MOUNT VERNON — A recent purchase by the Philander Chase Conservancy will enhance the green space provided by Wolf Run Regional Park and the Brown Family Environmental Center.
The conservancy bought 124 acres on Yauger Road across from the entrance to Wolf Run in December 2023.
David Heithaus, director of the Knox County Park District, said the Brown Family Environmental Center at Kenyon College will manage the acreage.
“The plan is to plant the majority of it in warm-season prairie grass,” he said. “Long term, it will revert to forest.
“They will begin restoration this winter or very early in the spring with grass seeding,” he added.
The acreage includes about 30 acres of forest. Plans call for a primary trail around the whole parcel with some forest trails.
The grass section will have trails dividing it into four to six burn units.
“You might have as much as two to three miles of trails,” Heithaus said.
The park district plans to open “Wolf Run North” in late spring.
The park district acquired the 61-acre parcel in September 2023. It fronts on Coshocton Road to the north and abuts the original northern boundary of Wolf Run Regional Park.
A driveway and parking lot will provide access from Coshocton Road; trails will connect the property to the rest of the park.
When the Philander Chase Conservancy and BFEC develop the 124 acres south of Yauger Road, publicly available green space will run from Porter Road on the south to Coshocton Road on the north.
Multi-use trails
Heithause told the commissioners Thursday that the park district will coordinate the resealing of the Heart of Ohio Trail from Clayton Road to the Licking County line in the spring.
The Licking County Park District will reseal the stretch between the Knox and Delaware County lines.
The HOOT midway station project in Centerburg is ongoing. Organizers have not yet determined a location.
The district submitted a TAP grant (Transportation Alternative Grant) earlier this month to repave the Kokosing Gap Trail. If the district receives the grant, repaving will be done in 2025.
The district placed township signs on the Kokosing Gap Trail last December.
Scenic rivers
The Nature Conservancy coordinated the removal of Brinkhaven’s low-head dam on the Mohican River in December as part of a mitigation project.
Ecological restoration and improvements to Brinkhaven Park will resume in the spring. Improvements include driveway repair, signage, an interpretive trail accessing the old mill site, and reshaping the landing.
Heithaus said the district will use $22,400 to enlarge and improve the river access and parking lot at Zuck Riparian Preserve. Work will be completed by the end of June.
Pending available funding, the district also wants to improve the access points at Laymon, Pipesville, and Millwood roads.
“Landing are at the top of my list. They’re not in the best shape right now,” Heithaus told the commissioners.
