Grand opening for the Discover Huffman Prairie Project
Increased access to prairie w/ Wright brothers connections.
Event details
* this page may be updated if event is repeated in the future *
Grand opening for the Discover Huffman Prairie Project
NEW INTERPRETIVE SIGNAGE, BROCHURES, PROGRAMS MAKE HISTORICAL PRAIRIE MORE ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC
The 112-acre Huffman Prairie State Natural Landmark is one of the largest tallgrass prairie remnants in Ohio.
A grand opening for the Discover Huffman Prairie Project will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 21, at the Huffman Prairie State Natural Landmark. The project includes a new installation of interpretive signs and plant identification markers, along with new brochures about this natural landmark that has historic and environmental significance. Orville Wright studied plants at the prairie, and he and his brother, Wilbur, learned to control their airplane in the adjacent flying field. Huffman Prairie also is an example of a once-abundant native habitat nearly lost to development and restored through years of conservation efforts.
Tom Crouch, senior curator at the National Air and Space Museum, will give comments, and following the presentation, Five Rivers MetroParks Director of Conservation Dave Nolin will lead a walk through the prairie. Enter through WPAFB gate 16A and follow the signs to Huffman Prairie. The event is free and open to the public.
The project was made possible by an $11,700 grant from the Ohio Environmental Education Fund and a partnership with the National Park Service and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The Discover Huffman Prairie project is a collaboration between Five Rivers MetroParks, the 88th Air Base Wing Civil Engineering Group and Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.
"Until now, only scant information has been available about this 112-acre conservation area," Nolin said. "This new educational layer will help the community learn more about this special place that many rare plants, birds and insects call home. This restored prairie remnant is a fascinating place to connect with nature and experience the outdoors."
The 112-acre Huffman Prairie State Natural Landmark, which combines history and conservation, is located on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and adjacent to the Huffman Prairie Flying Field, where the Wright brothers tested their planes, and near Huffman MetroPark. Today, the Flying Field is part of Dayton Aviation Heritage National Park.
Five Rivers MetroParks has partnered with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to restore and manage the Huffman Prairie since 1988. Prior to European settlement, prairies were common in the valley of the Mad River in southwest Ohio, but since the 1800s, nearly all the prairies of eastern North America were lost. During the past 25 years, Five Rivers MetroParks has helped with harvesting of seed, restoring degraded sections of the prairie, doing controlled burns and coordinating research projects.
Thanks to these conservation efforts, many rare plants, birds and insects now can be found at the prairie. Huffman Prairie hosts one the best displays of Ohio prairie grasses and flowers, as well as impressive populations of rare grassland birds, such as bobolinks, dickcissels and sedge wrens. Other unusual species documented on the prairie include the smooth green snake, thirteen-lined ground squirrel, and more than 200 species of butterflies and moths — including one found only in this prairie. Today, the Huffman Prairie State Natural Landmark is one of the largest prairie remnants in Ohio.
The site is open to the public daily from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. A short, easy-to-hike trail winds through the prairie. For bird watching, June is the best time to visit, and for the most spectacular display of wildflowers, visit in mid to late July.
In addition to the July 21 event, other programs have been planned to help the community experience the Huffman Prairie State Natural Landmark. Bring drinking water, sunscreen and insect repellent for those programs held at the prairie.
- 7 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14, Huffman Prairie Interpretive Center, 2380 Memorial Rd.: "Take Flight with the Birds: Huffman Prairie Birds." Tom Hissong, education coordinator and naturalist from the Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm, will present a program on the birds of the Huffman Prairie ecosystem. He will discuss their natural history and talk about their characteristics and behaviors and how to identify them by both sight and sound.
- 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, Huffman Prairie State Natural Landmark: "Huffman Prairie Bird Walk." Tom Hissong, education coordinator and naturalist from the Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm, will lead a walk through the prairie to look for birds.
- 10 to 10:45 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, Huffman Prairie State Natural Landmark: "Orville Wright and Huffman Prairie." Orville Wright was introduced to Huffman Prairie when his botany class went there to study plants. The adjacent flying field was being used as a cow pasture when he and his brother spent 1904 and 1905 learning to control their airplane there. Join ranger Karen Rosga of the National Park Service and study some of the same plants Orville would have studied. See the botanical drawings Orville made, and create drawings of your own.
- 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Aug. 26, Huffman Prairie Interpretive Center, 2380 Memorial Rd.: "Prairie Establishment: Small and Large Scale Plantings." Whether you are interested in planting a small butterfly garden or a large prairie, this program led by Five Rivers MetroParks conservation manager Mary Klunk will give you techniques to establish these beautiful native grasses and wildflowers on your property.
- 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, Aug. 27, Huffman Prairie State Natural Landmark: "Prairie Seed Harvesting." We need your help to harvest seed at Huffman Prairie from such plants as purple coneflower, royal catchfly and blazing star that will be used for a large pollinator planting to be held at Germantown MetroPark in spring 2016. Your work will help provide valuable habitat for bees, moths, butterflies and many other insects that depend on these native plants. Led by Five Rivers MetroParks conservation manager Mary Klunk.
- 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, Huffman Prairie State Natural Landmark: "The Prairie." Join ranger Leisa Ling of the National Park Service for a walk at the prairie and learn why prairies are important and what makes them an integral part of our ecosystem.
Links & Tags
Five Rivers MetroParks.
