Tuesday, May 2, 2017

2017 Ohio Prairie Association Annual Conference


Hamilton County Prairies and Wetlands —
Miami Whitewater Visitor Center
Miami Whitewater Forest
9001 Mt Hope Rd, Harrison, OH 45030

Participate in another Ohio Prairie Conference. Informative speakers
and presentations, field trips, photographic opportunities.

Learn from Ohio prairie experts. Everyone invited.

A Friday evening social (21 July) will be held at the High Plains Shelter in the midst of beautiful Miami Whitewater Forest’s nearly 5,000 acres. At 6:30PM we will enjoy a barbeque dinner. We will have an up-close visit from an owl and great conversation until 9 pm. Afterward we’ll go for a night walk through a mature forest to wrap up the festivities.

On Saturday we will start the day with coffee, tea and a snack, a welcome and introduction to the ecology of Southwest Ohio; then a fascinating presentation by Dr. David Lenz about the Ethnobotany of Ohio Prairie Plants.

Around mid-morning we will car pool 6 miles to Fernald Preserve for a presentation and easy walk to learn about this 1,000 acre restored and created prairie and wetland site. Once a U.S. Department of Energy industrial complex, it is now a bird watching hot spot and important wildlife habitat.

 We will return to Miami Whitewater Forest for lunch, followed by a hayride into the prairie. We’ll load into hay wagons or a van for an 8 mile trip though the 500-acre Shaker Trace prairie and wetland complex. We will stop several times for short walks to view blooming beauties and learn more about the botany and innovative management of prairies, told by several experts. Topics will include rare species, controlling invasive plants, burning and a tour of a 40 acre prairie nursery.

TO REGISTER FOR THE CONFERENCE PLEASE CLICK HERE