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Knox County Park District

Knox On The Outside

Wetland Restored at Bat Nest Road Access

Vol. 1, Issue 10 Dec. 07

December 22nd serves as the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, the time of year of the shortest day and longest night.  The solstice occurs when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator.  The staff and board of the Knox County Park District wish you and your family joy in this  celebrated season and good luck in the new year. 

Here are updates with regards to the Knox County trail system:

Kokosing Gap Trail:  Gap Trail volunteers planted 15 large hardwood saplings last weekend at the Gambier staging area of the trail.  The Gap Trail volunteers will hold their annual dinner on December 3rd at the Alcove Restaurant.    

Mohican Valley Trail: Visitors from far away continue to make the Bridge of Dreams a destination.  Approximately 900 visitors, representing 11 countries and 35 states, have signed the log, since its installation in late September. 

Heart of Ohio Trail: The Heart of Ohio Trail volunteers held their annual meeting at ThePlace@TheWoodward (South Main St., Mount Vernon) on November 8th.  Trail volunteers heard status updates from the Knox County Board of Commissioners and Richland Engineering, consultant on the HOOT, regarding pending grants and timing of construction activities.

Kokosing River Water Trail: Restoration of the Kokosing Cap Canoe Access is set to occur in December, weather permitting.  The restoration work consists of removal of large pieces of debris from the river bank and tree planting.

KCPD would like to thank Pond Tire for their generous donation of two truck tires to the park district.  The tires will be used on our “new” used truck that was donated to the park district by Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks.

 

The Friends of the Park District is a group dedicated to sustaining the KCPD long-term.  Call (740) 397-7954 or send an email to fbaldesc@columbus.rr.com to join.  The Friends of the Knox Park District also accepts cash donations, which are tax-deductible.

To remove your name from our mailing list, or if you have questions or comments, E-mail us at info@knoxcountyparks.org or call 740/392-7275

KCPD on the web: http://www.knoxcountyparks.org

Due to an increase in email/spam filters, we ask that you add these email addresses to your email address book to ensure that our newsletter reaches you appropriately:

info@knoxcountyparks.org

kimmarshall@co.knox.oh.us

KCPD Board Commissioners:  Dave Beck, Mark Bennett, Susan Ramser

KCPD Director:  Kim Marshall

Last week, the Knox County Park District, with assistance from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, restored a 2.7 acre emergent marsh/wet meadow wetland on the Bat Nest Road River Access site.  Mr. Roger Hite of Grandpa Dig, Inc. served as the contractor for the restoration.  The restoration consisted of excavation of approximately 65 feet of an eight inch agricultural tile, cut and plug of the remaining tile and backfill of the trench.  Ms. Kristin Westin of the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Mr. Jim McDonald assisted park staff during the restoration.  The restoration will result in increased wildlife habitat and increased consumptive use recreation opportunities on the site.  The 102-acre Bat Nest Road Access is now open to hunting, and the property is posted with KCPD signs.  Park in the small grassed lot along and south of State Route 715 (east of Riley Chapel Road) near the Knox/Coshocton County line.

On Sunday, December 16, Wolf Run Regional Park will serve as the site of a holiday celebration modeled after a traditional Swiss celebration of Christmas in the Forest. The outdoor program will take place at 5:30 p.m. in one of the park’s towering stands of native timber, near the parking lot on Yauger Road, one mile east of Mount Vernon.

Luminaries will guide visitors to a holiday tree where a lighting of candles on the tree will mark the beginning of the celebration. The lighting of the tree and caroling, led by Mount Vernon High School chorus students, will be followed by a bonfire and hot chocolate. 

Switzerland’s Christmas has been influenced by the many nations surrounding the small mountainous nation. Many of these traditions have come to America and are commonly practiced in all parts of the country. The Park District celebration will give area residents a chance to experience the forest just as darkness descends and to sing out with the joy of the season.  A feeling of tranquility envelops the park during this auspicious time of year, offering the visitor a chance to reflect on the past year and to briefly escape the frenzied pace of the holiday season.  Dress warmly for this outdoor program.

Roger Hite expertly operated a backhoe, restoring a wetland in the process.

New Park Board Member Named

Knox County Probate Judge, Jim Ronk, named Dr. Keith Plocki to the Knox County Park District’s Board of Commissioners in late October.  Dr. Plocki will replace Mark Bennett on the board.  Dr. Plocki has long served as a volunteer for the park district and helped construct the Big Run Shelter this past summer with his fellow Rotarians.                         Welcome, Keith, to our team!

Words cannot convey the impact that Chairman Bennett had on the Park District during its early, formative years.  Under his nine years of leadership, the District attracted more than one million dollars in grants and now owns/manages over 500 acres of parks, bike trails and canoe access sites.        Happy Trails, Mark!

The finished product—

now we wait for rainfall.

With assistance from park district staff, local Rotarian, Mr. Garrett Ressing, was successful in obtaining nearly $900 in additional funding from the Rotary District office for the purchase of doggie agility equipment for the Wolf Run Park “Bark Park.”  The funds will be used to purchase a tire jump, bar jumps, weave poles and teeter totter.  Special thanks goes to dog agility enthusiast, Ms. Linda Smith, for assisting the park district with agility equipment specifications.  The “Bark Park” is scheduled for construction in early spring of 2008.

Park Management: “Bark Park” Project Receives Additional Grant