Area park district volunteers give nature a hand in tree planting
Gary and Jill Biltz, Josiah and Heidi Northern and their daughter Charlotte, Scott and Melissa Biltz, and Michael Hershberger spent the morning of Saturday, April 6 planting a variety of 120 trees on the former Holmes County Landfill acreage that is owned by the Holmes County Park District.
If a small group plants 120 trees in a nature preserve and nobody is around to see them do so, will anyone notice?
On Saturday, April 6, a group of seven individuals representing the Holmes County Park District did just that at the park district’s acquired land at the former Holmes County Landfill, and for them it wasn’t about the recognition. It was about creating a more enticing place for the animal kingdom to live and thrive, along with taking care of the planet.
Scott and Melissa Biltz, the latter who serves as the Holmes County Park District’s volunteer coordinator, were joined by Scott’s parents Gary and Jill Biltz, the husband and wife team of Josiah and Heidi Northern and their young daughter Charlotte, and Michael Hershberger. In addition, it was a collaboration with Holmes County Soil & Water Conservation District, which provided all of the trees that went into the ground during what turned out to be a much shorter time period than the group expected it would be.
“We kind of developed a routine and got into a rhythm, and it really went together quickly,” Melissa Biltz said. “Plus, we all love nature, and just being out here is invigorating.”
Among the trees they planted were sumac, coral berry shrubs, quaking aspen, white oak and more, with the objective being to create a mix of cover, some of which will blossom quickly while others will take longer.
Another task was to try to shade out some of the invasive trees, growth that is not particularly wanted in the acreage.
“The idea is to create a better environment for our wildlife while developing this area into something natural and special,” Melissa Biltz said.
She said the land is located on an unclaimed landfill pit with heavy clay soil, which produced a lot of invasive species like honeysuckle and autumn olive shrubs that grow easily and can overtake an area.
The park district is creating a public park on the former landfill that will eventually be open to anyone who seeks to enjoy nature at its finest. There are walking trails and plenty of opportunity for nature-lovers to enjoy the natural setting, watch deer and observe birds in their natural habitat.
“We are going to use a lot of natural material to create walking paths rather than building man-made materials because we want to keep that natural feel as much as possible,” Melissa Biltz said.
Thus far most of the work done at the landfill acreage has been to cut down and clear away shrubs and dead trees to create walking trails. This recent investment is the next step the park district is making toward creating a natural wonderland.
They’ve also utilized many volunteers in creating the walking path, avoiding bringing in heavy machinery that could tear up the area and opting to not use sprays to kill unwanted growth, instead opting to have volunteers go to work removing that growth by hand.
The Northerns have lived in many states before settling into Millersburg last year, and everywhere they have been, they have devoted themselves to taking care of the land.
“I personally have a love affair with Mother Nature,” Josiah Northern said. “I lived in Australia for a while. I have lived in many places and seen changes taking place around the world. For as much destruction is being done around the planet, there are efforts like this that are incredibly important. These types of efforts need to happen more often. Every step we can take is important.”
Northern said as they recreate and correct the landfill acreage, it will help some of the animals that used to be more populous return to the area, something that would create a more enjoyable scenario for those people who enjoy watching nature.
One of those people would be Hershberger, a volunteer member of a local Bob-o-Link Young Birders Group in the Amish community. Hershberger said they are eager to see the progress of the landfill take shape because they know the natural habitat will be ideal for bird watching.
The group is designed for younger people age 12-18 to get outside and enjoy bird watching, a hobby that is extremely popular in Holmes County.
We take a lot of field trips, but we also want to invest in local conservation efforts like this,” Hershberger said. “I think this area will fit in very well with what we do because it is going to be a special place for grassland birds in particular.”
Hershberger said Holmes County is flush with plenty of woods and brush, but there isn’t a lot of grassland, and this park will provide plenty of unmowed grassland. He said that should invite a variety of birds to come in and nest and thrive in the area.
He said it also will be an excellent spot to watch birds migrate. In addition, he said because the property is situated in a higher altitude with no man-made lights around, it will be ideal to star gaze.
The volunteers enjoyed the day fellowshipping in the sun and in nature, and the tree planting was the next step in the eventual opening of a natural area that will invite people to experience nature at its finest.