Get Out and Explore Your...

Knox County Park District

Knox On The Outside

A Year in Review—Land for Parks

Vol. 2, Issue 1 January 08

Happy New Year from your Knox County Park District!  January serves as a good time to reflect on the past year, as anticipation builds for an exciting, and seminal, year in 2008.

Another stellar year of improvements occurred in the Knox County trail system.  KCPD assumed a leadership/facilitator role with the volunteer trail groups, on behalf of the Knox County Commissioners.  Here’s a sampling of our collective accomplishments, made possible by the enthusiastic trail volunteers, Knox County Commissioners and KCPD staff:

Kokosing Gap Trail:  Gap Trail volunteers planted 15 large hardwood saplings at the Gambier staging area of the trail.  The Gap Trail surface was sealed with a bio-friendly material, and new signage was installed at the Mount Vernon and Danville termini of the trail.

Mohican Valley Trail: Fencing along the trail was stained, a trail brochure was published and a new web page for the trail was developed.  The Bridge of Dreams parking lot was paved.  Bike trail signage and bike symbols were applied to Danville Streets, to assist users negotiating from the Mohican Valley Trail to the Kokosing Gap Trail.  Visitors from far away made the Bridge of Dreams a destination.  Nearly 1,000 visitors, representing 11 countries and 35 states, have signed a guest log installed in late September. 

Heart of Ohio Trail: Clearing of the trail occurred, and minor bridge improvements commenced.  Planning for major rehabilitation of most bridges on the trail ensued.  The Knox County Board of Commissioners were awarded more than one million dollars in grant monies to continue construction of the trail.

Kokosing River Water Trail: Parking lot development occurred at the Millwood and Kokosing Gap canoe access sites.  A new picnic shelter, donated by Rotary, was erected at Big Run Access. Signage was installed at Millwood and Hope access sites.

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, Keith Plocki, Susan Ramser

KCPD Director:  Kim Marshall

In 1975, community leaders identified a significant natural area that merited acquisition and development as a park.  Thanks to a generous gift by the Community Foundation, the Honey Run Waterfall site was acquired by the Knox County Park District in 2007 for all to enjoy.  Enjoy a video of this spectacular site.

The Kokosing River remains one of the highest quality rivers in Ohio.  KCPD obtained a sizable grant to acquire more than 100 acres of Kokosing riverfront and floodplain.  Later in 2007, KCPD initiated its first wetland restoration on the site, placing back on the landscape, one of Ohio’s most threatened habitat types.

In 2007, the Park District added a short survey to our web site to ascertain the quality of our services and where we should focus our efforts. Overwhelmingly, users requested more land for parks and expansion of biking and hiking trails. 

Let us know your thoughts—Take the survey at www.knoxcountyparks.org

Honey Run Waterfall flows at a trickle in autumn, after droughty summer conditions. Photo by K. Clifton

 

A Year in Review—Attracting Grants & Resources For Knox Residents

It’s rare that the weather beats a KCPD-sponsored event (just ask the participants of our canoe float on the Mohican River this past summer).  However, due to inclimate weather on Sunday, December 16, we cancelled our popular “Holiday in the Forest” program.

Thus, KCPD is pleased to announce that a “New Years in the Forest” program will take place at 3:30 p.m. on January 6th at Wolf Run Park.  Enjoy a naturalist-led hike, followed by a bonfire and hot chocolate. 

Meet at the parking lot on Yauger Road, one mile east of Mount Vernon.  Dress warmly and wear sturdy footwear for this outdoor program.

KCPD Receives Surprise “Gifts” during the Holidays

It never fails to amaze, or humble, staff of the Park District regarding the generosity of individuals who live in our community and support our fledgling organization. 

Sincere thanks are in order for Burt and Lois Hanson of Mount Vernon, who, through their donor-directed fund at the Community Foundation, gave a $500 grant to KCPD in December.  Trail improvements and expansion will be enjoyed by all hikers at Wolf Run Park, thanks to the Hanson’s generous support.

Speaking of Wolf Run Park, visitors from outside our community will be able to locate the park easier, thanks to a generous donation by tourism marketing expert, Bill Conrad, of Greer.  Thanks to Bill’s generosity, two four-foot aluminum signs have been erected east and west of Upper Gilchrist Road on US 36 to direct motorists to the park.  The City of Mount Vernon deserves mention as well, for their assistance and approval of signage installation.

The Knox County Commissioners gave KCPD a $60,000 operational grant and $5,000 grant to manage the Mohican Valley Trail in 2007.  KCPD parlayed these funds into an additional $229,000 in grants and donations of equipment and resources in 2007.  These financial and material resources enabled the Park District to buy land (see above), construct new hiking trails, enable children to learn about nature, restore wildlife habitat, maintain and improve park, canoe and bike trail access sites, host outdoor events and programs, increase hunting and fishing opportunities for residents and boost the local economy through tourism.

In addition, the Knox County Parks Fund was established at the Community Foundation, thanks to Keith Plocki and Mary McManus.  This action sows the seeds of park sustainability, and creates a convenient vehicle for which others can support our mission.