CRESTLINE―From a Teasel Pull to Purple Martins, there are still several exciting events happening in June at the Crawford Park District’s five parks.
Teasel Pull Saturday, June 22 at 10 a.m. at Daughmer Savannah, 786 Marion Melmore Road.
Join the Crawford Park District to help eradicate teasel at one of the best natural areas in the Midwest! Teasel crowds out our native plants, affecting Daughmer’s botanical diversity. You’ll be teaming up with members from our partner group, ONAPA (Ohio Natural Areas & Preserves Association) to rid Daughmer of the invasive species. Bring work gloves and bug repellent. Shovels and water will be provided. Daughmer is located on Marion-Melmore Road, just north of Ohio 294.
Viewing the Night Sky Saturday, June 22 at 9 p.m. at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 State Route 598
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. Summer skies are famous for viewing galaxies. We will show you several of them this quarter. *m-87 is the giant elliptical galaxy that they recently took a photo of its supermassive black hole. This black hole is 6.5 billion times the mass of our sun. Unfortunately, we can’t see the black hole with our telescopes. m-104 is the Sombrero Galaxy. It is a lenticular galaxy giving us nearly edge-on view. They also resemble a lens. The Sombrero Galaxy is 29.3 million light years away. It is found above the constellation Corvus. *m-44 is an open cluster called the Beehive Cluster. It can be viewed with binoculars or even your naked eye! It is only 520 light years away and found in the constellation Cancer. The Beehive Cluster has been known since ancient times and was one of the first objects Galileo studied. It is very pretty. *Mizar and Alcor, also called “The Horse and Rider”, are found in the handle of the Big Dipper. They are a binary star system, which means the two stars orbit around a central mass. Please dress for the weather. We meet at sunset. If needed, we will meet inside and show videos. Bring your own telescope or allow the volunteers to assist you with those provided. It’s a spectacular universe! Lowe-Volk Park is located three miles north of US Route 30. For more information contact the Crawford Park District office at 419-683-9000.
Salem Prairie Sunday, June 23 at 2 p.m. Salem Cemetery – Intersection of Lower Leesville Road and Parcher Road
Restoration of native habitats is a long process that is fraught with unexpected challenges and complications. Crawford Park District Naturalist, Warren Uxley, has spent the last decade restoring a tallgrass prairie at the Salem Cemetery and will be sharing the successes and analyzing the problems he has encountered during this project.
Purple Martins Wednesday, June 26 at 7 p.m. at Unger Park, 1303 Bucyrus-Nevada Road
The Purple Martin colony at the Crawford Park District’s Unger Park is a major success story. In addition to learning how to start a Martin colony of their own, participants will get to look inside the Unger apartment complex and take part in the ongoing monitoring program. Meet Warren Uxley in the Unger parking lot. Unger Park is located just west of Bucyrus on Bucyrus-Nevada Road.
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 by visiting the district’s Facebook page.