Celebrating National Wetlands Month through Exploration Programs

May 28, 2019

May is National Wetlands Month, and MAD was happy to host several educational programs that promote understanding and appreciation of wetland habitats. Each year, we partner with the City of Westerville to host a Wetland Weekend that is free and open to the public. First, we kick things off with a Frog Friday event in the evening, where attendants learn about local amphibians and are encouraged to trek through the wetland in search of egg masses, tadpoles, and breeding adults. The following morning, we host the Wetland Workshop, which covers a broader expanse of wetland ecology, as well as time to explore and enhance the wetland through invasive species removal, native plantings, and picking up litter. This year, we also assisted the City of Westerville with the development of a scavenger hunt that promoted self-guided exploration and engagement with event activities.

This year, Jenny Adkins and seasonal interns also led several programs for day camps and a local elementary school. Programs varied from hands-on exploration and creating food webs from species collected to nature hikes comparing upland habitat to wetland habitat. The estimated reach from these programs and Wetland Weekend was 815 people for the month! MAD continues educational programming throughout the year, participating in events like Party at the Creek (Alum Creek), the NOW (Northern Olentangy Watershed) Festival, Science Fairs, leading Mertopark events, and additional Frog Friday programs.