Meigs SWCD
Soil and Water Conservation District
located in the rural hills of southeastern Ohio
located in the rural hills of southeastern Ohio
Conservation Area
Winter is officially here! It may be too cold to venture outside for some, but for those who love winter, there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors at the Meigs SWCD Conservation Area. Take a brisk walk on our hiking trails, go bird-watching, or take pictures of the snow-covered hillside! The Area is open to the public and also hosts a number of Meigs SWCD events.
Brochure Where is the Area? Hiking Trails
About Area map, click to enlarge
The Meigs SWCD acquired the Conservation Area on June 13, 2003, with assistance of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Clean Ohio Green Space Conservation Fund. The Meigs SWCD has steadily been busy making improvements to the property including the construction of a gravel parking lot, a 1.5 mile loop trail, wetland and native grass and wildflower plantings.
We at the Meigs Soil and Water Conservation District look forward to watching the property bloom and grow. Feel free to check out the Meigs SWCD Conservation Area and walk the Pauline H. Atkins Memorial Trail. As always, take only photographs and leave only footprints.
What's New?
The shelter-house is complete! Construction was finished in November 2010 and has since been used for activities, such as our Watershed Day Camps, in the spring and summer. Anyone interested in using the shelter-house can contact the District for more details.
In the spring of 2011, a new bridge was installed! It passes over a small stream and leads from the shelter-house area to the wetland.
In the Works!
We are currently trying to raise money to install a rain garden and are in the pre-construction phase of installing a restroom facility on the property!
The rain garden will collect rain water run-off from the roof of the shelter-house and filter it into the nearby stream on the property.
Bathroom facilities will be extremely useful for our events such as watershed day camps!
Interested in making a donation to enhance the Conservation Area?
Contact us today!
Geocaching!
Discover the hidden treasures at the Conservation Area! There are two Geocaches hidden on the Conservation Area property. Geocache is the objective of an exciting new game for GPS users. For more information, visit www.geocaching.com.
Every place has a great story. Tucked away in the Conservation Area is a mysterious rock named Turtle Rock. Sitting high above the prairies and wetland of the Area, Turtle Rock seems to quietly gaze upon the land. Learn the story of Turtle Rock, and see if you can locate it next time you visit the Conservation Area.
The Story of Turtle Rock
by Jim Freeman
Listen children and I will tell you a story, about once upon a time, long, long ago when the land was new, there was a box turtle, a simple box turtle that lived a simple box turtle's life in what is now the Meigs Soil and Water Conservation District's Conservation Area. Like all other box turtles, he had a high shell with a hinged bottom that he could close up tightly to "box" himself up safely inside his shell. His shell was colored dark brown and had yellow blotches, which helped him hide among the leaves covering the forest floor. At that time, he was just like any other box turtle...continue the story here.
Turtle Rock
Visit the Conservation Area on Facebook.
Conservation Area Photo Album
View more Meigs SWCD and Leading Creek Watershed photos in our main photo album.
