Lowe-Volk Nature Center
Upcoming Events
Nature Notes
Crawford County
      Flora & Fauna Surveys
Bike Way
Photo Gallery
Adopt-an-Animal
Geo-Caching Policy
Volunteer
Park Rules
Friends of the CPD
Contact Us

Crawford Park District
2401 SR 598
Crestline, OH  44827
419-683-9000

A Note from Director, Josh Dyer
As we navigate toward the future, we must remain diligent in slowing the spread of Covid-19. As of now (6/9/20), all CPD parks and preserves are open. We have developed summer programs; new for the quarter will be the need for pre-registration. Follow this page for programming updates, or visit our website.  As you continue to utilize your parks, please adhere to the Governor’s social distancing and group gathering guidelines. Before you enjoy one of your great parks, plan ahead as there are no restrooms or drinking water available. We will continue to monitor the situation and make any changes necessary. 

Upcoming Programs & Events

April Shower Hike
April 1 - April 30 @ Lowe Volk Park
Come out to the Crawford Park District’s Lowe Volk Park and take a stroll looking for rainclouds as you go. Each one will have a line of a poem for you to read. Once you finish your hike, stop at the front desk of the Nature Center to collect your prize! 

Habitat Hike Storybook Trail
April 1 - April 30 @ Buckeye Central Outdoor Learning Lab
Buckeye Outdoor Learning Lab April 1-30 Creatures of the Woods by Toni Eugene
The Crawford Park District invites you to take a spring hike at our parks to find the Storybook Trails that will explore different habitats and what animals you can find there. The hike for April will take place at the Outdoor Learning Lab located on the campus of Buckeye Central Schools in New Washington. For each Storybook Trail you complete you can send a picture of the last page of the book to aditomassi@crawfordpd.org or message Crawford Park District on Facebook to receive a button.

Earth Day Challenge
April 18 - May 2 @ Any Location
Earth Day is April 22, and the Crawford Park District want you to celebrate! Our Earth Day Challenge is for you to make the earth a cleaner place. Pick a location of your choice (your neighborhood, a park, a community space), grab some gloves and a trash bag, and get cleaning! Submit a picture showing how hard you worked to earn an earth day button. You can email your pictures to Lisa at lbogard@crawfordpd.org or send a message through Facebook messenger.
​
Golden Buckeye Wildflower Hike
April 22 / 1PM @ Heckert Nature Preserve
Spring wildflowers take advantage of the sun to flower and produce seeds. Join Crawford Park District Director, Josh and take a leisurely stroll that will focus on the importance of these spring ephemerals and their role in our woodlands. Call the Crawford Park District office at 419-683-9000 to register. Heckert Nature Preserve is located at 1601 State Route 19 west of State Route 602.

Volunteer Day: Planting a Prairie
April 24 / 10am @ Sandusky Headwaters Preserve
As work on developing your new preserve continues, the Crawford Park District needs your help! Hundreds of prairie and wetland plugs need planted! This is a great community service opportunity for your club, civic group, and family. This planting will help finalize the Crawford Park District’s H2Ohio grant project. Some tools will be provided, but you may bring a trowel or shovel. Call the Park office (419-683-9000) to register your family or club. Rain Date: May 1. Sandusky Headwaters Preserve is located 3 miles N of US 30.

Viewing the Night Sky
April 24 / 9PM @ Lowe Volk Park
Join members of the Crawford Park Astronomy Club as they share their knowledge and telescope skills with all who are interested in the celestial sights.​ Call the Crawford Park District office at 419-683-9000 to register.  Lowe Volk Park is located at 2401 SR 598, Crestline. 

Feeding Day 
April 25 / 1PM @ Lowe Volk Park
Will it be fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, shrimp, worms, or mice? Can you guess what is on the menu for the animals in the Crawford Park District’s Nature Center? If you want to help feed some of the animals, call the Crawford Park District at 419-683-9000 to register. Lowe-Volk Park is located 3 miles north of US Route 30. For more information contact the Crawford Park District office at 419-683-9000. 

Sears Woods Bioblitz
April 25 / 2PM @ Sears Woods
Many of our gorgeous spring wildflowers have oligolectics. These are harmless bees that specialize in collecting pollen from only one or a few flower species. For April’s bioblitz, we will be searching Sears Woods for wildflowers and their visiting pollinators. Join Crawford Park District Naturalist Chelsea to use the iNaturalist website to document your park’s diversity of life and to assist with the Ohio Bee Survey. Fun for all ages—all you need is a camera or phone and a willingness to explore! Sears Woods State Nature Preserve is located on Mt. Zion Road, west of Bucyrus. Call the Crawford Park District office at 419-683-9000 to register.

Book Club
April 27 / 6PM @ Lowe Volk Park
​Do you love nature and love to read? With the abundance of books available for nature lovers, sometimes it is hard to choose the next great book to read. Join the Crawford Park District’s Book Club and we will figure it out together! Pre- Registration is recommended as the club will be limited to 15 members. Come armed with your favorite book about nature or a nature centered book you want to read and be ready to make your case to the club! Meetings are held at the Lowe-Volk Park Nature Center the last Tuesday of each month. Lowe-Volk Park is located 3 miles north of US Route 30.

Infant Explorers: Water
April 28 / 5PM @ Lowe Volk Park
Your first instinct may be to keep your babies indoors, but research tells us that infants in outdoor spaces benefit from access to a wide variety of sensory stimuli which they just can’t experience indoors. Join Crawford Park District Naturalist Abby and baby Vincenzo for a program about water that will engage your infants’ senses and get parents and baby out of the house for some fresh air! Dress for the weather, we will be outside for at least part of the program. Call the Crawford Park District at 419-683-9000 to register. Lowe-Volk Park is located 3 miles north of US Route 30.​

Habitat Hike Storybook Trail
May 1 - 31 @ Unger Park
The Crawford Park District invites you to take a spring hike at our parks to find the Storybook Trails that will explore different habitats and what animals you can find there. Around the Pond: Who’s Been Here? by Lindsay Barrett George is the story you will find at Unger Park. For each Storybook Trail you complete you can send a picture of the last page of the book to aditomassi@crawfordpd.org or message Crawford Park District on Facebook to receive a button.​

Flower Hike
May 1 / 8AM @ Lowe Volk Park
The Crawford Park District invites you to take a stroll through Lowe-Volk Park looking for flowers as you go. Each one will have a line of a poem for you to read. Once you finish your hike, stop at the front desk of the Nature Center to collect your prize! Lowe-Volk Park is located 3 miles north of US Route 30.​

Ohio's Ancient Fossils
May 1 / 10AM @ Lowe Volk Park
Crawford Park District volunteer and retired Galion teacher Bryan Summer will present about Ohio’s prehistory, focusing on our fossil record. Around 500 million years ago, Ohio was an ancient shallow seabed with trilobites, squid, corals, and a variety of shelled animals. The Ohio Glacial Period that started 1.8 million years ago, exposed Ohio’s shale and limestone sediments containing these ancient fossils. Come learn about Ohio’s ancient fossils and discover places in Ohio where you can go to collect them. Pick a date and come learn about Ohio’s prehistory! Call the Park District at 419-683-9000 to register. Lowe-Volk Park is located 3 miles north of US Route 30.​

Gettin' Froggy: Gray Tree Frogs
May 1 / 2PM @ Lowe Volk Park
Join Crawford Park District Naturalist Abby for an froggy adventure to Lowe-Volk Park’s wetland. We will be learning all about the Gray Treefrog and hoping to use their vocalizations to find them in the woods. We will also have traps set to see if we can catch them or other animals that visit the vernal pools in early spring. Dress for the weather and bring waders or rain boots if you have them. Call the Park District at 419-683-9000 to register. Lowe-Volk Park is located 3 miles north of US Route 30.​

Toddler Trot: Wetland Exploration
May 2 / 2PM @ Lowe Volk Park
Wetlands make for a fun exploration opportunity! Join Crawford Park District Director Josh and McKinley to hopefully catch frogs, tadpoles, and anything else our nets can capture. After we investigate the different animals, we will safely return them to their aquatic home. For kids not quite in kindergarten and their parents. Call the Park District at 419-683-9000 to register. Lowe-Volk Park is located 3 miles N of US RT 30.

Bird Banding
May 6 / 7AM - 1PM @ Lowe Volk Park
​Join Bob Placier and Crawford Park District staff for a morning of science! Banding is used to track trends in bird populations, among other research applications. We will be banding birds on the front porch of the Nature Center. Fun for all ages! Call the Park District at 419-683-9000 to register. Lowe-Volk Park is located 3 miles north of US Route 30.

Golden Buckeye Bird Hike
May 6 / 9AM @ Sears Woods State Nature Preserve 
Many birds are passing through Crawford County on their way to breeding grounds much further north. Some of these migrants may also stay and raise young right here. Join Crawford Park District Director, Josh on this leisurely stroll to listen for and observe our feathered friends as they flit about, fueling their journey northward. Sears Woods State Nature Preserve is located on Mt. Zion Road, west of Bucyrus. Call the Crawford Park District office at 419-683-9000 to register.
 
Bird Hike
May 8 / 9AM @ Sears Woods Nature Preserve 
Meet Crawford Park District Naturalist Warren Ulxey for a spring bird hike. More migratory birds pass through Ohio in early May than at any other time of the year. This massive movement of Warblers, Tanagers, Flycatchers, Vireos and Thrushes (to name just a few) is truly spectacular. Sears Woods State Nature Preserve is located on Mt. Zion Road, west of Bucyrus. Call the Crawford Park District office at 419-683-9000 to register.

Native Plant Hike
May 10 - June 3 @ Lowe Volk Park
Take a walk along the scenic trails of the Crawford Park District’s Lowe-Volk Park, learning about Ohio’s native plants as you go. Native plants are the foundation of most ecological food webs and make a beautiful addition to your landscape! A variety of trees, shrubs, and perennial flowers will be featured along with the pollinators, birds, or other animals they benefit. When you have finished your hike, stop in at the Nature Center to choose a free native plant to take home! The Nature Center is open from 8-4 Monday through Saturday. Lowe-Volk Park is located 3 miles north of US Route 30.​

Ohio's Ancient Fossils
May 15 / 10AM @ Lowe Volk Park
Crawford Park District volunteer and retired Galion teacher Bryan Summer will present about Ohio’s prehistory, focusing on our fossil record. Around 500 million years ago, Ohio was an ancient shallow seabed with trilobites, squid, corals, and a variety of shelled animals. The Ohio Glacial Period that started 1.8 million years ago, exposed Ohio’s shale and limestone sediments containing these ancient fossils. Come learn about Ohio’s ancient fossils and discover places in Ohio where you can go to collect them. Call the Park District at 419-683-9000 to register. Lowe-Volk Park is located 3 miles north of US Route 30.

Lowe Volk Park Bioblitz
May 16 / 2PM @ Lowe Volk Park
May’s bioblitz focus will be documenting aquatic insects and migratory birds at Lowe-Volk Park. Dragonflies and damselflies will be emerging from their nymphal pond, wetland, and river habitats. At the same time, warblers and other birds returning to their northern breeding grounds may stop for a rest in the woods. Join Crawford Park District Naturalist Chelsea to use the iNaturalist website to document your park’s diversity of life. Fun for all ages—all you need is a camera or phone and a willingness to explore! Call the Park District at 419-683-9000 to register.​

Feeding Day 
May 16 / 2PM @ Lowe Volk Park
Will it be fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, shrimp, worms, or mice? Can you guess what’s on the menu for the animals in the Crawford Park District’s Nature Center? If you want to help feed some of the animals, call the Park District at 419-683-9000 to register. Lowe-Volk Park is located 3 miles north of US Route 30.

Viewing the Night Sky
May 22 / 9:30PM @ Lowe Volk Park
Join members of the Crawford Park Astronomy Club as they share their knowledge and telescope skills with all who are interested in the celestial sights.  Call the Crawford Park District office at 419-683-9000 to register.  Lowe Volk Park is located at 2401 SR 598, Crestline. 

Book Club
May 26 / 6PM @ Lowe Volk Park
​Do you love nature and love to read? With the abundance of books available for nature lovers, sometimes it is hard to choose the next great book to read. Join the Crawford Park District’s Book Club and we will figure it out together! Pre- Registration is recommended as the club will be limited to 15 members. Come armed with your favorite book about nature or a nature centered book you want to read and be ready to make your case to the club! Meetings are held at the Lowe-Volk Park Nature Center the last Tuesday of each month. Lowe-Volk Park is located 3 miles north of US Route 30.

Infant Explorers: Flowers
May 26 / 5PM @ Lowe Volk Park
Your first instinct may be to keep your babies indoors, but research tells us that infants in outdoor spaces benefit from access to a wide variety of sensory stimuli which they just can’t experience indoors. Join Crawford Park District Naturalist Abby and baby Vincenzo for a program about flowers that will engage your infants’ senses and get parents and baby out of the house for some fresh air! Dress for the weather, we will be outside for at least part of the program. Call the Crawford Park District office at 419-683-9000 to register.​

The Moths of May
May 28 / 9PM - 12AM @ Lowe Volk Park
Join the Crawford Park District for a program on the Moths of May. With gradually warming temperatures and lengthening days, many moths emerge from their overwintering cocoons in spring. However, only a fortunate few glimpse these beauties during the day since moths are primarily nocturnal. Stop in to see which moths and other intriguing insects are attracted to our mothing sheet. Cecropia caterpillars have been found at Lowe-Volk, so with luck (and a very bright light) a giant Cecropia Moth may fly in! Call the Crawford Park District office at 419-683-9000 to register. Lowe-Volk Park is located 3 miles N of US Rt 30.

Springtime at Daughmer
May 29 / 2PM @ Daughmer Prairie Savannah State Nature Preserve
​Meet Crawford Park District Naturalist Warren Uxley and learn about Daughmer’s rarest plants.
Most of the prairie plants at Daughmer will flower in mid to late summer, but several plants listed as threatened species will flower in late spring. Call the Crawford Park District to register at 419-683-9000. Daughmer Savannah is located 786 Marion-Melmore Road just north of SR 294.

Viewing the Night Sky
May 29 / 9:30PM @ Lowe Volk Park
Join members of the Crawford Park Astronomy Club as they share their knowledge and telescope skills with all who are interested in the celestial sights.  Call the Crawford Park District office at 419-683-9000 to register.  Lowe Volk Park is located at 2401 SR 598, Crestline.

​