Findley State Park

06/02/2026

Great event this Saturday. And it's FREE!

This Saturday is our annual BRGC Youth Fishing Derby! Come out to Findley State Park and help the young kids have a great time. https://www.brgcohio.com/?page_id=33

05/31/2026

Findley State Park naturalist programs for June 4 through 7, 2026.

05/29/2026

Come out and explore our 93 acre lake by kayak.
Join Naturalist Wiz Moore on a guided excursion around Findley Lake.
Trips start at 2:00PM, 4:00PM and 6:00PM
Registration by email only!
Email for reservations, limited to 5 participants.
Please include the date, time slot and number in your group.
We will be making “wet foot” entries and exits. Water shoes are preferred.
Email Wiz Moore at [email protected]
Must be at least 12 years old and physically able to maneuver the vessel.
Must sign a waiver to participate, parent or guardian must sign for those under 18.
Meet at the former beach area.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/atxB1uCLh3ubyKLi9

05/27/2026

The Giant Floater (Pyganodon grandis) is a large, up to 10 inch long, freshwater mussel which is very abundant in Findley Lake.
As a typical bivalve (2 shells) mollusk, Giant Floaters are filter feeders. They siphon water containing plant plankton and organic debris through their body filtering out the plankton and other organics as food. Therefore, they actually do a great job of cleaning our water.
Although Giant Floaters can, and do, move around on their own, they rely on fish to disperse their offspring throughout the lake.
Reproduction:
The eggs of the Giant Floater are fertilized inside the female mussel and held as a brood till water temperatures rise in the summer months. The fertilized eggs develop into glochidia, a larval form of mussels without a hard shell.
When the water temperature increases, the glochidia are released into the water. These larval Giant Floaters pass through the gills of fish swimming in the area. As they pass through a suitable host fish, they attach to the gills of the fish. Giant Floaters have been known to use a variety of host fish including bluegill, black crappie, largemouth bass, and a host of others.
While attached to the fish’s gills, the Giant Floater larva develops into a tiny, juvenile mussel. The young mussel is shed into the water where it lives on the lake bottom growing into adulthood.
The period of development in the host fish only lasts from a few days up to a few weeks. This process has little to no effect on the fish and embedded glochidia does not pose a hazard to humans eating host fish since we do not generally eat fish gills.
Giant Floaters are regularly eaten by Raccoons, Mink, and Otters among others.
It is important to note that in Ohio, mussels, or mussel shells may NOT be taken, possessed, or collected for any purpose.
This rule is in place to protect several endangered and threatened species of freshwater mussels native to Ohio.

References:
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pyganodon_grandis/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyganodon_grandis
https://dam.assets.ohio.gov/image/upload/ohiodnr.gov/documents/wildlife/laws-regs-licenses/OhioFishingRegs_English.pdf
https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/rule-1501:31-17-01
https://animaldiversity.org/collections/contributors/biodidac/uniolifecycl2/
https://www.fws.gov/media/freshwater-mussel-lifecycle

05/24/2026

Findley State Park naturalist programs for May28 through 31, 2026.

05/22/2026

05/22/2026

Updated golf cart rules for Ohio State Parks:

05/22/2026

Come out and try what's SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard).
Join Naturalist Wiz Moore and try your hand at Paddleboarding.
Sessions start at 2:00PM, 4:00PM and 6:00PM
Registration by email only!
Email for reservations, space is limited to 5 participants.
Email Wiz Moore at [email protected]
Please include the date, time slot and number in your group.
We WILL be getting wet, dress for the water.
Must be at least 12 years old and physically able to maneuver the vessel.
Must sign a waiver to participate, parent or guardian must sign for those under 18.
Meet at the former beach area.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/atxB1uCLh3ubyKLi9

05/20/2026

With so many spring wildflowers blooming, it can be overwhelming trying to identify them all.
Some are just downright confusing to keep straight with very similar flowers, leaves and names.
Take, for example, the 3 Anemones that bloom here at Findley State Park.
We have Rue Anemone (Anemonella thalictroides), False Rue Anemone (Isopyrum biternatum) and Wood Anemone (Anemone quinquefolia).
With practice and careful observation, you will learn to identify these flowers.

Rue Anemone (Anemonella thalictroides) note the 3 BLUNT lobes on the leaves.

False Rue Anemone (Isopyrum biternatum) note the DEEPLY lobed leaflets.

Wood Anemone (Anemone quinquefolia) note the 3 compound leaves in a whorl on the main stem.

Naturalist Wiz