Discovering alien worlds is no longer science fiction! Join teams of astronomers around the world who are searching for exoplanets. Learn the methods they use to detect these worlds, such as studying the minute “wobbles” of stars and detecting flickers in a star’s brightness. Thousands of extrasolar planets have now been discovered ranging from hot…

Join us for the launch of a new 3-7 year old program! In this session of Nature Explorers, we will focus on what wild means and where to find it. Wildlife is everywhere, but sometimes we need to look harder. Learn about adaptations like camouflage while making new observations about the world around you.  …

The beauty and unique behaviors of dragonflies, damselflies & hummingbirds are incredibly interesting and useful, especially in the home garden habitat. Join in on this program to learn more about these charming and helpful creatures including their natural history and ideas for how to attract them to your yards & gardens.

Everybody needs a rock! Hear rock stories and play rock games, then find your own special rock at the Rock Walk!   Storytime Sprouts is an early childhood program for children 2-6 years old. Only register and pay for children actively participating in Sprouts. There is no charge for adults.

Join The Wilderness Center for our summer Jr. Naturalist Days, designed for young nature enthusiast ages 7-10. Over five exciting days, participants will delve into the fascinating world of nature, exploring topics like pollinators, conservation, mammals, freshwater ecosystems, and become FBI Investigators. Through hands-on activities, exploration, and games we will discover some of the skills…

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be an animal keeper? This program offers the experience of caring for our ambassador reptiles! Participants will learn about our Eastern box turtles and corn snake and will be trained how to safely handle them. Activities will include animal care and husbandry tasks such as diet preparation…

Explore the fascinating world of moths. Join The Wilderness Center as we explore the amazing diversity of Ohio’s moths. We will be using light traps, bait, and other methods to attract these scaled creatures. We will also be contributing to citizen science and learning their importance in our ecosystem.    All Ages Welcome! Children must…

Everybody needs a rock! Hear rock stories and play rock games, then find your own special rock at the Rock Walk!   Storytime Sprouts is an early childhood program for children 2-6 years old. Only register and pay for children actively participating in Sprouts. There is no charge for adults.

The night sky is a place of wonders! Be inspired by constellations, craters on the Moon, the rings of Saturn, stellar nurseries, galaxies filled with stars, and more! Come to our monthly, first Friday Star Watch hosted by the Wilderness Center’s Astronomy Club. Star Watch is free and fun for the whole family.  Explore our…

Follow Mike Brown, astronomer and planet hunter, on his quest for the elusive Planet Nine.  Brown and his team have discovered many intriguing new worlds in the Kuiper Belt, bright Eris, tumbling Haumea, an egg-shaped object rotating incredibly fast with two moons, and Sedna, whose orbit takes it deep into the far reaches of the…