Hoooooo doggy!

I've been a busy girl! How are you?

Well, as I promised I'll tell you about the training I got to go to for groundtruthing. One morning, we (Frank, Dr. Dave, Dick, and myself) to Ye Ol' Findlay, Ohio. It was, shall we say, early. After a brief stop at a coffee establishment, we arrived at the Division of Wildlife, Region 2 offices. I saw some familiar faces and some familiar decor. We were all there to learn how to groundtruth a wetland survey done by Ducks Unlimited with the help of several other organizations besides D.O.W. that I cannot remember now.

This is an update of the National Wetlands Inventory for Ohio. (Lookie! Wetland plants!) The last time this was done here was in the mid-80's. On the national level, things were done by aerial photos. Here, in Ohio, it was done using sattelite data. Well, now the information has been taken again because Ducks Unlimited started a mallard survey and found the maps were very outdated. Time to do all of this again.

The majority of the budget was spent on color and color-infrared photos. (Aerial photos mind you.) Now, it's up to people like us to double check a percentage of the inventoried wetlands (no less than 1/10 acre) for accuracy. Right now they only have imagery for the northern half of Ohio and Erie County is one of the counties that will be checked soon. (Eventually, all counties will have been checked.) We are including farm and backyard ponds in this survey which I believe is a new thing.

To do this, we are going to use GPS units to help us find the wetlands indicated on the maps we'll be provided. We go, we look, we mark the map with our determination of what kind of wetland it is (forested, emergent, unconsolidated bottom, etc.) and make any notes or comments we feel will help the inventory folks get a more accurate description.

Why is this so cool for me? Well, not only can I help with this here in Erie County but when it comes time to do Franklin, I can do it there too. This equals more experience for resumes! (Score!) I'm hoping this will start before I leave in a few weeks. I'd like to get a chance at helping with this. At least I'm trained already.

So what other resume builders have I accomplished? Well, we just had our Project Wild Aquatic and Science and Civics training this week. Teachers from all over (including one chap from Dublin!) came together to be trained to use these two books. It was a fun two days. We played with sand and "seined for fish" (or beans in this case) and looked at plankton under a scope. Door prizes were given out and I got a set of fish life histories and a book called A Guide to Ohio Streams, and, of course, we all got the Proj. W.A. and Sci.&Civ. books.

So, those were the biggies of late. I've also been able to visit my relative's in Akron and see one of my cousin's 4 metroparks (he's the head guy at those parks but I can't remember which 4 they were, sorry). The park we saw was very pretty and had remnants of Ohio and Erie Canal locks. There is also an old general store that has been restored that has displays and some souveniers.

We also visited Stan Hywet Hall. The guy responsible for Goodyear tires lived there. Stan Hywet Hall is a way cool place. Beautiful gardens and right now they're having a treehouse exhibit and they have butterflies in the greenhouse. Mom and I stayed in the Quaker Square Crowne Plaza hotel where we slept in a silo. (I am very upset at Univ. of Akron because they bought the historical hotel and landmark and are planning on turning it into a dorm. What a waste of a beautiful building and a waste of an opportunity. I feel they should turn it into a Univeristy owned hotel and confrence center since it is one of only two large hotels in Akron right now. Think of the money they could make!? ~steps off her soapbox)

I've been canoeing twice this week and the last group was just today from the Firelands Chapter of the Western Reserve Land Conservancy. They've managed to save 1500 acres of land so far just this year!

So there's my week and a half. Next up is my ficilitation of a meeting about window displays and COSEE's Teachable Moment class.

Sketching and Butterflies

Greetings and Salutations from Huron! It's been lovely weather here with some "for real" rain. The grass and plants are loving it. We have a new stash of Fish Ohio bracelets and a bunch of new tatoos for the kids. Not just birds this time but fish too! Including a big fish that is easily 4-5 inches long. The prairie continues to bloom and be full of Black Eye Susans. The Queen Anne's Lace is showing now and we have monarch eggs on the milkweed.

Backtracking though, let me tell you about Hoffman Forest Reserve and the Second Saturday sketch class. Hoffman Reserve is a very quiet place as it seems that not many people know about it. It has successional forest on it and there's also a great meadow trail that I got to see. I didn't go too far along it though, I didn't want to get lost. I'm planning on going back as soon as I can.

The Second Saturday sketch class is a group who goes out to varios places like Hoffman Reserve and the OWC barrier beach and spend time drawing. At the end of the classes (you must pre-register because it's very popular) there is going to be an art show of everyone's best work. Saturday, we went to where part of Old Woman Creek travels through Hoffman Reserve (pdf) and the class parked themselves in lawn chairs around the creek and sketched away. (If you ever come to this, bring your own supplies as there's limited number of general supplies for the class.) I, in the mean time, reverted to little-kid-mode and explored.

Besides all the awsome plants I saw a lot of great creatures including many adorable toads which I can only assume were American Toads. Here's a great closeup.



There were also quite a few Damsel Flies. They were constantly flying around and posing. And speaking of posing, there was a Red Spotted Purple that was hanging around drinking up the moisture in the mud.



It posed and posed and posed. It was quite the little camera hog. The other surprise for my camera was the Silver Spotted Skipper that chose to hold still for a moment. I wandered up the trail a bit and found a Great Blue Heron hiding out.

I've done other things too this week but I'll save them for another entry and when I remember to download my next set of pictures. You'll get to see more taxidermy. Hey, we are Division of Wildlife after all.

Backing up a little further, I got to go kyacking out on the estuary again. A couple of times actually. The lotus are starting to bloom and by the time we go out again next week, it'll look spectacular. I also saw quite a bit of Swamp Milkweed. The main, noticeable difference between it and the Common Milkweed is the pink color. It's much brighter than the Common Milkweed. The Swamp Rose was also making a show.

I also attending the Wing Watch 2008 planning meeting at the Ottawa County Vistors Bureau. (Here's a map, by the way. It's a great place to stop and get info about the Lake Erie coast and Islands.) This was a crucial meeting because there were some who were burned out and a bit frustrated after this past year. However, they talked it out and everyone is rearing to go for 2008.

That's it for now. I'll be back with tidbits about the Division of Wildlife's groundtruthing training and other little jewels. While I'm gone, think og what you're missing by not coming to visit.....

Just a note...

...for some upcoming events.

The Columbus chapter of the National Audubon Society, a group dedicated to
understanding and preserving the world's birds, will hold several upcoming
nature walks at the Whittier Peninsula. Walks meet at the boat ramp in the Lower
Scioto Park and begin at 6:30 a.m.
Wednesday, July 4
Saturday, July 21
Wednesday, August 1
Saturday, August 18

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Registration is open for the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman workshop. It will be taking place in Ashley, Ohio at Recreation Unlimited 9/28-9/30. More information and registration forms can be found here: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/workshops/outdoorw.htm

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Bob Giehl, a Master Gardener in Mount Vernon and California, is leading a tour of the
Ohio governor’s residence Heritage Garden and other Columbus-area places of
gardening interest on Tuesday, July 31. Participants will travel by motor coach, which will leave the Knox County License Bureau parking lot, 671 N. Sandusky St., at 7:30 a.m. that morning. There is a fee for the tour; participants are asked to register in advance and bring a lawn chair, snacks and camera. For more information, call Giehl at 397-7406. The Heritage Garden Web site is at www.governorsresidence.ohio.gov.

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Aug. 4 and 26 -- Muzzleloader shoots at Centerburg Conservation Club.
Cost: men $9, women and children 16-18 $4, under 16 and novice shooters are
free. For more information, call 740-625-4003.

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July 14 -- NBAA Central Division Bass tournament, 6:15 a.m. at O'Shaughnessy
Lake, Home Road ramp.

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July 14 -- Boater-education course at Reynoldsburg Gander Mountain, 9 a.m.
Cost is $5. For more information, call 614-856-0066.

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July 14 and Aug. 11 -- Free seminar on cooking in the outdoors at
Reynoldsburg Gander Mountain, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call
614-856-0066.

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July 14 and 28, Aug. 11 and 25 -- Catfish tournaments at A.W. Marion State
Park in Circleville. For more information, call 740-474-9201.

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July 21 -- Division of Watercraft boating-education course at the Alum Creek
office, 3305 S. Old State Rd., Delaware, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost is $5. For more
information or to register, call 740-548-5490.

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July 28 -- Division of Watercraft boating education course at the Buckeye Lake
office, 12408 Lancaster St., Millersport, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost is $5. For more
information or to register, call 740-548-5490.

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Aug. 4-5 -- Sweet Sixteen Celebration, an all-around clays competition limited to
16-gauge shotguns, at Black Wing Shooting Center, 3722 Marysville Rd.,
Delaware. For more information, call 740-363-7555.

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Registration has officially opened for the fourth Great Ohio River Paddle Aug. 18
and Aug. 19. Paddlers have two trip options: A weekend paddle or a one-day paddle. The event begins in Ripley, and ends in New Richmond. Proceeds from the Great Ohio River Paddle will benefit the programs of Ohio River Foundation, including its Rain Garden Initiative and River Explorer Program that educates more than 1,000 school children annually about the ecology and importance of rivers and streams in the Ohio River watershed. To paddle in, or be a sponsor of, the Great Ohio River Paddle, or for more information, call 377-1408, or visit www.ohioriverfdn.org.

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Children can fish free on selected Lake Erie fishing charters in the Port Clinton
area from Aug. 13 to 17 as part of a program sponsored by the Lake Erie Charter
Boat Association. During "Kids Fish Free" week, adults booking a charter through the association hotline at (800) 287-1020 can bring one youth, age 17 or under, at no charge for each paying adult. Charter reservations must be made by Aug. 7 to participate in this special promotion. The "Kids Fish Free" charter trips will depart from the Port Clinton area. Anglers may pursue walleye, smallmouth bass, yellow perch or a combination of those species.

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July is National Blueberry Month. You know what to do....

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The Ohio Ornithological Society will hold a two-day warbler symposium at
Lakeside and Marblehead on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 8-9. Birder and author
extraordinaire Jon Dunn, avian night call expert Bill Evans, Ohio field guide
author and speaker Kenn Kaufman, ornithologist Elliot Tramer and tour guide
company founder Victor Emanuel will be featured. Field trips will explore some of
the premier birding sites on the Lake Erie coast. For registration, lodging and
meal information, go to the group's Web site, www.ohiobirds .org. Or go to cosponsor
Black Swamp Bird Observatory's Web site, www.bsbobird.org. Or call
Black Swamp at 419-898-4070.

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The Master Recycler Program is an eight-week program that meets for one evening a week and for two Saturday field trips. The program will be offered again starting in September 2007. A wide variety of topics including solid waste, waste reduction, recycling, hazardous waste, natural gardening, home composting, and vermicomposting will be taught by instructors from this region. Cost for the program is $50 for Clermont County residents and $60 for participants outside the County.
The MRC Program is funded through the Adams-Clermont Solid Waste District and
EPA's Ohio Environmental Education Fund. To register for the fall 2007 Master Recycler Composter Program or to receive additional information contact Ploucha at or 753-9222.

Happy post July 4th!

Greetings! I'm sure you're thinking, "It's been a week! You had best have something interesting to write about, young lady!" Well, convieniently, I do. While last week was slower I still got quite a bit done.

Accomplishment #1: I took pictures of half of OWC watershed and GIS'd their locations. It was a lovely 2.5 hour trip around the area. I saw quaint little areas like this quaint little ditch, alluring locales, and this groovy little spot in Berlin Heights. A lot of the places I took pictures of I couldn't actually get down to because of slope and vegetation but that last site in Berlin Hts. I was able to get to.

It's totally hidden and it's a great secret. Frank told me the gorge is a glacial remnant of the Canadian Shield. There were a lot of great flowers down there and dragonflies zooming about. It was all very picturesque. Most of my sites got 2-3 pictures, this one got about 10. This pretty little spot, though, apparently has issues with raw sewage and trash. How sad.

Accomplishment #2: My next adventure happend on July 4th. I decided that it'd be a great day to go to Sheldon's Marsh. I arrived and began to walk the paved path. Apparently, this was the site of one of the first paved roads in Ohio and it took you to Cedar Point. I guess the paved road itself was just as much an attraction as the amusement park. When Dr. Sheldon purchased it in the 50's, people thought he was crazy and called the area Sheldon's Folly. It was just a mucky wetland afterall.

It's a good thing he did because now it's a phenomenal place to go brid watching. You can also visit Shelly the Sheldon's Marsh squirrel, the amazing headless swallow, and even an occasional water snake.

As I continued on, I got to the beach. My first stop was the NASA pumping station. (If you look at page 5 of that PDF, there's great pictures of the erosion between 1968 and 2001.) I enjoyed several of the signs that they had on the fence.

I wandered down the beach and spent about an hour and a half poking at the various rocks and carcasses that littered the beaches. There's been enough erosion that you'll find areas where the peat is washing up on shore. Piles of black stuff everywhere. I got some pictures of some random things I thought were neat. Towards the end, I acknowledged that I was on a reeeeealy long beach and headed back. On the way, I took more pictures (of course).

Semi-Accomplishment #3: The rest of the week was spent working on lesson plans and scratching my eyes out over Ohio educational standards. (I'm accepting defeat at this point and will ask for help.) I also plotted my course for the other half of Old Woman Creek watershed pictures. Then, I fled to spend a lovely weekend with friends. (You don't get to hear about that, that's for another blog.)

This week so far has had me in a kayack twice now. I almost did a face plant into the creek yesterday. It was great. I got to learn a little of the physical science of the preserve from Joe Ortiz as he lead his class from Kent State. Dr. Doug Kane came by with his class from Stone Lab. We also had the Stream Ecology for Teachers class from Stone Lab too. We even had educators from Soil and Water Conservation groups. (It was a slightly busy day for us yesterday.) I'll get to go back on the water again Thursday for the public canoe trip.

Other interny type news:
-I get to teach a session from Project Wild at a training in August.
-I get to coordinate the conceptual design for two of the display windows here.
-I'm going to start making themes for the weekends. This weekend: microhabitats!

Before I go, I forgot to give you the update on the mouth of OWC. It closed about 2 weeks ago after making a sharp swing to the west thanks to wave action and the movement of sand. Here's a pic:

Picture Day!

Before I start, I want to post a link to an organization I found while perusing the internet looking up information: the Outdoor Writers of Ohio. I had no idea that this existed. Not only do they support conservation and outdoor communicators but it also has record fish listings, including bowfishing. Pretty cool as fas as I'm concerned.

Anyway, as not much has happened in the past few days (except that the eaglets have fleged!) here's some of the pictures I've taken recently that you've not seen yet.


This is Phoebe pointing things out to the DOW folks.


The fragrant water lilies are blooming. The lotus will too in a few weeks.


A friendly neighborhood turtle posed just long enough for a picture before diving in.


Coastal Training guru Heather.


This is the observation deck on the trail.