CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH NATURE
The Natural Areas Program works to help people better understand and connect with nature. Museum staffers lead hikes on natural areas year-round, giving the general public opportunities to visit our unique preserves, as well as other conservation sites in the region. Sign up for an upcoming
field trip.
Natural Areas Program
The Museum preserves natural areas for science, education and enjoyment. We locate and acquire natural areas, care for existing properties with an active stewardship program, and assist other nonprofit conservation organizations with scientific assessments of their projects. The Museum believes strongly that it must protect properties as well as conduct ongoing stewardship necessary to preserve the sites and support their current and potential conservation value.
The Natural Areas Program was established at the Museum in 1956 when it acquired Fern Lake Bog. Over the years, many other sites have been preserved, with more than
12,000 acres currently under protection. The vision of the Natural Areas Division is to create a system of nature preserves that best represents the broad spectrum of habitats found within northern Ohio. Each of our preserves harbors one or more distinct biotic community, including hardwood forest, Lake Erie island, fossil dune ridge, marsh, swamp and glacial wetland, among many others. They serve as an outstanding resource for studying and teaching about the remarkable biological diversity of the region. Museum preserves are model scientific field laboratories in which researchers can conduct long-term studies in locations relatively free from human interference, as well as spectacular locations to take the public on field trips.
Three of the Museum's natural areas are open to the public:
Mentor Marsh,
Scheele Preserve on Kelleys Island, and
North Kingsville Sand Barrens. To learn more about accessing our natural areas,
visit our land access page.
The Conservation Outreach Program enables private landowners, state agencies, park managers, or conservation organizations to request field inventories and site visits of natural lands. Once a request has been made to the program, one of the Museum’s Conservation Outreach Specialists arranges a visit to the property. During that visit, and additional visits if needed, an environmental assessment is done at the site.
 Nature in the City
A Guide to Leading Nature Activities with Young People
Nature in the City is an innovative educational program designed to open the eyes of young people to the natural diversity that thrives around them, wherever they may live — city or suburb. Developed by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Nature in the City is intended for use by teachers, homeschool parents, youth organizations and others who work with grade-school-age children. The program provides a range of activities, many of them game-oriented, that center on an outdoor Field Site. These activities help children develop observation and critical thinking skills as they learn real-world, hands-on science lessons. At the heart of the Nature in the City program is the belief that providing children with opportunities to experience the joy of discovery in nature can be the start of a lifelong appreciation of the natural world.
Purchase Nature in the City, and other Museum publications, at the Museum Store. |
The Museum has published several books related to the region's native flora and fauna. Visit our
Museum Store online to see our selection of available publications!