You may be familiar with OSU’s Farm Science Review, a 3-day educational tradeshow that features the latest in agricultural production. But did you know that just across the road, accessible by wagons running throughout each day (who doesn’t love a wagon ride?), is a literal playground for natural resource enthusiasts? Welcome to the Gwynne Conservation Area!
The Gwynne is a 67-acre conservation area where conservation demos, talks, displays, and tours are held during Farm Science Review. Featuring a pond, wetland, tallgrass prairie, stream, pawpaw orchard, and forage plots, the Gwynne offers a little something for everyone with an interest in natural resources.
Participants can learn from this “living lab” by taking a curated wagon ride, offered throughout the day, or by attending presentations and demonstrations given by natural resource professionals. For instance, there will be a pond walkabout on Wednesday morning, focusing on identifying aquatic vegetation. For those with an interest in woodlands, a variety of tree and invasive species identification walks are scheduled each day. And forage plots will be utilized during the talks held in the Forages and Grazing tent, displaying a variety of cover crops and forage options.
Many of the programs at the Gwynne have the advantage of being hands-on, allowing participants to interact with the surrounding habitats. For example, on Tuesday morning, the Central Ohio Fly Fishers will be providing a one-hour lesson on the basics of fly fishing, giving participants the chance to actually practice the skill of casting. And for those interested in pawpaws, North America’s largest edible fruit, join us on Tuesday morning as we hike to the pawpaw orchard to talk about pawpaw propagation. Immediately following the hike, Valerie Libbey of the North American Pawpaw Growers Association will speak on the basics of pawpaw, complete with a pawpaw ice cream social. It doesn’t get more immersive than that!
A full schedule of presentations that will be held at the Gwynne during this year’s Farm Science Review can be found here HERE.
