TRECA Students Visit the Gorman Nature Center

On September 25, TRECA students visited the Gorman Nature Center in Mansfield, OH.

Gorman Nature Center is a 150 acre preserve that features forests, prairies, ponds, and streams. Students began the visit at the nature center with a hands-on animal lesson where they learned about the gray rat snake and the box turtle. Each species has special adaptations, and families learned what they eat and the roles they play in the ecosystem. Students then headed out to the pond for dipnetting, where they caught tadpoles, dragonflies, crayfish, goldfish (which aren’t native), water boatmen, backswimmers, diving beetles, and snails. Families also learned about local plants, spotted some invasive species, and even saw bacteria growing on the trees.