Greetings from all of us at Ohio Nature Education!
What a difference a year makes! I’m happy to report that Mr. Van is cancer-free and has regained all the weight he’d lost during his treatments. Thanks to everyone who inquired.
We’re also getting back to doing more programs, having just come off a busy summer. We have some new animals and volunteers to tell you about. All in all, it’s been a good year for us, and we hope the same goes for all of you.
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Board Member
We are happy to welcome a new board member, Jordan McLaughlin. Jordan, who oversees development for ONE, has a background in marketing and currently runs his own business. Jordan grew up on a farm in Licking County, where he developed a love and respect for wildlife. He’s looking forward to helping grow our organization. We’re very glad to have him on board.
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Intern
Cody is a senior at New Albany High School who is fulfilling his graduation requirement with us. Cody will be doing animal care and says he likes to bake and play video games in his free time. Cody has a distinct love for animals and is excited to be volunteering with ONE! And we are happy to have him!
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Intern
Our second intern will be joining us in January. Makayla Davis is pursuing an Animation and Comics degree at Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD). She will be an art intern for us during her spring semester, creating brochure handouts, video clip footage, and illustrations of our animals. In her free time, Makayla is involved in the Sustainability Collective at CCAD as the Club’s treasurer and activity coordinator.
Do you know of someone looking for an internship or wanting to volunteer some time? Find out more here!
Jordan McLaughlin
Cody Steege
Makayla Davis
Meet some new faces!
We welcomed some new education ambassador animals this year, too…
We purchased a captive Pink toe tarantula to help us with our popular Animals We Love to Hate program and to teach people the benefits of spiders.
In addition, we have obtained from Ohio wildlife rehabilitators three Big Brown Bats that are injured and are unable to be released. Our bats are popular in many of our programs, including Animals We Love to Hate, Bats & Their Predators, Nocturnal Animals, and Attracting Wildlife to Your Yard.
Interestingly, we now also have an Evening Bat that came to us from Lake Metro Parks after being found in a home with an injured wing. Evening bats are abundant throughout the southeastern US and found as far north as Ontario, in the Midwest, and as far south as Mexico. They are often mistaken as Big brown bats but are distinguished by the length of their forearm and number of incisors (do not try this at home). They are rarely found in caves, and little is known about their wintering grounds. They are considered a migratory species In Ohio. Several resources indicate that Evening bats live only 3-5 years, but hopefully, this individual will have a long life with us here. Evening bats are also known as a twilight bats. Therefore, we have named him Edward.
Help us name these two male opossums!
These two opossums came to us through a Muskingum county rehabber, Nicole Hafer-Lipstreau. They were presented when their mother was killed after being hit by a car. They were severely emaciated and dehydrated and suffered from stunted growth. They have been determined to be non-releasable by a veterinarian due to their failure to thrive. They are a welcome addition in helping us to teach the benefits of opossums.
We already have Opie and Marselle but feel free to submit name suggestions to info@ohionature.org.
Ohio Nature Education by the Numbers
2019 - 322 programs for 20,715 people
2020 - 59 programs for 2,990 people
2021 - 115 programs for 7,016 people
2022 - 209 programs for 10,532 people so far this year
We are in the process of building two new enclosures which will house our Eastern screech owls and Jack & Rachel, two of our American kestrels. Zach Tempio of Auto and Home Improvement Advantage found our social media ad. We recommend him for your home improvement projects. Zach can be reached at 614-257-7665.
We hope that you are enjoying some of our Education Ambassadors at Deer Haven Park. At the time of this writing, the Aplomado & Peregrine falcons, along with two American kestrels, are there. We plan, however, to move the Barred owl, Eastern screech owl, and Great horned owl there by mid-November. We are still paying more than $25,000 annually on purchasing rodents for our birds of prey alone. You may donate to help with this cost through our kiosk in the nature center at Deer Haven Park. All proceeds will go directly to purchasing food.
We have been fortunate to be the Crooked For a Cause recipient for Crooked Door Studio in 2022. We have a couple more events coming up in December. On Thursday, December 1, at 6 pm, join us as the wonderful Shawnna Sue leads us in an owl-themed painting. Look for more info at the ONE Facebook page or sign up directly at Crooked Door Studio’s web site.
On Saturday, December 17, from 10-4 at Crooked Door Studio, you may bring your holiday gifts, and the Ohio Nature Education volunteers and board will wrap them for you for a donation to ONE. And, of course, we’ll have an education ambassador or two for your viewing enjoyment.
AT THIS TIME, WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK SHAWNNA SUE FOR HER GENEROUS HEART AND THE SUPPORT THAT SHE HAS GRACED US WITH, NOT ONLY THIS YEAR BUT FOR MANY YEARS. We love you, Shawnna Sue!
This year, as always, we will have a holiday wish list tree at Wild Birds Unlimited on Broad Street in Reynoldsburg. Larry & Julie Baldwin and their staff can guide you in making purchases on behalf of our animals. Thank you, Larry & Julie for your continued support!
Deb, Kim, and the gang at Wild Birds Unlimited Westerville are holding a raffle to benefit Ohio Nature Education. Starting Thanksgiving weekend and through December 31, you can purchase to win two prizes; an Ecotough hopper feeder and a one-year supply of Classic No Mess Mix. Purchases can be made in-store or on their online nature shop.
We want to thank Chris Sheley of WBU Dublin for his donation of seed and LuAnn & Terry White for their supporting membership. WE COULD NOT SURVIVE AND PROVIDE A HOME FOR OUR ANIMALS WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF THE PARTNERS LISTED ABOVE. WE ARE BLESSED!
Most of you know that there are countless threats to our wild animals and the habitats that support them. Our mission is to educate people on how to impact wildlife in a positive way and to ensure that more and more people know how much WE NEED NATURE. We have put together a list of 25 Tips to Help Wildlife. Please email us at info@ohionature.org to get an electronic copy. We’ll also have it up on our website shortly after the new year. Feel free to share.
We also recommend the following Facebook pages:
We recommend any books by Doug Tallamy, especially “Bringing Nature Home.”
We also recommend Nature Scoop Newsletter created by Toni Stahl. Sign up for Toni’s newsletter by visiting her site.
Coming February 2023 – one of our board members, Tara Hutson, is the marketing director of a children’s podcast – Once Upon a Meadow, a new podcast for kids ages 4-9. The stories engage young people by presenting big questions and exploring environmental and social justice themes. Each episode is accompanied by interactive activities that foster creativity and learning.
We wish to thank all our volunteers, without whom we could not accomplish what we do. They are and continue to be our most valuable resource!
We’d also like to thank all our partners, donors, members, and customers for your continued support.
Please visit our “How to Help” section of our website for ways to help support our mission of providing a home for 45 non-releasable wild animals, which are incorporated into environmental education programs for people of all ages.
Giving Tuesday is Tuesday, November 29. You can donate through that campaign or directly via PayPal here or on the Donate link on our web site.
From Mrs. Van and the Board of Directors at Ohio Nature Education, we wish you all a Happy Holiday Season and a healthy and peaceful 2023.