Go Wild! A Nature Fair

Conservation – Preservation – Restoration

Click here to get a printable “Go Wild! A Nature Fair” event schedule.

August 18, 2024
by Kimber Caito, Fairfield County Park District

In a nutshell, conservation is the responsible use of natural resources while preservation is protecting nature from human activities. Restoration is needed when conservation and preservation efforts were either ineffective or absent. Coyote Run and Fairfield County Park District have teamed up to educate people about those three very important things!

Go Wild! A Nature Fair proved to be one great way to do just that. This year’s event on Saturday, September 28, will be the second annual day-long program of nature-themed displays, presentations, and guided hikes. Experts from agencies, organizations, businesses, and schools are coming together to share their knowledge with you. The line-up includes:

PRESENTATIONS

  • Pre-settlement Vegetation of Ohio by Rick Gardner, Chief Botanist, DNAP, ODNR
  • Fall Migration: Birds Passing Through to the South by John Watts, Fairfield County Board of Park Commissioners
  • Nuisance Animal Information from a Wildlife Officer by Jade Heizer, State Wildlife Officer, Ohio Division of Wildlife
  • Who Goes There? Wildlife Tracking by Sandy Reed, Original Wisdom and Tracker Certification North America
  • Temporary Ponds, Eternal Fascination: The Magic of Vernal Pools by Mark Dilley, MAD Scientist Associates LLC
  • Buckeye Bigfoot by Bea Mills, OCVN, 2019 Bigfooter of the Year

Tracking is a Science!  Learn and Practice Techniques

GUIDED HIKES

  • Fall Into Vernal Pools by Mark Dilley & Jenna Roller-Knapp, MAD Scientist Associates LLC
  • Hidden Habitats by Emilee Hardesty, Wildlife Management Consultant, Ohio Division of Wildlife
  • Bigfoot Lives Here by Bea Mills, OCVN, 2019 Bigfooter of the Year
  • The Last Hurrah: End of Summer Blooms, Pollinators & Foliage by Kayla Bowyer, DNAP, ODNR
  • Minnows, Mussels & Macros: A Study of Stream Life by Tommy Springer, FCPD
  • Geology of Coyote Run by G F ‘Max’ Maxey, PhD, Geologist, National Park College
  • Plant Wars & Restoration of Coyote Run & Hague Preserve by Jim Osborn, Retired from DNAP, ODNR
  • Tracking Wildlife by Sandy Reed, Original Wisdom and Tracker Certification North America
Participants Learning about Earth Living Skills. Photo by Misty McGiffin

DISPLAYS

  • The Bill & Joyce Hague Foundation
  • Wild Ones Fairfield County Ohio
  • Pickerington Public Library
  • Fairfield Soil & Water Conservation District
  • Original Wisdom | Tracker Certification North America
  • Visit Fairfield County
  • Mount Pleasant Photography Club
  • MAD Scientist Associates, LLC
  • Ohio Division of Wildlife
  • HSV Geology Club

Attendees can also make-and-take native wildflower seed bombs. Of course, no event should be without good food, so Fine Smoke Barbeque will be on site with their lip-smacking grub!

It is our goal to acquaint people with organizations in the area that are attempting to acquire lands and restore nature. One such example is The Bill & Joyce Hague Foundation. Another is Coyote Run State Nature Preserve, a 230-acre location northeast of the privately owned Coyote Run.

    

 

Want to get involved?

There is a great variety of volunteer opportunities with Coyote Run and Fairfield County Park District. Find full details about Go Wild! A Nature Fair at fairfieldcountyparks.org/events.

Click here to get a printable “Go Wild! A Nature Fair” event schedule.