Vernal pools are wetlands that fill up annually but typically dry out during some part of the year. These small but dynamic wetlands fill with water, blossom with life, and host a cacophony of sounds and a plethora of life forms every spring, only to disappear into the forest floor every autumn.
Vernal pools are special! They:
improve water quality
serve as a bell weather wetland
hold flood waters
provide habitat to hundreds of species, including
migratory birds
are an excellent educational tool
You can help! By monitoring and documenting these pools, they can be appreciated and preserved.
Support local efforts to find and monitor vernal pools. Learn how at the OEC's annual Vernal Pool Workshops.
Raise community awareness by using the local newspaper
and talking with your neighbors.
Join the Ohio Vernal Pools Partnership listserv and keep
up-to-date with changes in legislation and the latest
technologies in monitoring.
The OEC's Vernal Pool Program
The OEC’s Vernal Pool Program continues to advance education, protection, and collaboration in saving these special places.
Hands-On Workshops. Each year, the OEC hosts workshops to educate participants on how to properly monitor a vernal pool, the critical role vernal pools play in our watersheds, and what creaters call vernal pools home.
View photos and presentations from the 2009 workshops.
Vernal pool curriculum. Students are the future leaders of our community. To reach these future leaders, OEC has developed a one-week vernal pool teaching curriculum for grade school, middle school, and high school. OEC is promoting this curriculum in Northwest and Central Ohio.
Educational DVD. OEC has developed a vernal pool educational DVD that explains what a vernal pool is, benefits and functions, who lives there, and how to protect them. View sections of the DVD on YouTube or for your own copy, contact David Celebrezze at David@theOEC.org.
Vernal Pool Monitoring Program
The OEC has worked with scientists, agencies and environmental groups around Ohio to develop a Vernal Pool Monitoring Program.
By providing the resources for watershed residents to document the vernal pools in their area, the OEC hopes to raise local awareness of these wetlands, provide opportunities for local groups to build membership by organizing volunteers around fun events in the field, gather information for better natural resource protection, and build a forum for exchanging ideas and experiences on vernal pools around Ohio.
Several forms (here in PDFs) are available to use when monitoring:
- The Ohio Vernal Pool Partnership (OVPP) Vernal Pool Instruction Form gives background information and instructions on how to fill out the monitoring form.
- The OVPP Vernal Pool Monitoring Form gives the users data fields on important indicators of vernal pool health. There is also an abbreviated version of the form.
- Before visiting a pool on private property, call or write the property owner and ask for permission. Here is a sample permission letter.
- Salamanders and frogs are plentiful in most vernal pools. To document these special creatures, please fill out the Salamander Survey Form and the Chorusing Survey Form.
(Photo of a Spring Peeper / Credit: drcphotos.com)
- For answers to frequently asked questions please click here.
In 2005 the Ohio Environmental Council and the Nature Conservancy began the Ohio Vernal Pool Partnership (OVPP). This Partnership is devoted to preserving, protecting, and documenting vernal pools in Ohio. For more information, please visit www.ovpp.org.
Vernal Pool Database
The OEC has developed the first statewide, on-line vernal pool database. To see if vernal pools have been monitored in your county or to enter monitoring information click here.
Vernal Pool Curriculum
The OEC has developed vernal pool curriculum for grade school and high school educators. This curriculum meets the State of Ohio Achievement Standards. These documents are all in PDF form.
