NATURAL AREAS DISCOVERY SERIES OPENS WITH EVENING FROG WALK
AT IRWIN PRAIRIE STATE NATURE PRESERVE
Discovery Series features hikes, educational tours, and canoe floats March through October
COLUMBUS, OH - Come hear the chorus of spring and spend an evening with Ohio’s toads and frogs on Saturday, March 26 at Irwin Prairie State Nature Preserve in Lucas County. The event kicks off the 2005 Natural Areas Discovery Series - a series of monthly events held from March through October, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resource (ODNR)
“Ohio’s state nature preserves have so much to offer visitors and this series invites people to experience the scenic vistas, rare plants and unique landscapes found within these special places,” said Thomas Linkous, chief of the Division of Natural Areas & Preserves.
The toads and frogs program begins at 6:30 p.m. with a slideshow at Secor Metropark’s National Center for Photography. Afterward, participants will drive to Irwin Prairie for a guided evening walk. To register for the event, call 419-445-1775 by March 21.
Irwin Prairie is a wet prairie dominated by sedges and rushes, habitat for migrating songbirds and waterfowl. It is the finest remaining sedge meadow in the state. The 187-acre preserve has a handicapped accessible boardwalk providing access through the prairie. The boardwalk is a one and one-quarter mile loop trail beginning at the parking lot. Irwin Prairie is about 10 miles west of Toledo off of U.S. Route 20 on Bancroft Street.
This marks the second year the ODNR Division of Natural Areas and Preserves has hosted open house-styled events from the spring to the fall. Events feature scheduled hikes, interpretative programming and a chance to meet division staff.
Upcoming Discovery Series events include: an open house on Saturday, April 23, at Miller Nature Sanctuary in Highland County to view spring wildflowers and the impressive geology of Rocky Fork Gorge; and a bird watching hike along Lake Erie’s shore on Saturday, April 30 at Sheldon Marsh State Nature Preserve. For a complete list of series events, visit the ODNR web page at ohiodnr.com.
The Discovery Series programs are free and open to the public. For more information on the frogs and toads event at Irwin Prairie, call Steve Harvey at 419-445-1775.