LONDON, Ohio -- Nearly 30 sessions on conservation, the environment and natural resources are being planned at the Gwynne Conservation Area during this year's Farm Science Review, Sept. 19-21.
"One of the big events we're doing this year is on careers in conservation and natural resources, geared to the high school students that visit the Review," said Bill Lynch, co-chair of the Gwynne Conservation Area Committee and one of the presenters at this year's Review. "Students who want to participate will be given an 'Eco Passport' and attend three sessions revolving a topic of their choosing. At the end of the day, they'll submit their passport for a prize drawing."
While the Review normally draws thousands of students from rural areas throughout Ohio, this year Dublin City Schools from suburban Columbus plans to bring students from their advanced-placement environmental and biology classes, Lynch said.
The Gwynne Conservation Area is a 67-acre demonstration and education area for agriculture and natural resources management practices. Its premiere educational events take place during the annual Farm Science Review at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio.
Several new sessions will be offered this year at the Gwynne, Lynch said.
"Last year, we got a lot of requests for a session on pond liability," and so a 30-minute session on that topic is slated for Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons.
Lynch will again offer his session on "Pesky Aquatic Plants: What to Do?" -- a popular presentation he has conducted for several years. In addition, this year he will offer a talk on "Improving Pond Health with Aeration."
"Very few ponds are aerated, but we've found a bubble aeration system is a very good management tool that can prevent fish kills, certain kinds of algal blooms, and black gunk from collecting on the bottom of the pond," Lynch said.
Brian McGowan of Purdue University will offer a session on "Rural Wildlife Management" on Tuesday afternoon. "A lot of landowners like a clean fence line on their property, but those tall weeds and brush are actually very important wildlife habitats," Lynch said. Another Purdue University professor, Bill Hoover, will offer a session on "Row Crops or Timber: When is Timber More Profitable?" on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons.
Also new this year is a fly fishing demonstration that willl highlight a 30-minute talk on protecting streams and improving their health, offered each day at 11:30. In addition, an hour-long Chain Saw Safety presentation is scheduled for noon each day.
The Gwynne is divided into four main areas: Aquatic Amphitheatre, Wildlife Amphitheatre, Woodland Amphitheatre, and Interpretative Center. Other sessions offered in each of those areas include:
-- Aquatic Amphitheatre: Quality Fishing in Small Ponds; Watercraft Safety Around Your Pond; and Healthy Wetlands Don't Bite!
-- Wildlife Amphitheatre: Myths and Truths About Coyotes; Native Warm Season Grasses: Tallgrass Truths!; Prairie Grass Management Options; Famous Naturalists of Ohio; and Is a Portable Sawmill for You?
-- Woodland Amphitheatre: Hobby Maple Syrup; Plants for Your Edible Landscape; Searching for Symptoms and Signs of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB); Woodland Management and EAB; The Fall and Rise of Ohio's Forest Empire; Gypsy Moth in Ohio; Wood Identification; Secrets of Tree ID; and Woodland Invasive Plant Control.
-- Interpretative Center: Woodland Pruning; Timber Marketing; and Growing Wine Grapes for Home and Commercial Use.
Visitors can get to the Gwynne from the Review's central exhibit area in free shuttles leaving from the west end of Friday Avenue.
For more information, visit the Gwynne's Web site at http://gwynne.osu.edu. For a complete listing of this year’s FSR presentations and events, go to http://fsr.osu.edu/schedule.html.
Farm Science Review is sponsored by Ohio State University Extension, the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, and the academic units of the university’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. Tickets are $8 at the gate or $5 in advance when purchased from county offices of OSU Extension or participating agribusinesses. Children 5 and younger are admitted free. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept 19-20 and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 21. For more information, log on to http://fsr.osu.edu. |
