Kids play ranger at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge

PORT CLINTON - Young budding biologists from throughout the area are getting the chance to explore and study wildlife up close in its natural habitat this week.

As part of the Refuge Ranger Day Camp, children hiked through the woods, waded in the wetlands and trekked over the native prairies at the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, which hosted and organized the camp.

“The idea of the camp is so the kids can appreciate nature,” said Susanne Karsiotis, camp counselor, volunteer and intern at the refuge.

On the first hike outdoors on Wednesday, the children were tasked with finding different plants that could be useful for an arts and crafts activity that followed.

Alex Hanney, 9, of Oak Harbor, said she was able to create the perfect color for painting on black paper by combining warm water with plants she gathered during the hike, such as Canadian thistle and several light-colored flowers.

“I made a mess, but it works efficiently,” Hanney said.

Mirabel Bridgeman, 9, of Toledo, said she was able to find some wild raspberries to create a bright red paint.

“This is fun arts and crafts, but you can get the things you need from nature outside,” Karsiotis said.

Evan Hall, 10, of Oak Harbor, quickly spotted a live snake in the water once he was back outdoors, exploring around the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge’s boardwalk.

Hall, who said snakes are his favorite animal, pointed out the pattern of stripes on the one he spotted, identifying the species as a northern water snake, which is native to Lake Erie and throughout eastern North America.

“I love snakes,” Hall said. “I want to be a viper keeper when I grow up.”

Hall appears to be on his way toward that goal. For now, though, he said he has only a pet albino fox snake, which is nonvenomous.

Bridgman said her favorite part of playing the role of park ranger was getting back to nature and catching some wildlife.

“This is just the second day, but I liked when we went out on the boardwalk and just took a little walk, then took a dip in the pond,” Bridgeman said.“We caught a lot of crawfish. That was fun.”

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