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Wednesday, August 12, 2025
Invasive species control at Myersville Fen State Nature Preserve 
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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. We will be removing invasive plant species such as purple loosestrife, glossy buckthorn, alders, and other invading woody species which are encroaching upon the two fen meadows. We will be cutting the stems and treating them with herbicide, as well as hauling the stems out of the 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. 求一个手机梯子Bring lunch, water, gloves, and muck boots. Herbicide treatment will be done by DNAP staff or trained ONAPA volunteers. Tools will be provided. RSVP: If you would like to attend or have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas & Preserves Association HERE. Online registration is important for our planning. |
July projects in nature preserves remove invasives to preserve space for native plants
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ONAPA has been busy in July, despite the heat and humidity. We completed surveys for Eastern prairie fringed orchids on
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July 7, then went to Cedar Bog SNP on July 9. Five volunteers and three stewardship assistants worked to remove woody species from the prairie and cut white cedars in some of the fen meadows. It is important to thin the white cedars in the meadows each year to keep them from shading out the rare fen meadow plants.
On Saturday, July 11, ten volunteers and two stewardship assistants worked at Jackson Bog SNP to remove purple loosestrife and clean up a downed tree in one of the fen meadows. It was a super hot day, but we accomplished a significant amount of purple loosestrife removal. We were happy to have a new volunteer, Tom Fishburn, join us too. On Thursday, July 16, six volunteers and three stewardship assistants worked with preserve manager Michelle Comer at Clifton Gorge SNP to remove invasive woody shrubs such as bush honeysuckle on the scientific side of the preserve (no photos available). |
Stewardship assistants and volunteers accomplish much in preserves during June
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In spite of the continuing coronavirus pandemic, ONAPA stewardship assistants and volunteers have been busy with stewardship activities and rare plant projects throughout June. We had two scheduled stewardship projects at Milford Center Prairie June 4, and Chaparral Prairie June 18. At both prairies, we worked to remove herbaceous invasives such as sweet-clover and common teasel. Small groups of volunteers, combined with our four stewardship assistants, have been effective in accomplishing much needed work on the preserves so far this season.
We also visited Cranberry Bog to check on our stewardship projects last fall and were impressed to see so many orchids, both rose pogonia and grass-pinks. We collected purple loosestrife beetles from Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area to distribute at Jackson Bog Preserve. We collected Lakeside Daisy seeds from the Lafarge Quarry to be distributed later this year on the new portion of the preserve. We pulled garlic mustard at Davey Woods and Bonnett Pond Bog. Our stewardship assistants have been busy at Brinkhaven Barrens, |
working with Randy Carmel, president of the Killbuck Watershed Land Trust, to begin control of Japanese stiltgrass. Most recently, we have been conducting surveys for the Eastern prairie fringed orchid in several locations, in cooperation with the US Fish & Wildlife Service.
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ONAPA Annual Meeting CANCELLED Due to concerns with the ongoing pandemic, the Annual Meeting has been cancelled for 2025. |
We are sorry to cancel this meeting and will miss seeing everyone, but we feel this is the most responsible decision for the safety of our members, Board, speakers, and field trip leaders.
We encourage you to participate in ONAPA's activities on stewardship projects, preserve monitoring reports, and continued donations. Thank you for your support during The Big Give, which was extremely successful for ONAPA this year! |
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No ONAPA July prairie walk but Ohio's prairies are open for your personal ramble
ONAPA has decided to suspend our natural history membership field trips in an effort to minimize the spread of COVID – 19. However, you can enjoy your own walk through the prairies of Ohio: Kitty Todd Nature Preserve, Irwin State Nature Preserve and Erie Sand Barrens SNP in northwest Ohio and the Big Darby Plains that include Bigelow and Smith Cemetery State Nature Preserves in central Ohio. For more information on theses and other sites, visit OSU.edu. We will also decide whether to offer other smaller group field trips later this year. Thank you for your patience and understanding. |
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Boardwalk repairs at Fowler Woods completed, making wildflower walks safer On Wednesday, May 6, three DNAP staff and eight ONAPA volunteers worked together to make final repairs on the boardwalk at Fowler Woods SNP. Previously ONAPA had worked with DNAP for a day in January and February to remove damaged boards and begin to replace them. This time we were able to replace approximately 50 boards in areas we had removed damaged boards, making the complete boardwalk trail accessible to preserve visitors now. The spring wildflowers looked spectacular and we were happy to make the boardwalk safer and easier to traverse with all the visitors looking at wildflowers and birds. DNAP plans to have the entire boardwalk replaced this year, but it is not clear yet when the contract work will begin. For more stewardship project opportunities, visit VOLUNTEER. |
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Volunteers find Highland County's Miller Nature Preserve lush with wildflowers
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The first ONAPA stewardship project for the spring-summer season April 28 was an amazing day at Miller Preserve in Highland County. The weather was warm and sunny, and the spring wildflowers were spectacular. Six ONAPA volunteers and two DNAP staff, including preserve manager Josh Deemer, scouted several areas of the preserve searching for garlic mustard. Although we did not find very much, we did haul out several bags.
There were some extraordinary feats of bravery getting garlic mustard on the cliff faces and tops of slump blocks! It was a rewarding feeling to see that there is less garlic mustard present as the wildflowers are so dense and lush in this preserve. We were impressed to see three new bridges built by Josh and his staff. Some of the wildflowers we saw included bluebells, white trillium, miterwort, shooting stars, twin-leaf, and Greek valerian. We practiced social distancing, staying safe and rejuvenated. |
Spring and summer small group stewardship projects back in business
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We now have approval from DNAP to resume our stewardship projects on state nature preserves with the following restrictions:
We appreciate your cooperation with these important coronavirus guidelines and we look forward to seeing you soon! For descriptions of the projects and to sign-up, go to our VOLUNTEER page. |
Twinleaf at Collier SNP
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For the latest Stewardship Project Reports,
CLICK HERE. |
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For the latest Member Activity Reports,
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We have several stewardship projects planned for 2025, some of which are again on weekdays this year. We will include a short field trip on each project to see some of the preserve we are working at. RSVP HERE.
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小三加速器vps-outlineHelp us help Ohio's natural areas and preserves by becoming a member today by using PayPal!
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小三加速器vps-outlineONAPA is a 501(C)3 Ohio, volunteer run organization. Your donations are fully tax-deductible. Donate today using PayPal.
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小三加速器vps-outlineWe have many volunteer opportunities available throughout the year. Invasive control, preserve monitoring, etc.
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