Author Archives: kkovarik

Well, we finally have a tally on the results of our Earth Day 2011 weekend. It took a little longer to get everything done as Pete ended up planting nearly 300 whips – small trees about 16 inches tall – in Glen Echo ravine.  He still has a few left…

So, for the two days, April 16 & 17, we:

• had 12 volunteers
• removed 28 30-gallon bags of invasive plants
• cut down 110 honeysuckle bushes
• dug 30 honeysuckle stumps
• collected4 bags of trash

All in all, a very good effort. The difference in the ravine is noticeable,  especially in the amount of native wildflowers that are showing up. Without all that competition for resources, they really are shining through: blood root and dog-tooth violets in particular. Pete also heard a wood thrush, a bird that he’s never before found in Glen Echo. Eventually, we’ll get some photos up of these flowers and birds that can be found in the ravine.

The other big news is that we planted a scarlet oak as our 2011 Earth Day Tree. The tree is beautiful and large, with a 4-inch caliber. I reckon it’s about 20 feet tall. It’s planted off the alley that runs parallel to the ravine, next to the condominiums off Indianola. It will be a lovely specimen tree in just a few decades.

Our next big meeting will be this Thursday, May 12th. We are planning for our first public meeting on Tuesday, May 23 at the  Crestview Presbyterian Church. We’ll have more details on that meeting as they come available. We want to introduce ourselves, let everyone know what we’ve done so far, what we want to do in the future, and invite comments and suggestions from the people who will be living in the arboretum.

Until next time!

Last week we had our first big meeting about the Arboretum, setting out a plan for what we want to accomplish. I think everyone left feeling that we were well on our way to making the Arboretum the place to see (and live in!) in Columbus!

Much of what we talked about were administration details and thoughts on where the Arboretum should go in the future.

Recent activities include:

• Transferring money to Ohio State University so that Dan Struve could purchase trees
• Design work on our brochure continues; this brochure will be handed out to each residence before any opt-out postcards are sent by the city of Columbus
• Researching possible tree markers for the large specimen trees in the public right-of-way, as part of a walking tour
• Meeting with the new city forester, Jim Gates, to review timing and actions discussed with the previous forester, who has since retired

For the future:

• The Arboretum will expand its reach to include conservation efforts. Some ideas discussed were brick streets, rain barrels, planted medians on Indianola and High, and flags and signs to delineate the area
• The Arboretum will host a meeting, most likely in late May, to allow residents the opportunity to brainstorm and create the ultimate wish list. It’s very important that our community become involved in this process from the very beginning

All in all, it was a very productive meeting, one that has laid the groundwork for the Arboretum. I am so excited to be a part of this legacy!

A while back, I mentioned that Earth Day volunteers would be needed for removing invasive species in the Glen Echo Ravine (which is part of the Arboretum) as well as picking up trash and possibly planting some trees if they are made available to us.

If you want to sign up to help us in the ravine on Earth Day, Saturday and Sunday, April 16th and 17th, just follow this Earth Day volunteer site. This link will give you all the information that you need about where to be and when. If you have any questions, please leave a comment on this site.

Saving our planet one ravine at a time!

I’ve been trying to write something for our new brochure for the Arboretum. I’m feeling rather like I’m back in college, staring at a blank piece of paper, asking for a Muse, any Muse, to visit me. It’s not that my topic isn’t something easy to write about, I just am struggling on how to begin. I’ve always written my papers backwards, knowing how I wanted them to end; it’s the beginning that always give me pause. Or perhaps it’s just a case of spring fever taking me away from my task: our daffodils, irises (Siberian), and some small plant (whose name I’ve forgotten) that looks like a miniature hyacinth have started to bloom.  I even saw a few buds on my rosebush. So spring is just around the corner, despite my mom calling to tell me she has over six inches of snow on the ground.

Well, I’m back at taking a stab at the brochure – wish me luck!

Last Tuesday night, I attended a “Meet and Greet” with Columbus City Council members. I spoke with Councilman Zachary M. Klein, who heads up the Recreation & Parks Committee. I had the chance to tell him, and his assistant Gretchen, about the Arboretum and everything that we were planning on accomplishing over the next several years. Both were very interested in the Arboretum and the many benefits that it would have for the residents of not only Clintonville, but of all of Columbus. I also had the chance to thank him for all the help that the City of Columbus has given us with our project.

Is it Spring yet?

Welcome to the first posting on the Olentangy Urban Arboretum Blog. We are very excited to begin planting native trees in Clintonville tree-lawns. Although it might not feel like it outside with all the ice, snow and cold temperatures, spring is just around the corner. Once this project takes root, we envision an arboretum where spring brings leafy green buds, and beautiful dogwoods and redbud trees in bloom, with people strolling along the streets, enjoying it all.

Some steps towards making the arboretum a reality are already underway. We are in the process of transferring some of the grant funding from the Columbus Foundation to OSU’s Horticulture & Crop Science nursery. These funds will be used to buy larger specimens of certain slow-growing trees that were identified as being part of the original tree-scape. These trees, grown in pots to a sufficient size so that they can be planted in the tree-lawns in a few years, will include hickories, buckeyes, and dogwoods.  Additionally, both the city of Columbus and OSU Horticulture & Crop Science are gearing up to plant a total of 200 native trees this fall.

Planting native trees is only part of the work that will be taking place in the Arboretum. Earth Day will present an opportunity  for members of our community to volunteer to improve our local green-space.  We will be working in Glen Echo Ravine on April 16th & 17th, 2011 to remove non-native species. If you are interested in helping out, please let us know and we will add your name to our list of volunteers.