Hamilton Conservation CorpsAll proceeds from Monarch Fest are given to support an organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of pollinator-friendly habitat.
In 2020, through your generous donations, Monarch Fest is supporting the Hamilton Conservation Corps. |
(image from Hamilton Conservation Corps)
|
|
The Hamilton Conservation Corps is an all volunteer team which supports the Hamilton Parks Conservancy. Their purpose is to help preserve Hamilton Ohio's Riverside Natural Area and protect wildlife through education and conservation.
|
|
|
|
Hamilton's Undiscovered Treasure, Hamilton's 200 acre Nature Preserve, Come visit, Hike and watch wildlife! |
|
|
Riverside Natural Area
111 Conservation Way Hamilton, OH 45015
|
|
Learn about Riverside Natural Area
Riverside Natural Area is located along the Great Miami River in Hamilton, Ohio. Among the features certain to be attractive to birders are a lagoon formed from an old river channel, a small man-made wetland that backs up against the south side of the lagoon, and approximately 130 acres of prairie. There is a modest 10 acre prairie just off the parking lot, but on the south side of Riverside Natural Area you’ll find the large, 120 acre prairie.
Despite the interesting mix of diverse habitats, Riverside Natural Area isn’t very well known among local birders. Hopefully that won’t last for long! The lack of coverage of this area is understandable, however, given the relative “youth” of the site. Until just a few years ago, most of what is now Riverside Natural Area served as a sludge disposal site for the Hamilton Wastewater Treatment facility. In the early 1990s The City of Hamilton decided to spend 3.2 million dollars on a reclamation project with the intent of making Riverside a public recreational area. Indeed, this is a very accessible site: there are mulched trails that wind through the north side of the preserve, two observation decks overlooking the lagoon, and a paved access road that leads into the large prairie. This access road is used by the Wastewater Treatment facility to reach its lime sludge lagoons, but traffic is, nonetheless, light to practically nonexistent. Additionally, there is a paved bike trail that links Riverside with its next-door neighbor, Joyce Park, and continues all the way to the Soldiers and Sailors monument in downtown Hamilton... READ MORE
|
A City Oasis (November 19, 2018, Laura Leavitt)
...Unlike a typical, more manicured park, the Riverside Natural Area lets you feel like you are stepping out of the towns and cities of Butler County. Tall native grasses and bristly coned rushes rustle on either side of the simple, mown-grass pathways, which are all numbered to correspond with the map of the area located at the entrance. In the center, where all the paths meet, is an enormous hill called the observation mound. From the top of the mound, you can see far across the landscape, but even from that high up, you still feel like you are out in the wilderness, peering off toward the Great Miami River that runs nearby...
READ MORE
|
Old sewage dumping ground now a treasure for wildlife in Hamilton (April 30, 2018, Mike Rutledge, Staff Writer)
HAMILTON — A former Ohio Environmental Protection Agency cleanup site that once was a dumping ground for Hamilton’s sewage-processing bi-products has become a treasure for wildlife, people looking for relaxation in nature and delighted bird watchers.
The Riverside Natural Area is about 200 acres — nearly one-quarter the size of New York City’s Central Park, and a short walk or bike ride from Hamilton’s downtown. More than half of it is prairie, with a lake, forest, and bird habitats.
For the past three years, Troy and Kathy Schwable have led a platoon of volunteers to improve the natural area, by mowing trails that had fallen into disrepair, and planting about 400 native trees. They’ve also spread the the word about the place, located in the city’s Lindenwald neighborhood... READ MORE
|
