The Hancock County Naturalists will be hosting speaker Jim Abrams, writer for The Courier. He will be talking about Ohio’s River Otters, including behavior, diet, and prevalence. The meeting will be held on February 9, at 7 p.m. at the Brugeman Lodge at Riverbend Recreation area, 9250 Township Road 208. The meeting is free and open to the public to those 15 and older.
Abrams graduated from Columbiana-Crestview High School in 1973 and received an Associate Degree from Hocking College in Recreation and Wildlife Management. He began his career with ODNR in the summer of 1973 as a seasonal employee. In 1975 he was hired by the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves. Abrams left the DNAP in 1979 to return to the Division of Parks, attended ODNR’s Park Ranger Academy and was assigned as a Ranger at West Branch State Park in Portage County. He was promoted to Chief Ranger, but the draw to work for the Division of Wildlife was strong. In 1983, he attended the 16th Game Protector Academy and was placed as the Hancock County Game Protector. In 1988, he gained a position on the Firearms Training Team. He was promoted to Wildlife Officer Supervisor for Unit C in District Two in northwest Ohio. He was an instructor in every academy and most in-service enforcement training efforts from 1988 through 2010, when he retired.
He has written for the Findlay’s Courier since 2008, appeared in the Ohio Outdoor News, and was featured on a weekly radio program for six years.
He will be giving a presentation called “A Wild Ohio History” - The history of the Ohio Division of Wildlife, 1873-2023. His presentation will be a review of the book he was asked to write to commemorate the history of the Division.
The Hancock County Naturalists, a membership organization, is established for the purpose of furthering the study of the fauna and flora of Hancock County and the surrounding area and to participate in selected conservation and educational projects. The group and events are open to those aged 15 and older.
For more information, contact Jane Riker at 419-306-3697 or emaggin117@aol.com.