Stark County Native Fish Display

Started in 2022 and originally funded by the Bravis family, this display teaches thousands of Stark County residents each year about biodiversity in their local waterways. 

The first year (2022), the display was 150 gallons, consisting of small tanks arranged on a group of benches borrowed from a wood shop. That year we focused on showing species, including an Ohio extirpated species that was last found in Stark County within a mile of the fairgrounds. That lake was Meyers Lake and that fish was the Blackchin Shiner (Notropis heterodon) which were displayed on loan from Ohio State University’s ichthyology labs. That first year, we told the story of their habitat’s destruction at the hands of recreational boaters and private owners who did not know of the fish’s existence or their need for protection. The 2022 SCNFD was the first time the Blackchin Shiner had been in our county in 40 years. After the display, those fish were released as part of OSU’s reintroduction efforts at Portage Lakes State Park, just north of Stark County, where a population of the endangered Iowa Darter also resides.

2023 saw a massive increase in the size of the display, as well as help from local community members. 2023 focused on Biotopes from many areas around the county, with the idea of showing visitors what can be found in their backyard. This format was a success, and was repeated in 2024 with a reduction in the number of locations represented.