Thursday, May 15th: Introduction at the Appalachian Forest Museum

4:00 pm - Check in at your respective lodge. If you can arrive earlier, you can take advantage of the Appalachian Forest Museum’s hiking trails and engaging Forest murals. 

5:30 pm - Dinner on your own

6:30 pm to 8:30 pm - What are Hydrophytes or Wetland Plants and Why are they Important

During this evening program, we will be discussing the importance of wetland ecosystems, what defines a wetland, and what differentiates wetland plants from non-wetland or upland plant species. We will teach the morphological, physiological, and reproductive adaptations of wetland plant species. During the presentation, we will also go over the wetland plant indicator status and the National Wetland Plant List (NWPL). In addition to the above, we will discuss methods of determining wetland quality based on a site’s vegetation. The presentation will include a brief overview of the different wetland habitat types present in southern Ohio and adjacent regions.

Friday, May 16th: Red Stone Farm Wetlands, Pike County

8 am – We will meet as a group and depart for Red Stone Farm for the entire day - so be sure to pack a hearty lunch and bring a bottle of water. The Arc is the conservation easement holder for Red Stone Farm, a 456-acre site that includes significant wetlands as well as heavily forested buffer lands. Red Stone Farm is a site that has been undergoing extensive wetland restoration and enhancement for the purpose of permanent wetland preservation. Located in the historic Beech Flats of Pike County, Red Stone offers old-growth mature swamp forests, young swamp forests, scrub-shrub wetlands, emergent wetlands, and newly restored early successional wetlands areas to observe and learn about wetland plant species. Red Stone Farm is a ten-minute drive from the Appalachian Forest Museum

8:15 am - Noon – We will hike through the different habitat types at Red Stone Farm and identify/observe different wetland plant species in all strata of vegetation. We will learn techniques in monitoring wetland vegetation. including setting up VIBI plots and/or line transects in addition to observing whatever wildlife reveal themselves to us to this day - from microfauna to salamanders to soaring birds.

Noon - 1 pm – Break for Lunch

1 pm - 4 pm – Continue our day at Red Stone Farm Wetlands.

4:30 pm - return to the Appalachian Forest Museum. Break to make yourself Dinner or run out to Bainbridge and grab something to eat.

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm – We will meet and review our day going over what we learned.

Saturday, May 17th: Kinnikinnick Fen, Ross County

8:30 am – 9:20 am We will meet as a group and caravan/carpool to Kinnikinnick Fen, a wetland ecosystem owned by Ross County Park District.

9:20 am - Noon – Kinnikinnick Fen is a fen wetland complex with a wetland hydrology that is fed by alkaline seeps and springs. Habitat types include sedge meadows and oxbow wetlands. We will hike into Kinnikinnick Fen Nature Preserve and identify and observe the many different wetland plant species that are present across all strata. Kinnikinnick will give us an opportunity to continue to learn techniques in monitoring and identifying wetland vegetation, including setting up VIBI plots and/or line transects in addition. Naturally, we will be keeping a sharp eye out for wildlife of all kinds.

Noon - 1 pm – Break for Lunch

1 pm - 3:30 pm – Continue our day at Kinnikinnick Fen.

3:30 - 4:30 pm - drive back to the Appalachian Forest Museum to break for Dinner.

7:30 pm – We will meet at the Appalachian Forest Museum to review what we have learned.

Sunday, May 18th: Ridgeview Farm, Ross County

9:00 am to noon. Ridgeview Farm is an Arc Preserve in Highland County and contains a smaller wetland footprint than the above sites but is an interesting alkaline-leaning site that hosts several skunk cabbage seep wetland areas and early successional pocket wetlands in post-agricultural fields. Man and agriculture have manipulated wetland hydrology and vegetation, but since purchased by the Arc, agricultural activities have stopped, and pocket wetlands are re-appearing. Ridgeview is an excellent site for restoration and the Arc is making plans to pursue restoration funds. Ridgeview Farm presents a great opportunity to see the nature of the challenges presented to wetlands by agricultural activities that include draining and rechannelizing. We will continue our wetlands study of plant ID, soil assessment, and possibly transects.

Noon - 1 pm – Quiz, Class Assessment, and Class Ends

Depart for home.