The Prairie Nature Center was recently recognized as an asset to the OSU Marion campus in the Ohio State Alumni Magazine. The Prairie was highlighted for both its research and educational programming. Click here to read the article!
http://www.ohiostatealumni.org/media/regionalcampuses_marion.php
Here’s another article about all the regional campuses and their unique attributes:
http://www.ohiostatealumni.org/media/regionalcampuses.php
Enjoy!
Jon collecting Big Bluestem
Jon began working for the Prairie Nature Center in October 2009. He is a sophomore in Middle Childhood Education at OSU Marion and has aspirations of teaching math, science and social studies. Jon enjoys adventures in the outdoors, eating wild animals and strange berries (he has a good sense of humor!), and traveling. He’s looking forward to learning about native vegetation and horticulture while at the same time helping the university expand the public’s awareness of the plant diversity in our back yard.
Jon is also featured in the OSU Marion campus video that I recently posted.
Jessica collecting Indian Grass
Jessica began working for the Prairie in October of 2009. A sophomore at The Ohio State University’s Marion campus, she is a Middle elementary education major, with an emphasis in science and math. She looks forward to learning the traditional uses of the various Prairie plants and working closely with groups who visit the Nature Center (especially the kids!). When not on campus, Jessica spends her time with her fiancé & two children, working toward a sustainable living property… with lots of prairie plants in its future
Jessica is featured in the OSU Marion campus video that I recently posted.
Emma's here- watch out pigeons!
Emma has been working for the Prairie Nature Center for several years. She is now in her fourth year of study in Art Education at OSU Marion. She is also taking courses at the Columbus campus as she makes her way to complete her degree program. Emma has a diverse employment background that has given her a lot of experience that’s also useful here at the Prairie. This past summer she worked for the Waterman Research Lab of Natural Resources (Farm) on the Columbus campus. She spent the summer learning all about propagating techniques, driving a tractor and hoeing in the fields. She submitted a picture of her at work at the Farm this summer. Apparently shooting pigeons was a part of her job requirements. Interesting isn’t it?
Jessica, Emily and Jon
I’ve recently hired two new student workers. It can be a challenge to find student employees that possess the work ethic and desire to learn that is required to work at the prairie. It seems a lot of students would prefer to sit in an office, behind a computer screen and answer phones. My student workers rarely sit behind the computer, and it’s even more rare to see them answering the phone. SO, these students need some unique talents and qualities.
I interviewed several students and ended up hiring two of the applicants. I could not be happier with the choice of these two individuals. They’ve only been on staff for about three weeks and in that time they’ve already absorbed so much information and so many skills! I wish I had documented their facial expressions and sayings from our first trip out to the prairie. A number of times I heard them saying, “I can’t believe I get paid to do this” or “This is my new office!” Between their words and smiles I could tell they were really excited to be working for The Prairie Nature Center. Stellar employees like the ones I’m currently employing are a rare find and I’m so glad to have them on my team.
Check back in a few days for more information about my student workers!
A video was recently created highlighting the many unique features of the OSU Marion campus. The Prairie was included in the video, with lots of shots of seed collecting by Emily with new student workers Jessica and Jon. Click below to enjoy the entire video!
New dock pictures have arrived!
The new dock at the Prairie is a great addition. It’s much larger than the previous dock which provides more space for visitors to view the area. Plus, the dock is so much more stable that the old dock. To increase safety, a railing has been added around the edge of the dock. I hope you enjoy exploring the pond and surrounding area!
Construction video:
The finished product:
The dock by the prairie pond has been enjoyed by many a child. Often times kids like to sit or lay at the end of the dock to get a better view of the frogs, fish and turtles living in the pond. But as the years have passed, the dock has become less stable and I’ve become less comfortable seeing youngsters on the dock.
Well, its been decided, the old dock is out and a newer larger dock is going to be arriving soon. Here are some pictures of the old dock. I apologize for the poor quality- I forgot my camera!
I’ll keep adding pictures as the construction begins! I hope the new dock is finished by the end of this week! So exciting!
The construction that had been blocking the entrance to the Prairie has been completed. If you’re planning a visit, you’ll be pleased to find easy access to the Prairie driveway and parking lot has been restored. Come on out and enjoy the late summer colors of the Prairie Nature Center!
Repairs are currently being made to several of the parking lots adjacent to the Prairie driveway. Due to the construction much of the area is blocked off by cones. The cones are set up just past the entrance to Student Lot 1. During this time, visitors may park in Student Lot 1 and walk back to the prairie, but access to the prairie via vehicle is unlikely while construction is underway. We hope the project wraps up quickly so normal visitation access can be restored. Thanks for you understanding and patience with this situation.
Marion Campus Map. Please click the map for a larger view.
