by Kimber Caito, Media Coordinator, Fairfield County Park District
In the middle of Coyote Run, a 900-acre private farm and nature preserve near Pickerington, sits a beautiful brick farmhouse. Fairfield County Park District is pleased to have received the house by donation from Coyote Run, LLC! David Hague, owner, said he considered it to be “an ideal arrangement as Fairfield County Parks will have a location to provide programs to the… public and Coyote Run will have a neighbor who shares the same philosophy of nature conservation and rehabilitation.”
The house was the jewel of what was the McGill farm on Pickerington Road. The impressive structure still has its original weathervanes, cornices, and slate roof! Renovation will begin in 2020 and we are looking forward to using it as an office, a place to hold meetings and exciting educational programs!
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Many of our parks are in the southern and central parts of the county. Until now, Zeller Park was the only FCPD presence in Violet Township, the northwest part of the county. It is our hope that residents from that area will start to think of themselves as being a part of Fairfield County Park District and look to Zeller Park, Lockville Canal Park, Smeck Park, and other locations for their family gatherings, picnics, and recreation.
In 2019, we partnered with Coyote Run to hold educational programs on the preserve. There was a dragonfly search in late August, a wildflower hunt in April, and two wetland explorations in March. The future holds many exciting opportunities to explore and learn even more about Ohio’s flora and fauna, benefits from conservation efforts, advantages of wetlands, and restoration of fallow farmland to its former, natural state.
A goal of Coyote Run is to “restore [and] conserve natural areas… while offering educational opportunities to local schools and the public,” said Mr. Hague. He continued explaining that besides the obvious benefits to plants and animals, others receiving benefits from the property will be schools, colleges, and universities that take advantage of the offer to use the preserve for education in related fields, and the residents who will have a neighboring conservation land. To find more about Coyote Run and keep up with their conservation efforts, see Coyote Run on Facebook, facebook.com/CoyoteRunOhio.
As things develop, updates will be sent in our newsletter and posted to our Facebook page. Visit fairfieldcountyparks.org.