Wild Ohio Weekend 2022
Wild Ohio Weekend
Sat. & Sun., Feb. 5 & 6, 2022 • 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Ohio History Center, Columbus
Included with museum admission
Join us for a weekend full of natural history programing and learn more about the plants and animals that call Ohio their home! Check out the list of activities for the weekend below.
As of September 1, we require everyone to wear masks at our indoor locations, in the Ohio History Center & Ohio Village, to help limit the spread of the more infectious variants of COVID-19.
Sat., Feb. 5 (Please note that timed programs are listed with their occurring times.)
Ohio Division of Wildlife Mammal Table
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
The Ohio Division of Wildlife aims to manage Ohio’s fish and wildlife resources for the enjoyment of all Ohioans. Stop by their table to check out the furs, skulls, and tracks of Ohio’s mammals. Learn how to score a set of deer antlers and guess the restitution value for a chance to win a prize! Winners will be announced at 1 pm on Saturday and 4 pm on Sunday. Must be present to win.
Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Table
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Glaciers are an important tool for research and a big part of Ohio’s history. Come explore glaciers by playing with flubber, touch an ice core and learn about how glaciers help us understand past climates, and experience the impact of glaciers on Ohio’s topography through a virtual reality tour of Kelleys Island. Coloring pages and activity packets will also be provided to learn more about past and present research at the Byrd Center.
Auditorium Program: COSI’s Wild Experience
11 a.m.
COSI will be bringing animals from their Living Collection to talk about some seriously Wild Science! Come and meet them in person in the auditorium at 11am!
Special Film Screening: America’s National Parks at 100
Noon – 1 p.m.
The National Park Service has been active for over a century preserving and protecting over 400 units across America, from the wild and natural to the man-made and historic. Take a tour through iconic Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon and discover smaller, hidden treasures throughout the country as we explore the agency’s evolution over the last century. Through rarely seen footage and stunning aerial views, we celebrate the sites and stories of the national landmarks that reflect our country’s past, present, and future.
Exhibit Tour: A Short Walk Through the Ice Age
1 p.m.
Take a stroll through the Natural History Gallery and learn about the unusual large mammals that lived in Ohio during the Ice Age, from the well-known Conway Mastodon to the Giant Beaver, Short-faced Bear, and the bizarre Elk-Moose. Actual fossils from some of these species will be available for participants to have a close-up look.
Franklin Park Conservatory & Botanical Gardens: Worms and Composting Table
Ongoing
Meet your worm friends and learn fascinating facts about how they help your garden!
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Table
Ongoing
Connecting people and wildlife – discover how humans and wildlife interact and ways that you can connect with wildlife at home.
Grange Insurance Audubon Center Table
Ongoing
The Grange Insurance Audubon Center strives to educate our local community on the importance of birds and how to help conserve them. Stop by our table for the opportunity to practice using binoculars with birds hidden around the booth. We will have free giveaways, information about Audubon, information on programs at the center, and tips for how visitors can help migrating birds in their own back yard! Visitors will also have the opportunity to enter a drawing for a $25 gift card towards any of our programs!
Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative Table
Ongoing
The Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative is a collaboration of non-profit groups, businesses, state and federal government agencies, and citizens that are participating in or are interested in bird conservation for the state of Ohio. Matthew Shumar, the Program Coordinator, will be there with information about ways you can make your homes and yards safer for birds.
Shawnee State Park Reptile and Amphibian Table
Ongoing
What types of turtles are in Ohio? What are the differences between lizards and salamanders? Are all snakes venomous? Join Shawnee State Park naturalists to learn about Ohio’s reptiles and amphibians and check out our native animal ambassadors!
Orton Geological Museum Table
Ongoing
From tropical seas and steamy swamps to glaciers a mile high, the land we call Ohio has seen many changes during the last 500 million years. Those ancient environments were inhabited by many different plants and animals, some of whom left their remains as fossils in Ohio’s rocks. Come see and touch some of them from the extensive collection of OSU’s Orton Geological Museum.
Ohio Geological Survey Museum Table
Ongoing
The Ohio Geological Survey researches the state’s geology and provides this information to the public to better understand our natural history. Geology impacts all Ohioans on a daily basis and explains how the Ohio we see today was shaped by natural forces. Staff geologists will be on hand with a variety of plant and animal fossils that help tell that story, including three state symbols: Dunkleosteus, Isotelus, and flint. Young learners can explore the museum in a fossil scavenger hunt and earn a prize!
Herbs Are All Around Us: Hosted by the Ohio Herb Center
Ongoing
Let’s take a look at the herbs growing around us that we didn’t plant. Get your thinking cap on when you take the challenge to identify lesser-known herbs through the seasons. Plan your garden for the spring, pick up a Nature Scavenger Hunt, and use an old-fashioned method of grinding herbs to bring out the sensory experience of the herbs we know and love. Participate in making a seed mat, that when you plant it, will attract some of our native pollinators in Ohio. Hosted by the Ohio Herb Center, located in Gahanna Ohio, celebrating 50 years’ as the Herb Capital of Ohio in 2022.
Sun., Feb. 6 (Please note that timed programs are listed with their occurring times.)
Guest Talk: Ohio’s Giant Ancient Animals
11 a.m.
Join Ohio Geological Survey geologist Tyler Norris to learn about the variety of large animals that once inhabited the prehistoric seas, skies, and landscape of Ohio. From fish the size of cars, to bugs the size of dogs, to beavers the size of bears, the state’s wildlife has changed a lot throughout geologic time. Learn about what the fossils of these extinct beasts can tell us about their lifestyles and our ancient environments.
Special Film Screening: America’s National Parks at 100
Noon – 1 p.m.
The National Park Service has been active for over a century preserving and protecting over 400 units across America, from the wild and natural to the man-made and historic. Take a tour through iconic Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon and discover smaller, hidden treasures throughout the country as we explore the agency’s evolution over the last century. Through rarely seen footage and stunning aerial views, we celebrate the sites and stories of the national landmarks that reflect our country’s past, present, and future.
Exhibit Tour: A Short Walk Through the Ice Age
1 p.m.
Take a stroll through the Natural History Gallery and learn about the unusual large mammals that lived in Ohio during the Ice Age, from the well-known Conway Mastodon to the Giant Beaver, Short-faced Bear, and the bizarre Elk-Moose. Actual fossils from some of these species will be available for participants to have a close-up look.
Ohio Division of Wildlife Mammal Table
1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
The Ohio Division of Wildlife aims to manage Ohio’s fish and wildlife resources for the enjoyment of all Ohioans. Stop by their table to check out the furs, skulls, and tracks of Ohio’s mammals. Learn how to score a set of deer antlers and guess the restitution value for a chance to win a prize! Winners will be announced at 1 pm on Saturday and 4 pm on Sunday. Must be present to win.
Franklin Park Conservatory & Botanical Gardens: Worms and Composting Table
Ongoing
Meet your worm friends and learn fascinating facts about how they help your garden!
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Table
Ongoing
Connecting people and wildlife – discover how humans and wildlife interact and ways that you can connect with wildlife at home.
Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative Table
Ongoing
The Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative is a collaboration of non-profit groups, businesses, state and federal government agencies, and citizens that are participating in or are interested in bird conservation for the state of Ohio. Matthew Shumar, the Program Coordinator, will be there with information about ways you can make your homes and yards safer for birds.
Grange Insurance Audubon Center Table
Ongoing
The Grange Insurance Audubon Center strives to educate our local community on the importance of birds and how to help conserve them. Stop by our table for the opportunity to practice using binoculars with birds hidden around the booth. We will have free giveaways, information about Audubon, information on programs at the center, and tips for how visitors can help migrating birds in their own back yard! Visitors will also have the opportunity to enter a drawing for a $25 gift card towards any of our programs!
Orton Geological Museum Table
Ongoing
From tropical seas and steamy swamps to glaciers a mile high, the land we call Ohio has seen many changes during the last 500 million years. Those ancient environments were inhabited by many different plants and animals, some of whom left their remains as fossils in Ohio’s rocks. Come see and touch some of them from the extensive collection of OSU’s Orton Geological Museum.
Ohio Geological Survey Museum Table
Ongoing
The Ohio Geological Survey researches the state’s geology and provides this information to the public to better understand our natural history. Geology impacts all Ohioans on a daily basis and explains how the Ohio we see today was shaped by natural forces. Staff geologists will be on hand with a variety of plant and animal fossils that help tell that story, including three state symbols: Dunkleosteus, Isotelus, and flint. Young learners can explore the museum in a fossil scavenger hunt and earn a prize!
Herbs Are All Around Us: Hosted by the Ohio Herb Center
Ongoing
Let’s take a look at the herbs growing around us that we didn’t plant. Get your thinking cap on when you take the challenge to identify lesser-known herbs through the seasons. Plan your garden for the spring, pick up a Nature Scavenger Hunt, and use an old-fashioned method of grinding herbs to bring out the sensory experience of the herbs we know and love. Participate in making a seed mat, that when you plant it, will attract some of our native pollinators in Ohio. Hosted by the Ohio Herb Center, located in Gahanna Ohio, celebrating 50 years’ as the Herb Capital of Ohio in 2022.