Seneca County
Dress for the weather and wander the trails at Steyer Nature Preserve at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 30 to see what winter has to offer.
Seneca County Park District Program Director Linda Rose will lead the hike, which lasts about 1 1/2 hours and qualifies for the walking stick program.
No registration is required.
Hancock County
Learn more about the coyote as an important predator to northwest Ohio or as a nuisance during a program at 7 p.m. Thursday at Hancock Park District's Brugeman Lodge at Riverbend.
Giving the talk will be Stan Gehrt, associate professor of wildlife ecology and wildlife Extension specialist at The Ohio State University and senior scientist at the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation. He will present information on coyote behavior, family life, movements and relationships to people.
Brugeman Lodge is at Riverbend Recreation Area, 16618 TR 208, off SR 568 east of Findlay.
An adult color sketching in winter workshop for ages 18 and older is planned for 10 a.m.-noon Jan. 28 at Oakwoods Nature Preserve "Doc" Phillips Discovery Center.
Participants can learn basic pen-and-ink techniques and proper methods to apply watercolor washes. Sketching is one form of nature journaling, which is a process that allows an individual to record observations, seasonal changes, process environmental theory and share verifiable scientific information with others in a creative way. Workshop materials will be provided.
Registration is necessary with a $10 fee per person by Jan. 27 at the park office, 1424 E. Main Cross St., Findlay. Space is limited.
Discovery Center is at 1400 Oakwoods Lane, off West Sandusky Street off CR 144 west of Findlay.
Crawford County
Join Crawford Park District naturalist Josh Dyer as he shows the various methods for determining tree species without leaves during "Winter Tree ID: Buds and Bark" 9 a.m. Jan. 28 at Sears Woods, 1486 Mt. Zion Road, Bucyrus.
A "Snow Crafts and Treats" program is planned for 1 p.m. Jan. 28 at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 SR 598, Crestline.
Bring a small jar with a lid, glass from a small picture frame and do works of art to take home. Activities will be indoors and outdoors.
"The Great Woodpeckers" is the topic at 7 p.m. Jan. 31 at Lowe-Volk Park. Naturalist Warren Uxley will talk about the ivory-billed woodpecker, which is almost certainly extinct, but its closest relatives still can be found in Central and South America.
Kids and families are invited to a program about groundhogs 6 p.m. Feb. 2 at Lowe-Volk Park. How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Will there be six more weeks of winter? So many questions, so many things to learn.
The program for kids through grade 5 will include groundhog information and a craft.
For more information, call (419) 683-9000 or visit www.crawfordparkdistrict.org.
Wood County
Friday Night Lights takes place tonight at Wood County Park District's W.W. Knight Nature Preserve, Perrysburg.
Participants can hike on their own after dark on a gently lit trail or join a naturalist by meeting at the nature center at 6:30 p.m.
The Friday night programs are planned through March 9.
A woodpecker program is to take place 9-10 a.m. Saturday at W.W. Knight preserve's Friends' Green Room.
Learn about Ohio's woodpeckers during a short talk inside then hit the trail in search of the birds and their signs. After the walk, it's back inside for tea and scones.
Trees have been hard at work all summer, and it's time for them to rest. Learn what is going on inside them during the winter and
how to identify them without their leaves.
Sample some maple sugar cookies after the hike to appreciate the fruits of their labor.
"That Happens Here?" is to take place 1:30-2:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at W.W. Knight preserve's Friends' Green Room.
The program is about showing people "all the wild and cool things happening in our area."
See a Wood County Park sampler slide show highlighting nature programs and other things to do all year long, then tour the "Outside is In!" exhibit.
