
Brown's Lake Bog SNP
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Lophocolea heterophylla -
(Photo courtesy of Ohio Moss & Lichen Association)
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Thursday, July 9, 10 am
Life among the Liverworts Steve McKee, naturalist and retired Director of the Richland County Park District and Gorman Nature Center, will lead us through the woods in the Mohican State Forest region. His focus will be on liverworts. Registration REQUIRED - participation is limited to 20 - email [email protected]. |
Tour of Denny's Tallgrass Prairie set for Saturday, July 25, 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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Wednesday, July 29, 10 am
Who are the Native Bees in your backyard? Denise Ellsworth, retired Program Director, Polinator Education, OSU Entomology-OSU Extension, will lead participants on a discovery of our native bees. This program will be held at Denny's Tallgrass Prairie in Knox County (see July 25 for directions).
Registration REQUIRED - email [email protected]. |
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Saturday, August 15
Glacial Geology Auto Tour Tim Snyder, naturalist and ONAPA board member, will conduct a driving auto tour across the landscape of west central Ohio. The landscape has been shaped by deep stream valleys and glacial activity, leaving behind a landscape with a deep geological history.
Registration REQUIRED - participation is limited to 6 vehicles with carpooling required - email [email protected]. |
Illustration courtesy of ODNR
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Photo courtesy of Thompson Township
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Saturday, August 29, 10:30 am
Unique view of Thompson Ledges Township Park Dan Best, retired Chief Naturalist for the Geauga County Park District, will lead this walk. He will focus on the unusual ecology and geology of the Sharon Conglomerate cliffs and caverns of Thompson Ledges in Geauga County - these features are also found at Nelson Ledges and Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Registration REQUIRED - email [email protected]. |
Collect seeds of prairie plants for your garden Saturday, October 3 at 10 am
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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 |
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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.