The Prairie Nature Center is located on the campus of The Ohio State University at Marion, 60 miles north-west of Columbus. The Prairie Nature Center is located in the Sandusky Plains region which in pre-settlement times included an estimated 300 square miles (192,000 acres) of tallgrass prairie and savannah.

Today, only about 75 acres remain in the three Sandusky Plains counties--Marion, Crawford, and Wyandot. The prairies that remain are scattered and degraded remnants which aren't officially protected.

Ohio State Marion botany professor, Dr. Larry Yoder, began the prairie restoration process in 1977 by collecting seeds and plants from local prairies. Dr. Yoder had help from students and community members.

The Prairie has since served as an outdoor learning laboratory used by many different groups. Ohio State Marion courses have utilized the prairie, as well as community groups such as scouting organizations, school groups and garden clubs.

Of course the main attraction of our prairie is the community of plants consisting of wildflowers and grasses. Our prairie also includes a pond and peacefully meandering trails. Visitors are always welcome! If you're planning a visit, check out our What's in Bloom page to take a look at the plants you may see during your visit.

Check out our new Prairie Nature Center blog to hear what we're up to on a daily basis!

Read the blog!

On May 19, 2007 the Prairie Nature Center was dedicated to Dr. Larry R.Yoder. Dr. Yoder came to The Ohio State University at Marion in the fall of 1972 after completing his graduate studies. He also taught courses in general biology and botany.

In 1976, Professor Yoder and his students at Ohio State Marion began the effort to preserve plants of the remaining native prairies in Marion County. They collected seeds from the Claridon Prairie east of Marion and used those seeds to plant a 5-acre prairie on the Marion campus that featured the local prairie's gene pool.

That prairie, now thirty years old and expanded well beyond its original boundaries, is the subject of ongoing study by prairie ecologist. In 1987, it was designated an Ohio natural landmark.In 1981, Dr. Yoder left marion to become Associate Professor and Executive Director of the Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center, an 1100 acre environmental education facility operated by Goshen College and located northwest of Fort Wayne. During his years at Merry Lea, Yoder has maintained contact with prairie colleagues in Marion, and has visited periodically to advise and share presentations. His most recent visit was during the 2005 Ohio Prairie Conference held at Ohio State Marion.

Yoder has a life-long interest in the interface between human activity and the natural world. He has experience as an agriculturalist as well as a naturalist. Dr. Yoder and his extended family continue to operate their family farm near Ft. Wayne, on which biodiversity is emphasized and where diverse crops such as maple syrup and asparagus are produced.