Wahkeena       

By Peggy Case, Garden Path Editor
                                                                                                                           

What began as an expression of true love for a new bride has developed into a wonderful nature preserve in southern Ohio. In 1931, Dr. Frank Warner of Columbus gave his bride, Carmen, a wedding gift of ninety-four acres of old farmland in southern Fairfield County, which she named Wahkeena, Indian for “most beautiful.”

Today, that original ninety-four acre gift has grown to 150 acres and is home to a wilderness area for hikers, school classes, and adult nature study sessions. During the Warners’ lifetime, they cleared the land, built a lodge, dug ponds, planted nearly 100,000 trees on the hillsides, established trails, and put down native plants mixed with landscape plants.

Mrs. Warner was an avid gardener and had rich soil brought in for flowerbeds and borders. The logs from an existing building were transformed into the homey lodge, and an old hog house was upgraded to a guesthouse. The original smokehouse became a potting shed. Another building, ‘Casa de Burro,’ was built as a home for Mrs. Warner’s pet burros.

At its height of popularity, Wahkeena became the Warner’s landscaped showcase and home. Mrs. Warner, an active Ohio Association of Garden Clubs member, invited many of her friends to visit. It became a favorite place for OAGC related activities. Clubwomen from all over Ohio traveled to Wahkeena to study nature and enjoy times with their friends.

In 1957, Wahkeena was bequeathed to the Ohio Historical Society, to be used for nature education and public use. Its many rare native plants, including eight different native orchids, and its abundance of ferns (30 different types), birds, wildlife, and native trees made it a valuable addition to the Historical Society.

The Ohio Association of Garden Clubs has maintained its early connections with Wahkeena. Through donations from OAGC members to the Wahkeena fund, regular support goes to the Nature Preserve. At OAGC’s Convention 2000, commemorative funds granted the preserve $4000, and most recently, another gift of $5000 was presented in the name of the outgoing OAGC President.

Tom Shisler, the full-time curator, leads many groups of school children through the year and said about his talks with kids, “I remember what an older teacher told me many years ago, ‘There are two words you always never use with kids: ALWAYS and NEVER.’” For, as he explained, just as soon as you announced a fact accompanied with ‘always’ or ‘never,’ a student would find an exception.

When explaining the natural habitat of certain animals to kids, he sometimes had to revise his talk when the animals didn’t seem to be acting the way he explained. “The animals don’t get around to reading the guide books,” he laughed.

Shisler has been at Wahkeena for many years, fixing, cleaning, guiding students, greeting garden clubs, teaching classes, and enjoying the nature preserve. At present, he is replacing the roof on one of the shelters along the trails. A recent group of garden club ladies followed him through the preserve and learned about different ferns, the native Blackhand sandstone, identified trees, flowers, and birds.

At the rock formation, which is almost a cave, Shisler told about all the many stories he gets from kids about the markings on the huge rock. Some see snakes and birds, others find fish and people in the strange discolorations. The discolorations are due to water seepage and the growth of lichens on the face of the rock.

It is quite obvious that Shisler loves his work as he has hundreds of stories about the land and how the glacier formed the different soil types found in the preserve. He pointed out the original landscape plantings of Mrs. Warner; the variegated euonymus, English ivy, the many mountain laurel, the rhododendrons, and the hordes of hostas along the trail.

There are many wild animals at Wahkeena and Shisler is quick to point out evidence of wildlife to visitors. The annual bird count held there last year listed 100 kinds of birds. White-tailed deer and pileated woodpeckers are found, also. Groups have reported seeing fifteen different types of mammals.

Each year, wildflower walks are set up for Saturdays and Sundays. Through April and May about 12 walks are scheduled. Other popular series of walks are the fern walks and the water world hikes around the ponds in May and June. The preserve is open April through October, Wednesday through Sunday, from 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.

The fee is $2.00, but a membership in Ohio Historical Society or Ohio Associate of Garden Clubs allows you free access. From Columbus, take 33 south to Lancaster. Cross US Route 22 and follow Route 33 to County Road # 86 to Pump Station Road. Wahkeena is on Pump Station Road.

For a brochure with map, details, and spring schedules, write to Wahkeena Nature Preserve, 2200 Pump Station Road, Sugar Grove, Ohio 43155, or call 740-746-8695 or 1-800-297-1883.  Wahkeena is a wonderful nature preserve with enchanting views and bountiful native plantings. Visitors to the Lancaster area should not miss it