CRESTLINE―Spring has arrived and with it comes a slew of events by the Crawford Park District.
Homeschool in Nature: Wildflowers on Thursday, April 4 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
Spring wildflowers will be popping up throughout the park. Rain or shine, the homeschoolers of the Crawford Park District are going to take a hike to see how many spring flowers we can find. Classes are limited to 20 students per session. Please call the Park District to reserve a spot for your 5-12-year-old by April 3 at 419-683-9000.
Vernal Pool Exploration: Saturday, March 23 at 10 a.m. at Carpenter’s Bottom, 3229 State Route 98, Bucyrus
Vernal Pools are a diverse habitat to explore. Join Crawford Park District Naturalist Josh Dyer for an investigation of the vernal pools at Carpenter’s Bottom looking for bugs, frogs, and salamanders. All ages welcome. Please wear rubber boots. Carpenter’s Bottom is located east of the railroad tracks on State Route 98, east of Bucyrus.
Wildflower Walk: Sunday, April 7 at 3 p.m. at the Sears Woods State Nature Preserve, 1486 Mt. Zion Road
The Crawford Park District invites you to come to Sears Wood to enjoy a spring wildflower walk. Early Spring brings with it an explosive growth within our woodlands. Spring blooming wildflowers must complete their life cycle before the trees leaf out and cut off the light necessary for photosynthesis. Meet Warren Uxley at the Sears Woods parking lot. Sears Woods is located west of Bucyrus on Mt. Zion Road.
Recycling at the Nature Center: Saturday, April 13 from 9 a.m. to noon at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
The Colonel Crawford Lions Club and The Friends of the Crawford Park District will have a RECYCLE DAY, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Lowe-Volk Park Nature Center located at 2401 State Route 598. We will have a RECYCLE DAY the second Saturday of each month through the year.
We will be accepting:
Cardboard
Clear/brown/green/blue glass (separate by color)
#1 (PETE) plastics
#2 (HDPE) plastics (colors do not have to be separated)
Newspaper/magazines/office paper/junk mail
Steel cans
Aluminum cans
Household batteries
Eyeglasses
CFL lightbulbs – from households only, no businesses please
Laptops, tablets & cell phones.——–NO ELECTRONICS – NO COMPUTER TOWERS – NO COMPUTER MONITORS -OR- TELEVISIONS—————–
Any recyclables taken to the Crawford Park District, outside of the second Saturday of every month do not get credited to the Park District. If you would like the money generated from recycling to go to them, you must take your recyclables to the Park District during their monthly collections.
Volunteer Work Day: Saturday, April 13 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
From old farm dumps to invasive plant removal, the Crawford Park District’s newly acquired land needs some TLC. Bring work gloves and a willing spirit. All other equipment will be provided. Meet at the Lowe-Volk Park Nature Center to help make this property one of Crawford County’s natural history gems.
Artifact Hunt: Saturday, April 13 at 10 a.m. Meet at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
Join the Crawford Park District and members of the Johnny Appleseed Chapter 19 of the Archaeological Society of Ohio to walk nearby farm fields looking for remnants of prehistoric cultures who inhabited Crawford County. Be the first human to touch an artifact since it was used thousands of years ago! Don’t miss this popular annual event. Bring the whole family, dress for the weather, and don’t forget your boots if the ground is wet. Also, walking sticks and small digging tools can be helpful.
Conservation Heroes: Woodland Box Turtle on Saturday, April 13 at 2 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
Join Crawford Park District Naturalist Abby to learn why the Woodland Box Turtle is a Species of Concern, as well as what we can do to help them make a comeback in the wild. This program will be the second of a three-part series where each kid will receive a cape and then try to collect all three buttons to place on the cape. You will also get a chance to meet the Woodland Box Turtle!
Hi-Tech Easter Egg Hunt: Sunday, April 14 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
Kids! Bring your smartphone, GPS unit, or borrow a GPS unit from the Crawford Park District to use for a Hi-tech egg hunt. Follow the coordinates throughout the Lowe-Volk Park to discover a hidden egg. Inside each egg is a nature-based question that needs to be answered. Kids finding eggs and answering the questions will receive a small prize when complete. Come join the fun!
Defenders of the Earth: Monday, April 15 at 6 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
There is only one Earth and we need to take of it. Whether through recycling or providing pollinator habitats, everyone can do something. The Crawford Park District’s Joy Etter-Link will get you started on your path as a Defender of the Earth through this fun, hands-on program. Fun for the whole family.
Wild Wednesday: Wednesday, April 17 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
The Crawford Park District invites pre-schoolers and their parents to come to the Nature Center and enjoy an hour of nature exploration! Program topics will vary and may include a story, short hike, craft, or a visit from an animal. Come dressed for the weather.
Spring Hike: Friday, April 19 at 2 p.m. at Unger Park, 1303 Bucyrus-Nevada Road
Nature is springing back to renewed life! From wetlands and prairies to forests and rivers, Unger Park offers many intriguing habitats to explore. Join Crawford Park District Naturalist, Josh Dyer to observe this exciting transformation as plants and animals change with the seasons. Rain or shine, we’ll enjoy the best of spring. Participants are encouraged to dress for the weather. Unger Park is located just west of Bucyrus on Bucyrus-Nevada Road.
Just Hike It: Saturday, April 20 at 10 a.m. at the Heckert Nature Preserve, 1601 State Route 19
Let’s get out hiking this spring and kick out the winter blahs! Join Crawford Park District Naturalist, Lisa Bogard, on a monthly trek through the park and also to do some photo journaling to document the seasonal changes. Heckert Nature Preserve is located at 1601 State Route 19 west of State Route 602.
Wrens: Wednesday, April 24 at 7 p.m. Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
Six different Wren species have been recorded in Ohio – two of those species are in trouble and a third has disappeared altogether. Meet Crawford Park District Naturalist Warren Uxley at Lowe-Volk Park and learn the good, the bad, and the interesting facts about Wrens
Bees in Your Ohio Backyard: Thursday, April 25 at 6 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
Many gardeners know a honey bee when they see one, but how about the other 400+ species of bees that call Ohio home? The Crawford Park District welcomes guest speaker Denise Ellsworth whose program will focus on some of the most common bees, including their fascinating biology and life histories. Why do bumblebees vibrate their wing muscles to the tone of a middle C? How uncommon are queens in the bee world? Why do leaf-cutting bees cut discs from leaves and petals? And how important are these native bees to pollination and biodiversity? Join Denise for this fun, information-filled program, which will include bee specimens. Denise Ellsworth is the Program Director for Honey Bee and Native Pollinator Education with Ohio State University, Wooster. Native plants, provided by Natives in Harmony, will also be available for purchase for your own backyard bee sanctuary.
Earth Day Fair: Saturday, April 27 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
We care about the earth every day but choose to celebrate earth day once a year. Join the Crawford Park District at the Lowe-Volk Park Nature Center to celebrate our wonderful planet. The Crawford Park District is partnering with many local organizations to host our annual Earth Day Fair. The focus of this event is not only to get people thinking about the 3 R’s — Reduce, Reuse, Recycle — but also about sustainability, creating backyard habitat, and much more! There will be many “green” table displays and activities. The following displays and activities planned include: Recycle Trailer and display from Crawford County Solid Waste District, interactive “living stream” display from ODNR Scenic Rivers Program, Recycled Projects from Lisa Smith’s 4th Grade class (Colonel Crawford), Composting Demo from the Soil and Water Cons. Dist., Native Plant Sale, Recycled Nature Craft, Natural Pesticides display, “mud play”, and displays from local businesses that demonstrate the focal points of this event.
We will also have a trailer here from Crawford County Solid Waste for collecting your recycling. During the Earth Day Fair, we will have a paper shredder on site. Gather all your old paperwork to be shredded that day! Come and celebrate Earth Day with us!
Night Sky: Saturday, April 27 at 9 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
The Crawford Park District invites you to join members of the Crawford Park Astronomy Club as they share their knowledge and telescope skills with all who are interested in the celestial sights. Targets for the spring months will include: Mercury, m-81 and m-82 which are two galaxies that can be viewed at the same time in the telescope eyepiece and m-65 and m-66 are spiral galaxies and are also 2/3 of the Leo Triplet. The universe is an astronomical sight!
Toddler Trot: Wetland Wonders: Wednesday, May 1 at 5:30 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
The Crawford Park District invites toddlers and their parents to this fun outdoor program. Wetlands are a wonderful way to introduce toddlers to the vastness of nature. Dragonflies, cattails, turtles, and, of course, tadpoles are the essence of wetland discoveries. Join Josh and McKinley for this fun foray to Lowe-Volk’s wetland. For kids not quite in school and younger.
Spring Bird Migration: Saturday, May 4 at 9 a.m. at Sears Woods State Nature Preserve, 1486 Mt. Zion Road
Meet Crawford Park District Naturalist Warren Uxley at Sears Woods parking lot for a program on spring bird migration. More migratory birds pass through Ohio in early May than at any other time of the year. This massive movement of Warblers, Tanagers, Flycatchers, Vireos and Thrushes (to name just a few) is truly spectacular. Sears Woods is located west of Bucyrus on Mt. Zion Road.
Love Your Mother: Monday, May 6 at 6 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
Mother Nature provides us with so much joy! She can also help us with that perfect Mother’s Day gift. The Crawford Park District’s Joy Etter-Link will help you discover your love for Mother Nature while exploring Lowe-Volk Park. Fun for the whole family.
Painting at the Park: Wednesday, May 8 at 5:30 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
It’s time again to dip our brushes into some paint and create a spring wildflower on canvas. Crawford Park District Volunteer Candy Yocum will lead us step-by-step on how to paint our next masterpiece. The class is limited to 25 participants ages 5 and up. Please call the Crawford Park District to reserve a spot by May 7. A $5 donation is recommended to cover the costs of supplies and can be paid that night.
Bird Banding: Saturday, May 11 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
In conjunction with the Pancake Breakfast, we’ll be banding birds on the front porch of the Lowe-Volk Park Nature Center. Join Crawford Park District special guest Bob Placier, along with Josh, Lisa, and Abby for a morning of science! They’ll be monitoring mist nets to see which birds inhabit or pass through Lowe-Volk Park. Banding is used to track trends in bird populations, among other research applications. All ages welcome.
Pancakes in the Park: Saturday, May 11 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
Come and help the Friends of the Crawford Park District support your Parks while satisfying your appetite. For a $5.00 donation, you can get pancakes topped with REAL maple syrup, a side of delicious ham, and a great morning enjoying and supporting your Park District!
Recycling: May 11 from 9 a.m. to noon at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
The Colonel Crawford Lions Club and The Friends of the Crawford Park District have a RECYCLE DAY the second Saturday of each month through the year.
We will be accepting:
Cardboard
Clear/brown/green/blue glass (separate by color)
#1 (PETE) plastics
#2 (HDPE) plastics (colors do not have to be separated)
Newspaper/magazines/office paper/junk mail
Steel cans
Aluminum cans
Household batteries
Eyeglasses
CFL lightbulbs – from households only, no businesses please
Laptops, tablets & cell phones.——–NO ELECTRONICS – NO COMPUTER TOWERS – NO COMPUTER MONITORS -OR- TELEVISIONS—————–
Any recyclables taken to the Crawford Park District, outside of the second Saturday of every month do not get credited to the Park District. If you would like the money generated from recycling to go to them, you must take your recyclables to the Park District during their monthly collections.
Coyotes: Fact or Fiction: Tuesday, May 14 at 6 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
Coyotes are an interesting study in adaptations and can be a polarizing animal to discuss. The Crawford Park District welcomes special guest Jon Cepek, Wildlife Ecologist for Cleveland Metroparks, who will present research from their trail camera monitoring program that focuses on coexisting with Coyotes and how to identify abnormal behavior. Jon will also give insights into Coyote life history, how humans changed Ohio to influence these urban predators, emotion vs. science-based decision making, and much more. Are there really coywolves/dogs? Jon will answer this question and many more, helping you understand the facts and not the fiction about the highly adaptable Coyote.
Trees: Thursday, May 16 at 5:30 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
It’s National Love a Tree Day! Join Crawford Park District Naturalist, Lisa Bogard, for an evening program learning about some of the unique trees that we have close to home and some from around the world. Did you know the Angel Oaks in the south are over 400 years and the Eucalyptus deglupta is also known as a Rainbow Gum tree. Let’s go hug a tree!
Conservation Heroes: Bumblebees: Saturday, May 18 at 2 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
Join Crawford Park District Naturalist Abby Ditomassi to learn why important pollinators like bumblebees are in decline, as well as what we can do to help these animals make a comeback in the wild. This program will be the third of a three-part series where each kid will receive a cape and then try to collect all three buttons to place on the cape. We will also play a game, and then go look for bumblebees doing what they do best: pollinating!
Just Hike It: Saturday, May 25 at 10 a.m. at Unger Park, 1303 Bucyrus-Nevada Road
Let’s get out hiking this spring and kick out the winter blahs! Join Crawford Park District Naturalist, Lisa Bogard, on a monthly trek through the park and also to do some photo journaling to document the seasonal changes. Unger Park is located just west of Bucyrus on Bucyrus-Nevada Road.
Night Sky: Saturday, May 25 at 9:30 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
The Crawford Park District invites you to join members of the Crawford Park Astronomy Club as they share their knowledge and telescope skills with all who are interested in the celestial sights. Targets for the spring months will include: Mercury, m-81 and m-82 which are two galaxies that can be viewed at the same time in the telescope eyepiece and m-65 and m-66 are spiral galaxies and are also 2/3 of the Leo Triplet. The universe is an astronomical sight!
Springtime at Daughmer Savannah: Sunday, May 26 at 3 p.m. at Daughmer Savannah, 786 Marion Melmore Road
Meet Crawford Park District Naturalist, Warren Uxley and learn about Daughmer’s rarest plants. Most of the prairie plants at Daughmer will flower in mid to late summer, but several plants listed as threatened species will flower in late spring. Daughmer is located on Marion-Melmore Road, just north of SR 294.
Living History Days: May 31 through June 2 at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
A fun historical event in its 17th year. Great for the family with many hands-on demonstrations. Concessions will be available. The bus tour is first come, first served.
Friday, May 31
8pm — Native American War Council
Saturday, June 1
9am — Opening Ceremony
10am — Russell Morris: Shequonor, Shawnee singer/ Storyteller
11am — Capture of Col. Crawford
11:45am — Bus Tour starts immediately afterward
1pm — Vane Scott: The Many Faces of Old Glory
2pm — Children’s Plant Walk
3pm — Capture of Col. Crawford
4pm — Close
8-10pm — Lantern Tours
Sunday, June 2
10am — Open
10am — Russell Morris: Shequonor, Shawnee singer/ Storyteller
11am — Capture of Col. Crawford
1pm — Vane Scott: The Many Faces of Old Glory
2pm — Children’s Plant Walk
3pm — Capture of Col. Crawford
4pm — Closed
For more information, contact the Crawford Park District office at 419-683-9000. Look for information on other programs offered by the Crawford Park District by visiting the website or Facebook page.