Environment and natural resources
- 3:15-5:15 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19
- Buses depart from Hilton
- Free (registration required)
- Limit: 40 participants
- Please wear sturdy shoes
Wetlands are a linchpin of the global carbon cycle and a nexus for nutrient cycling on the planet. The Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park is a 52-acre aquatic research facility that hosts basic and applied research on every ecological level, from microbes to landscapes. Here, researchers first proved that man-made wetlands can benefit the environment—by storing carbon and cleaning groundwater—just as much as natural wetlands. The park comprises two experimental wetland basins, an oxbow wetland and a bottomland hardwood forest. You’ll survey ongoing ecology research, get a bird’s-eye view of the park, and walk the docks and trails that weave between the wetlands.