Island Getaway on Ohio’s Lake Erie
Experience a morning rich in history, geology, and sightseeing on Kelleys Island! Your journey begins bright and early with a bus ride from Maumee Bay Lodge to Marblehead, where you’ll board the Kelleys Island ferry for a scenic 20-minute ride to one of Ohio’s very own islands.
Your first stop is Inscription Rock, a fascinating site featuring ancient Native American petroglyphs. Next, marvel at the Glacial Grooves, the world’s largest accessible glacial striations, with time to walk the paths and capture photos. The Kelleys Island State Park manager will be on-hand to teach you about the geologic history of the site. Then, take a short hike to the historic limestone crusher plant, a window into the island’s quarrying past.
This field trip is sponsored by the ODNR Division of Parks and Watercraft.
Explore Maumee Bay State Park from Land and Water
See the sights of Maumee Bay State Park! Begin your day at 9:00 AM by gathering in the lodge lobby for a short walk to the calm inland lake. Gear up with expert kayak instruction and life jacket fitting before gliding across the water during open kayaking. Feeling adventurous? Try your hand at stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) with a brief intro and time to explore the lake from a new perspective.
Return to shore to wrap up your water activities and get ready for an engaging Ohio Natural Resources Officer K9 demonstration. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources uses K9 officers to assist with search and rescue, drug detection, suspect apprehension and more. Then, explore interactive exhibits at the newly renovated Trautman Nature Center and meet the center's educational animals. Walk the boardwalk to get a bird’s eye view of the area from the brand-new viewing platform, the Eagle’s Nest.
This field trip is sponsored by the ODNR Division of Parks and Watercraft.
Charter Boat Fishing on Lake Erie
Join Ohio’s premier charter boat captains for a half day fishing trip in Lake Erie’s Western Basin. The “Walleye Capitol of the World” has seen record hatches in recent years making for a great time sport fishing on one of America’s great lakes! All fishing gear, tackle and bait will be provided. Participants will need to purchase Ohio’s $14 one day non-resident fishing license at https://oh-web.s3licensing.com/Home/Info prior to Wednesday, June 25. Reserve your spot early as only 60 slots are available.
***No shows will be charged $170 as POMA is sponsoring this activity.
This field trip is in conjunction with the Lake Erie Charter Boat Association.
Castalia Fish Hatchery Tour and Trout Stream Fishing
Travel to Ohio’s premier fish hatchery and get a tour from the Ohio Division of Wildlife to see of the operation that helps maintain Ohio’s high quality fishing opportunities. Then try your luck at trout stream fishing under the guidance of expert fly fishermen. Participants will need to purchase Ohio’s $14 one day non-resident fishing license at https://oh-web.s3licensing.com/Home/Info prior to Wednesday, June 25. Reserve your spot early as only 25 slots are available.
Castalia State Fish Hatchery is located on 90 acres in western Erie County, just southwest of Sandusky, Ohio. This facility is the newest of the six state fish hatcheries and came on-line in the fall of 1997, after it was purchased from private interests. The hatchery production facilities consist of 70 indoor rearing troughs, one covered outdoor raceway building and three outdoor raceways. The indoor troughs and covered raceways are supplied with water from one of the area’s many blue-hole aquifers (2,500 gallons per minute capacity). The remaining outdoor raceways are supplied with water diverted from Cold Creek (10,000 gallons per minute capacity). This cold-water supply allows the hatchery to raise steelhead and rainbow trout. All of the state’s steelhead production occurs at this hatchery. Rainbow trout are raised to catchable size before being stocked in Ohio lakes and Cold Creek.
This field trip is sponsored by the ODNR Division of Wildlife.