Port Clinton students clean trash on the Magee Marsh beach as part of Conservation Field Day on Sept. 17. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

OAK HARBOR – As Susan Bixler held up Leonard, an Eastern Fox Snake, at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area on Sept. 17, she talked to fifth graders about the importance of protecting the snakes, which are listed as a Species of Concern in Ohio. She said they provide natural pest control and are found in only six Ohio counties, including Ottawa. She said nonvenomous Fox snakes mimic venomous Copperheads, but they are mild, generally nonaggressive creatures.

A student holds Leonard, an Eastern Fox Snake, on Conservation Field Day on Sept. 17. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

Bixler is an Education & Outreach Specialist with Stone Lab, and she was one of the presenters at the 64th Annual Ottawa County Area Fifth Grade Conservation Field Day hosted by Ottawa Soil & Water Conservation District at Magee Marsh on Sept. 17 and 18. The event gave students the opportunity to experience hands-on science outdoors – including the chance to hold Leonard.

“If you pick up an Eastern Fox Snake in the wild, they probably won’t bite you, but they might poop on you,” Bixler told a group of Port Clinton students on Sept. 17. “But Leonard loves kids.”

And the kids loved Leonard.

A student cleans trash on the Magee Marsh beach on Sept. 17. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“I wanted to hold him because I hadn’t held a snake in a while,” said Port Clinton fifth grader Coraline Ducat-Smith. “A lot of snakes are nice, and Leonard is nice.”

Port Clinton fifth grader Sofia Duffett was surprised with how Leonard felt to the touch.

“It was like soft. It was like smooth,” she said. “It was kind of scary. It started going up my arm, and that’s when it scared me.”

Students sift sand in search of trash during a beach cleanup at Magee Marsh on Sept. 17. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

Students from Port Clinton, Oak Harbor, Woodmore, and Genoa attended Conservation Field Day, where they had the opportunity to enjoy many activities, including a bird hike with Jasmine Cupp from Black Swamp Bird Observatory, an interactive lesson on the food web with Molly Avers from OSU Extension, and a beach cleanup with Sara Guiher from Ohio Sea Grant. Students learned about fish habitat, wetlands, and natural resources protection, among other topics, at the Magee Marsh Visitors Center from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, and other event partners.

Ottawa S&WCD Administrative Assistant and Outreach Coordinator, Olivia Rahm, said Conservation Field Day gave kids the opportunity to visit Lake Erie and experience the outdoors.

A student holds Leonard, an Eastern Fox Snake, on Conservation Field Day on Sept. 17. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“Some of them have never seen the lake before,” she said. “We’ve got all different kinds of things that maybe they wouldn’t ever do that would open their eyes to something new.”

The event gave the students the opportunity to see the lessons they learn in school come to life, including lessons on the Great Lake so near their homes.

“It’s fun to learn about the lake since we live so close to it. You’d be surprised how many kids have never been to the lake,” said Port Clinton fifth grade teacher, Christine Miller. “They learn how special the lake is and how important it is to take care of it.”