|
Field
Trips > NW Region >
Cedar Bog
Time stands still at Cedar Bog, with a landscape that looks just as it was thousands of years ago after the last great glacier of the Ice Age disappeared. Cedar Bog is actually not a bog, but a fen – a wetland with ground water that rises to the surface then flushes out of the wetland through several small streams.
Cedar Bog is the only fen in Ohio that is still surrounded with northern white cedar. These trees, plus sedges, shrubs and other wetland plants normally found far to the north, prosper here because of a steady stream of cool
water that continues to rise to the surface. This water, sweetened by its flow through hundreds of
feet of gravel deposits, is vital to the existence of Cedar Bog an its inhabitants, including uncommon
species like the massasauga rattlesnake, spotted turtle, Milbert's tortoise-shell butterfly, and the
showy lady's slipper orchids.
A mile-plus long boardwalk guides the visitor through this preserve of Ohio's recent to Ice Age
past. Mastodons probably fed here, and all of the Indian cultures of Ohio lived around here.
Cedar Bog is one of more than fifty sites operated by the Ohio Historical Society. The Ohio
Historical Society is a private, nonprofit organization that serves as the state's partner in
preserving and interpreting Ohio's history, archaeology, and natural history.
Facilities Information
Chaperones: One adult per 15 students.
During hot weather, students may wish to carry water bottles.
As students will be outdoors during their experience, please dress appropriately for the weather.
Because this is a natural setting, we suggest that shorts and sandals not be worn any time of the year
for plants such as poison ivy or poison sumac may be found along the trail. An insect repellant may
be necessary from mid-May through late September, as visitors may encounter mosquitoes and/or deer
flies. Ticks are present from April through August.
The bog is accessible by a mulch path and boardwalks - wheelchairs will need assistance. There is a
handicap accessible port-a-john.
There are no eating facilities at the site. Groups may eat in the parking lot area or on the school
bus. Please bring a garbage bag to collect the trash.
Hours of Operation
9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday
Tours are available April through October, and March and November - weather permitting.
Admission
$3.00 per student; $3.00 per chaperon; teachers & bus drivers are free.
Location
Cedar Bog is at 980 Woodburn Road. The site is four miles south of Urbana, west off of U.S. Route 68
on Woodburn Road about one mile in Champaign County.
Bus Driver's Instructions
Bus parking in lot (up to 4 buses).
Tours will begin at the booth.
If you will be delayed in arriving at your appointed time, call 937/484-3744 or 800/860-0147
Bus drivers admitted free into Cedar Bog.
Guided Tours
Cedar Bog is a natural laboratory setting, creating the perfect opportunity for a guided tour
to
observe and study a wide range of natural history objects.
Plan for a one and one-half hour visit to the bog. The maximum group size is 100 persons. Tours will
be conducted in smaller groups.
The following tours/programs have condensed files that include links,
content standards and other resources.
Requires  Adobe Acrobat ® Reader, and will load in new browser windows.
Tour: History in Cedar Bog (September, October, April, May) (197 k)
Study the Ice Age, human attitudes towards natural resources especially wetlands, and how people
usewetlands and forests as it pertains to Cedar Bog.
Tour: Soils Aren't Dirt (September, October, April, May) (202 k)
Learn about soils in central and west-central Ohio. How did current soils get here? What are
organic,
wetland, and upland soils? Is Cedar Bog soil yucky or mucky or both? Who and what lives in the soil?
Tour: Habitats and Ecosystems (September, October, April, May) (225 k)
Food webs; biotic and abiotic factors; succession; adaptations; energy flow and population
dynamics will be explored in detail during this guided tour.
Tour: Wetlands and Water (September, October, April, May) (225 k)
Did you know that Cedar Bog is really a fen? Fens, bogs, marshes and swamps will be compared and
contrasted; wetlands ecology, wetlands and man; the functions of wetlands; adaptations to wetlands;
the water cycle; and succession.
Tour: Human Migration (September, October, April, May) (333 k)
This program takes a look at the impact of human migration on natural areas and
natural resources including: agriculture, transportation, communications and energy; the loss of
natural areas, environmental pollution, the availability, usage, and pollution of water, global
warming, and population dynamics.
Tour: Birds (September, October, April, May) (194 k)
This guided tour goes in-depth into the habitat, migration, and identification of the birds that both
live year-round and migrate through Cedar Bog.
Tour: Climate: Location (September, October, April, May) (264 k)
Why do trees grow well in Ohio but not well in western prairies? Do landforms make
a difference in climate? Does weather play a role? Why did prairies invade Ohio? How much rain makes
a rainforest and was Ohio ever part of a temperate rainforest? Does distance from the equator or the
arctic circle make a difference? All these questions and more are covered by this tour. We discuss
bodies of water, landforms, vegetation, the water cycle, and historical climates in Ohio.
Tour: Plants (September, October, April, May) (253 k)
This guided tour will focus on keying out plants, solar powered sugar factories; life cycles;
adaptations; structures related to function; interactions with other plants and animals, and sexual
and asexual reproduction.
Tour: Introduced Species (September, October, April, May) (205 k)
How did all the bush honeysuckle start in the woods? Are Chicory and Queen-Anne's-Lace native
wildflowers? On this tour, discover introduced species, their impacts on the native species,
predator-prey relationships and population dynamics.
FIELD TRIPS > NORTHWEST REGION SITES:
|
and 
