Rookery Nature Store Hours:
Wednesday-Sunday, 10am-4pm

Shop ONLINE 24/7 - Pickup & Shipping available!
Operated by Friends staff & volunteers, The Rookery Nature Store offers educational materials, souvenirs & nature themed gifts. Proceeds support wildlife & land conservation at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge.


eGift cards - Buy online & send a gift instantly!

How to Send an eGift: Purchase online here & provide an email address to send the gift to.
How to Redeem Your eGift:  Enter the Gift Card’s code during checkout. May be used online or in-store. Value does not expire.
Plastic Gift cards are also available in store!

We are here to help you support your refuge. The Rookery Nature Store: theonwr@gmail.com or text/call 419-960-5222.

Locally Handcrafted Vendor Spotlight
Tell us a little about you and your business.
My name is Donna Gleditsch and I am a local artist from Dublin, Ohio. My mediums are acrylic paint, watercolor, pencil, pastels and stained glass. I graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Art Education. I started Gleditsch Studios some years ago and recently became an LLC. I offer classes in painting, drawing and stained glass, sell my original work and will do commissions. Gleditsch Studios has two other artists associated with it, my youngest son and a former student, who work and sell some of their work.

Why is Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge special to you?
My husband is quite the birder. He is a biologist and chemist, with biology being his first love. He is the reason that I started doing stained glass birds and truly have found that I enjoy making them. We found Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge many years ago through his interest in birding and have truly come to enjoy, not only the birds, but all of the wildlife that calls the refuge home. Every time we visit, we see so many types of wildlife. While Carl enjoys seeing as many species of birds as he can, I enjoy the artistic aspect of the birds...their many colors and patterns!! Ottawa is a special place where we can get lost in nature and escape for many hours enjoying what we discover there. I am honored that Julia has chosen to carry my stained glass bird suncatchers in the Rookery Nature Store.

When and how did you learn to make stained glass?
I have always loved and admired stained glass pieces, but could not afford to purchase them. My husband and children gave me a class for Christmas about 34 years ago and that was all it took. I approach my work like I was painting with the glass. I enjoy designing the pieces, figuring what color and type of glass to include in each work, and the end result. My art is based in realism whether I am painting or drawing. Making my stained glass pieces as realistic as possible is quite the challenge but I love it!

How long does it take to make one of your pieces?
It can take anywhere from 5 hours to days depending on the amount of continuous time I can work, to complete a piece of stained glass. This will also depend on the size of the piece. This includes cutting, grinding, and copper foiling each piece of glass, then soldering it together and finishing it with lead or zinc. I use the copper foil method because you can achieve more intricate designs.

What do you love most about what you do?
As I stated before, the challenge of trying to achieve a very realistic work in stained glass is one of the things that I really love about what I do. I am very awed that God has blessed me with this gift and I try to use it to represent and render His creation, no matter what medium I am working in. My hope is that those who view and/ or purchase my work are blessed by it.