Down to Earth | Celebrate Public Lands Day
- Published: October 23, 2024
By Bethany Gray
National Public Lands Day is celebrated annually at public lands in the U.S. on the fourth Saturday of September. It promotes both enjoyment and conservation of public lands, and the fees to federally managed lands are waived. Three federal agencies and 700 volunteers launched the first National Public Lands Day in 1994 and for the past 30 years, it has also become a day of volunteer service.
Two of our local public lands, the Village-owned Ellis Park/Kennedy Arboretum and State-owned Clifton Gorge Preserve and Nature Center, became certified habitats with the National Wildlife Federation, or NWF, this year, contributing “points” toward our community’s annual recertification process with the NWF.
Ellis Park has benefited over the years from volunteers of the Tree Committee, who work with the Village and provide “boots on the ground.” They have not only planted trees but also assisted in their maintenance, including protecting them from deer and beavers. In recent years, they have enhanced the northern corridor of the park referred to as the “bird sanctuary” with more native shrubs to sustain pollinators and birds.
Currently, the Tree Committee is working on an accreditation process for the Arboretum. The Environmental Commission and Habitat Team have been working on establishing a native pollinator prairie north of the pond, creating a riparian area to help filter runoff. Native plants have much longer root systems than turf grass to filter and slow/absorb runoff. With the help of volunteers, dozens of bluebirds have fledged from the nest boxes at Ellis Park since 2018, as well as tree swallows — aerial insectivores that provide natural mosquito control wherever they choose to nest. Dogs are often unleashed at this park — there is a sign posted in the parking lot that dogs must be leashed here, which wildlife also appreciate. (Dogs can be unleashed at the YS Dog Park).
Clifton Gorge is among the most visited state nature preserves in Ohio. The 268-acre preserve protects “one of the most spectacular dolomite and limestone gorges in the state,” according to the ODNR website. Registered as a National Natural Landmark in 1968, it encompasses a two-mile stretch of the Little Miami, a state and national designated Scenic River. The shaded slopes provide a cool, moist environment for northern species, including hemlock, red baneberry, Canada yew, arbor vitae and mountain maple. Spring wildflowers abound each year here, including the rare snow trillium.
Volunteers from the Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association help remove invasive plants from the scientific portion of the Gorge that is not open to the public. A native plant garden borders the building that serves as the district headquarters and nature center. While leashed dogs are permitted at the adjacent John Bryan State Park and at Glen Helen, they are prohibited at Clifton Gorge and all state-owned nature preserves.
The Habitat team is organizing a volunteer opportunity on National Public Lands Day, Saturday, Sept. 28, 9–11 a.m. We will be weeding out unwanted species from the Ellis Pond Prairie. Bring gloves and the tool you favor for weeding. Email catherinezimmerman@yahoo.com with questions.
For more information about habitat property certification or other educational resources, visit http://www.yswildlifehabitat.com.
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