ASHLAND — The Davy McClure Outdoor Education played host to 917 students and teachers during field trips in May, all led by Ashland County Parks Naturalist Mary Meixner.
Meixner said there was a field trip nearly every day in May, even prior to the center’s opening on May 9.
Meixner also visited 400 students in classrooms who could not visit the center, making a total of more than 1,300 students who learned about the outdoors from a naturalist.
“May was pretty much a whirlwind, but it was really good. I think everybody had a really good time,” Meixner said.
The center is located above Tom Kruse Wildlife Conservation Park, along State Route 60. Meixner said teachers appreciated the location of the center, which is a six to 13-minute drive from Hillsdale and Ashland City Schools.
The curriculum varied by grade level, but most students got to meet the animal ambassadors — a toad and turtle that were raised as pets and therefore cannot be released back into the wild.
Students also explored the pond next to the Davy Center and hiked through the woods to observe the environment.
The field trips served mainly students in kindergarten through sixth grade, but Meixner said she wants to expand programs for higher grade levels.
Meixner said students studying environmental studies at Heartland Technical Education Center visited to help plant trees.
Meixner started in July 2024 and wanted to create programs where kids could visit the parks to learn about the outdoors. She thought field trips were the perfect start.
She worked with curriculum directors and teachers at Hillsdale and Ashland City Schools in October 2024. By February she had the field trips planned.
“This space has been great for programming and events, and I think that just helps us with our mission of getting people outside, getting them engaged in nature, and creating kind of those good stewards of the environment and the natural world.”
Mary Meixner
After the field trips, Meixner worked with teachers to learn how to improve those adventures.
Class size was consistently an issue, Meixner said, because schools often brought an entire grade level, which can be anywhere from 75 to 100 students.
She recruited Ashland County Parks volunteers to help manage the groups of students.
Home-schooled children can also visit the center through Meixner’s homeschool program for children aged 6-12. Meixner has two sessions a month, but she will expand to three a month because they have been popular.
For the 2025-26 school year, Meixner hopes to host more field trips throughout the year. She plans to reach out to teachers and curriculum directors soon to hopefully set up trips in the fall.
In addition to field trips, the Davy McClure Outdoor Education Center hosts other events for kids and families. The September lineup includes
- Sept. 5, 10-11 a.m.: Story Stroll
- Sept. 10, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Drop-in nature crafting
- Sept. 11, 6-7 p.m.: Birding 101
- Sept. 18, 4-5 p.m.: Nature Explorers Club
- Sept. 23, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Home School Program
- Sept. 24, 9:30-10:30 a.m.: Nature Bingo
- Sept. 25, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Home School Program
For more information about family programs at the center, visit the Ashland County Park District’s website.
