Under the guidance of Greene County Master Gardeners George McGowan and Barb Fouke, the multi-year landscaping effort, started in 2012, is transforming a bleak portion of the Little Miami Scenic Trail in Spring Valley into something that will reflect the trail’s character as a green corridor with the installation of native trees and ornamental plants.
“The award recognizes that this project is a complex and high-visibility undertaking. We are improving a regional conservation and recreational asset of enormous environmental, economic and social value. Success requires collaboration of many groups and individuals, which has been one of the most interesting and exciting aspects of the project,” Fouke said.
Working with local governing bodies and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Master Gardeners, with the help of Friends of the Little Miami State Park, have been working to make the trail more accessible and enjoyable by removing dense walls of honeysuckle and adding benches and a water fountain to Founder’s Park, which is adjacent to the trail. Plans are underway to replace steep access paths to the trail with a user-friendly ramp in 2014. The project will continue at least through 2015.
“We have been concentrating on the project itself and were surprised when we were told we had won in Greene County and the project was being submitted to the state,” McGowan said.
“All we can think of is what has yet to be done. It was quite a shock when we were told we had won the state award in two categories.”
It began formally in 2012, although it had been a gleam in McGowan’s eye for many years.
“The idea had its germination many years ago while traveling in Northern Ireland. While in Broughshane, called the garden village, we were given a presentation on how local citizens many years before had taken it upon themselves to clean up and plant unsightly areas,” he said.
Financial support for the project began with a $5,000 grant from the Greater Dayton Conservation Fund of the Dayton Foundation and it’s grown to over $11,000 through financial assistance from the Garden Club of Dayton, Greene County Foundation, PNC Bank, Spring Valley Chamber of Commerce, Spring Valley ACTS and individual donors.
“This project is important to the local area because it makes the trail more user friendly and enjoyable to traverse … Hopefully it will encourage more visitors to use the trail through Spring Valley and stop at one of the local businesses, giving them much needed support,” McGowan said.
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