Youth projects raise Gilliland Nature Sanctuary experience to new level

MONTEZUMA - A land lab highlighting a natural area near Grand Lake and an observation tower to view the site will be dedicated Saturday.

The public is invited to the 4 p.m. event at the 80-acre Gilliland Nature Sanctuary northeast of Montezuma. A night hike with guided tours through the sanctuary will follow from 6-8 p.m. The area is accessible from Club Island Road.

Marion Local FFA members spent a recent Saturday installing 23 posts for signs identifying different plant and tree species and ecosystems along the 2.7-mile walking trail at the site. FFA member Kevin Tangeman was among the six students who helped.

"I was willing to do it," he said when he learned of the project. "It was something I was interested in."

Tangeman said he was surprised at the natural state of the area near the south shore of Grand Lake. Much of the land surrounding the lake is developed with homes and worked for crops.

"I think it's unique because it's got all the ecosystems that were once here before they became farm fields," said Abbey Tobe, who helped write a grant for the signs. "There is prairie, wetlands and forested land, so it kind of shows you there is more here than just farm fields and the lake."

The $2,500 grant from the Ohio Department of Agriculture was distributed to the local FFA group by the Ohio FFA Foundation. Another $1,300 came from the Celina Sanitary Landfill and the Mercer County Pheasants Forever chapter to pay for the signs.

The land lab's effectiveness as an educational tool will be demonstrated via different events hosted at the site throughout the year, the grant application states. In addition to erecting the sign posts, students learned business skills during the land lab project, FFA adviser Kara Uhlenhake said.

"The grant money was written to us and we have to write out the checks to the different businesses who made the signs and provided the lumber," she said. "We kind of managed the money."

Gary Steinbrunner, a local reforestation business owner and Franklin Township Greenspace committee member used an auger to dig the post holes for the signs.

"It's a great resource for the people of Mercer County," Steinbrunner said of the sanctuary and new land lab. "A lot of people just don't know it's there. It will be great for schools to bring students out to educate them about nature, or Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts or any groups that want to learn more about nature."

Franklin Township trustees have leveraged hundreds of thousands of dollars throughout the years to buy public natural areas for walking, bicycling and enjoying wildlife. The township maintains 240 acres of green space with 7.5 miles of trails winding through it.

Invited to Saturday's dedication are current and former township trustees, the FFA students, county commissioners and local businesses whose services were used to create the land lab, Tobe said.

A kiosk containing pamphlets with a map and more details about plants, trees and habitat in the sanctuary also will be at the site. The 12-foot-tall observation tower was completed this year by Memorial High School student Trevor Schmehl as his Eagle Scout project.

If you go:
What: Dedication of land lab and observation tower
Where: Gilliland Nature Sanctuary along Club Island Road, northeast of Montezuma
When: 4 p.m. Saturday; 6-8 p.m. is a night hike guided by naturalists presenting information on owls, bats and other topics.

A bonfire, free hot chocolate, apple cider and cookies will be available during the night hike. For more information about Franklin Township Greenspace areas, go to www.facebook.com/FranklinTwp/info or call 419-268-2139.