by John Besser

 

What’s in a name?

Bill Mees, Nature Areas Chair, wants to put a new name on an old building. The former ‘workshop’ at Wild Haven is now retired, empty, and surprisingly tidy! This structure was built by Lee Jenkins, who donated Wild Haven to CAS, and It dates from the 1960’s or perhaps earlier. It is of solid construction with concrete block walls and a metal roof. Bill has been thinking that CAS could find more uses for this building — perhaps school or scouting programs — and that finding a new name would be a good start. Please contact Bill with suggestions for a new name, or for new uses for this building!

 

Wild Haven spring cleanup was a big success!

Saturday, March 20 was the first day of spring, and a group of CAS volunteers spent the morning doing some spring cleaning at the Wild Haven nature area. We burned three of the brush piles remaining from the Autumn Olive removal project last fall, and in the process we burned or cleared almost all the remaining deadwood from the picnic area. We also bagged litter from along O’Rear Road. The area looks great! We had a great bunch of volunteers: Dave and Nancy Bedan, David and Jean Neely, Kevin and Jean Feltz, Jim and Cathy Huckins, Jon Rapp, Eric Wood, and Bill Mees. While we waited for the fires to burn down, many of us hiked own the yellow-marked Hinkson Creek trail and were rewarded with views of two exceptionally fluffy Great Horned Owl owlets. We also found some early wildflowers – Harbinger of Spring and Spring Beauties — an early taste of the spring wildflowers that will be on display for Roxie Campbell’s upcoming wildflower walk…

 

April Wild Haven field day: Guided wildflower hike (Sunday, April 11, 2-5 pm)

Enjoy the beauty of spring wildflowers in bloom as we walk the white and yellow trails (total distance of about 2 miles). We expect to see over a dozen species of wildflowers in bloom and it will be prime time to see the bluebells and trilliums. We’ll also become familiar with the trails, enjoy the scenery along Hinkson Creek and look for birds. Roxie Campbell (Naturalist at Rock Bridge State Park) will provide wildflower identification and information. Meet at the picnic shelter.  COVID-19 guidelines will be followed – we will break into smaller groups if necessary.

Looking ahead:

May Wild Haven Field Day — Bird Walk: Sunday May 16, 8:30-11:30 AM, join us for a bird walk at Wild Haven. We’ll explore the varied habitats along Wild Haven‘s hiking trails. Songbird migration should be near its peak.

Wild Haven Picnic/Open House, Sunday May 22. We’re still planning this event, but we’d like to combine the traditional picnic with tours of the area for members and guests. Check out the progress we’ve made in the net past year: cleanup of the ’workshop’ building, habitat restoration work, hiking trail upgrades, and the reinforcement of the picnic shelter.

 

[Directions to Wild Haven (or just Google it: 6900 E. O’Rear Road):  Take Route B north from US 63.  Cross the RR tracks, then turn right on Brown Station Road. Continue on Brown Station past the first stop sign (Route HH), then take the next right turn onto O’Rear Road.  After O’Rear turns to gravel and passes Sheridan Road, look for a clearing on the right, a gate, and a sign with the street number ‘6900’. The gate should be open, and you can park on the grass.]