Wildlife Wednesday 12/25/2024

Happy #WildlifeWednesday!  ‘Tis the season for the longest running citizen science project  in the world, the Christmas Bird Count (CBC). Up through the 19th century, many people in North America participated in a tradition of competitive hunting on Christmas Day, seeing who could kill the most birds. But in December 1900, ornithologist Frank Chapman proposed…

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Winter Solstice 2024

Winter solstice, which occurs on Saturday, December 21 at exactly 4:21AM EST, is the astronomical beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere.  Regardless of where you live in the northern hemisphere the winter solstice happens at the exact same moment for all of us.  It occurs when the Earth’s northern hemisphere is tilted its farthest…

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Wildlife Wednesday 12/18/2024

Happy #WildlifeWednesday! The Snowy Owl is the heaviest owl in North America and one of the largest owls in the world. It is native to the Arctic where it spends its time breeding and hunting on the tundra. While most owls are primarily nocturnal, the Snowy Owl is diurnal, active during the day. During the…

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Wildlife Wednesday 12/11/2024

Happy #WildlifeWednesday! Mrooowwwr. Purr. Hiss. Growl. These are the sounds one could hear from Ohio’s resident wildcat, the bobcat. These small native cats are part of the “purring cat” family (which also includes lynxes, ocelots, and house cats) and cannot roar. Quiet, secretive, and avoidant of humans, bobcats are crepuscular and active mainly at dusk…

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Geminid Meteor Shower

The Geminid meteor shower is a favorite among northern hemisphere observers and is well known for being the best meteor shower of the year.  Geminids occur every year from about November 19 to December 24.  This year they peak, when the most meteors can be seen, from Friday night, December 13, into the early morning…

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Wildlife Wednesday 12/04/2024

Happy #WildlifeWednesday! Let’s meet Mikey! If you’ve visited The Wilderness Center, you’ve probably met our hard-working animal ambassadors, Zea the corn snake and Barnaby and Gus the Eastern box turtles. Occasionally things happen that prevent wild animals from living in their native habitats, which is the preferred ideal home for wildlife.  For example, an animal…

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Wildlife Wednesday 11/27/2024

Gobble gobble! It’s #WildlifeWednesday and we are celebrating the Wild Turkey! Preferring woodland habitat interspersed with open spaces such as fields, pastures, and orchards, these large heavy-bodied birds with long necks and small heads feed on the ground, strutting and striding through forests and grasslands like small prehistoric dinosaurs. Adult males, or toms, weigh in…

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TWC Conservation Easement

Do you want to protect your land forever but don’t know how? Conservation easements might be for you! What is a conservation easement? Conservation easements are legally binding protections put in place that stay with the land forever. Even if the property is transferred, sold, or divided, conservation easements remain in place to protect the land exactly how you…

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Wildlife Wednesday 11/20/24

Happy #WildlifeWednesday! As the freezing autumn and winter weather approaches, an animal that uses hibernation as a survival strategy is the thirteen-lined ground squirrel. Also known as the striped gopher and leopard ground squirrel, this rodent is related to prairie dogs and is found in grasslands and open areas of Ohio. They may also use…

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November 2024 Full Beaver Moon

November’s full Beaver Moon rises at 4:23PM EST on Friday, November 15.  Full Moons rise as the Sun is setting.  The Sun sets at 5:06PM on this day – another indicator that nights are growing longer.  The traditional full Moon names we use today originated with the Algonquin tribes that lived from New England to…

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