Hi Friends and Neighbors–

I’m writing to share news. My husband, Terry, and I are moving to Texas in August. Briefly, as a result of a few life changing events, we’ve learned to live life as an adventure. This news is bittersweet (understated) – I LOVE Columbus and this neighborhood. I will miss you and the vibrant, progressive spirit of those who work tirelessly to better our neighborhood and city.

Transitioning Adena Brook Community tasks to the many who care so much about our neighborhood woodland and brook is a top priority and easy to do! We are a community working together and though I will miss you so much, the conservation work now has a life of its own. The vision for a thriving, biodiverse ravine and brook ecosystem gains breadth each year because it is the result of many working together. Because I have asked and you allowed me to assume leadership of this work, it is important to think through the tasks to assure continuance. In the spirit of community, I’m sure you are not surprised that neighbors step forth to accept responsibility for the tasks we have worked steadfastly toward these last eight years.

Here’s how the structure looks:

Derek Hansford agrees to lead which means he will be the voice for the group when needed. Derek agreed only when reassured that he would work in collaboration with the people below who agree to an ongoing commitment to the work they have either done for many years or will begin in the next few months.

Kenn Cahill – advise about and oversee the invasive plant removal work
Mark and Carina Carter – maintain the Cooke Road exit corner
Greg Cunningham – maintain the 62 nesting boxes
Ann Florentine – oversee the Financials s for Adena Brook Community (with Clintonville Beechwold Community Resources Center)
Ellen Hoover, Steve and Georgia Blum-Herminghausen – oversee the Adena Brook Community website; make sure all professional mentors are registered to post
Nan Platt – check PO BOX for donations or invoices, write thank you notes for donations, deliver checks and invoices to Clintonville Beechwold Community Resources Center. Share information with Ann Florentine.
Greg Schneider – oversee maintenance of the Adena Brook Rain Garden
Judy and Bob Robinson – oversee monthly clean-ups; put out signs and supplies for clean ups every month. Contact Robert Seed about bags to pick up. Send an email to Jim Roberts to haul invasives.
Susan Michael Barrett – emeritus; available by email for any help needed

The Adena Brook street reps will continue to inform neighbors who live on their street and pass news to them.

Tina Mohn, Property Manager for the City of Columbus, Recreation and Parks, remains our group’s main contact. She is the person who gives us a permit to work on parkland. Derek will be in contact with Tina. Derek will send you occasional emails, however he and others will post news on the website. Be sure to bookmark it (http://www.adenabrook.org)

Over the last 8 years, we have been guided by informed and devoted mentors. A few mentors are new. Thank you to: Lisa Bowers, Greg Cunningham, Lisa Fosco, Elayna Grody, Tina Mohn, Greg Schneider, Robert Seed, Stephanie Suter, George Zonders. I know they will continue to provide guidance to our volunteerism. All are either registered or will register on our website so that they can post information directly to us related to our mission to conserve Adena Brook and its surrounding woodland.

One of the reasons for the success of our work is that we created principles to guide us. They are listed on our website. As a reminder of who we are and how we work, I’m listing them here.
Principles of Action for Adena Brook Community
We care about Adena Brook and its woodland.
We show our care through action.
We base our actions on accurate information and guidance from professionals.
We are an agent of change through service guided by kindness, cooperation, and persistence.
We rely on creativity, generosity, and commitment.
We treat people with the same care and respect we treat the environment.
We listen to each other.
We follow the energy of “yes.”
We stay together.
We believe in others.
We focus on what is possible.
We keep track of what we do.
We organize as a web of relationships.
We use a trust-based model of relating to one another.
We avoid power struggles and power-over dynamics in relating to others.
We work cooperatively rather than confrontationally with others.
We are patient and persistent with people and processes.
We lead in a way that welcomes others in.
We believe our capacity grows as we widen the circle of inclusion.
We work with our children and grandchildren in mind.

I will take the experience of Adena Brook Community and transform it into something helpful in my new community. Thank you so much.

Susan

Thank you for sending us the two images of the Adena Earthwork (I’ll call it Fort Reserve, using the name given on the Indian Springs plot, or more simply the earthwork). I have superimposed the plots to more accurately place Fort Reserve (see image above). There are slight discrepancies in the two plots, particularly with the location of the unbuilt portion of Yaronia Drive South. Based on these plots, the Ravinia article (Fall 2003/Winter 2004 issue), and some local information, I’d like to make the following comments and observations:

1. The Wynding Drive subdivision (all houses on Wynding Dr) is named The Fort Reserve Subdivision, after the earthwork.

2. The Indian Springs plot shows a proposed street named Wyandotte Drive (between unbuilt Tionda Drive and Yaronia Drive South). Could this be a possible explanation why Wynding Drive is spelled with a ‘y’ — a variation of Wyandotte?

3. The Indian Springs plot shows the earthwork a bit north and slightly east of the colored circle on the GIS plot.

4. From the Ravinia description: The earthwork consisted of a 400 foot diameter circular embankment with a contiguous inner ditch in 1953 the embankment was only 2 feet high and about 17 feet wide. Within the embankment were two mounds.  The first, near the SSE edge of the earthwork was 6 feet high and 60 feet in diameter. The second, near the NNE edge of the earthwork contained a burial site and a circle of post holes about 40 feet in diameter.

5. From my examination of the Ravinia diagram, I believe that the northern mound was about 60 feet in diameter and the southern mound was smaller, about 30 feet in diameter.

6. The superimposed plots show the embankment center located a few feet north of where the driveway of 4017 meets Wynding Drive (I’ll use house numbers to avoid confusion; all addresses are on Wynding Drive).

7. The center of the southern mound is on the SE corner of 3999, about 15 feet from the curb line.

8. The center of the northern mound is in the front yard of 4032, about  6 feet east of the large boulder on the curb.

9. The opening of the earthwork appears to be located in the back yard of 4029 and slightly north to 4039. This concerns me, since the terrain drops off very steeply in this yard 20 to 30 feet into the ravine. I assume that the earthwork would be located entirely on the high ground (on nearly level terrain).  For this reason, I wonder if the true location of the earthwork might be 15 to 30 feet east of the plotted location. This would place the opening on more level ground (near the rear walls of 4029 and 4039).

10. The terrain covered by the earthwork is now extremely level (varying by only a foot or two). Much of the leveling could be recent, resulting from grading during the construction in the mid-1950′s. For example, a mature red oak tree in front of 4029 grows from a 2 foot deep tree well, suggesting that the front yard was raised by that amount.

I am interested in any comments you may have.

Tom Tucker

Amy Dutt just sent this map that shows the location of the Indian Burial Mound on Wynding. 

Many thanks to recent Adena Brook Community donors:

John Kennedy, Ingham

John Russell, Ingham

All donations cover expenses to conserve the woodland in Overbrook Ravine Park and Adena Brook. Here is a little information to let you know what your donation supports: approximately 1,300 neighbor volunteers have worked about 3,000 hours in the last six years. We’ve planted about 2,000 native trees, installed and maintain 62 wildlife nesting boxes, and installed the first city/community rain garden in Clintonville to improve water quality and beautify the landscape. We’ve worked monthly from February through November to pick up over 2000 bags of trash and remove plants invasive to the Adena Brook habitat. To date, we’ve removed approximately 380 tons of invasive plants such as bush honeysuckle and garlic mustard. Removal of invasive plants from the woodland and our yards assures return of the historic seed bank in the woodland. Perhaps you’ve already noticed a recent flourish of spring and fall wildflowers. Professional mentors guide our work. Learn more by clicking the “ABOUT US” tab at the top of this page.

Adena Brook is recognized as a 2002 Friend of FLOW, paid tribute by the Ohio House of Representatives and the Clintonville Area Commission in 2005, listed as a leader in the Keep Columbus Beautiful Adopt-an-Area program since 2002, honored by Clintonville Chamber of Commerce in 2007 as the Booster Volunteers of the Year, and recipient of a prestigious 2008 SWACO Emerald Award for our litter removal efforts and the first collaboratively installed city and community rain garden at High and Overbrook.

These gifts are so much more than donations. They are gifts of environmental care and preservation for us and future generations.

Judy Robinson will share stories about the Adena Brook neighborhood, the work of Adena Brook Community on June 10. Judy grew up on Glenmont and she and her husband now live in her childhood home.

Clintonville Historical Society June Meeting -Tuesday, June 10th – 7:00PM

North Broadway Methodist Church, 48 E.N. Broadway, east of High St.

NOTE: The Booster states that Susan Michael Barrett will also be speaking and sharing a lot of photos. This isn’t true. Judy’s presentation was rescheduled when the meeting in February was cancelled due to a snowstorm.

Sisters Samantha and Molly stopped to chat and look at the rain garden today. They knew what a rain garden was and what it did and said when they were kids they picked up litter with other neighbors.

“We lived on the corner of Indian Springs and Overbrook!” They lived with their Dad, Jack Wilson, at 190 Overbrook years ago.

Samantha now has an organic farm in southeastern Ohio and Molly owns Coyote Trails School of Nature in Bend, Oregon. They talked about the wonder of the Adena Brook neighborhood–the ravine, brook, and the families who live here like Carina and Mark Carter. Molly shared a story about being in Chicago on a travel layover when she met a man who also had lived in Ohio. They chatted as they waited for their flight. When they discovered they had both lived in Clintonville he exclaimed how much he loved the neighborhood and told her a story of a wonderful man who had planted a tree in a friend’s yard when she was struggling with cancer. That man was her Dad! Molly and Samantha said the tree was still there.

Some people who have lived here for decades declare the 2008 spring wildflower show the most spectacular ever. Removal of invasive plants that out-compete native plants is a big part of the reason the park is looking so beautiful. Our mentors visit and say they are awed by our conservation efforts. Elayna Grody often says, “the native plants and wildlife thank you.”

In April and May we removed more than 10,000 pounds of invasive garlic mustard and honeysuckle from the Adena Brook woodland. And we just kicked off the work season! We planted native trees and shrubs along Overbook near the rain garden and Greg Cunningham installed 2 new wood duck boxes. There’s so much more that Adena Brook Community neighbors do to better the neighborhood. To name a few: Have you noticed how well the Cooke Road/Indianola corner is maintained? Thank Adena Brook neighbors Mark and Carina Carter. The Robinsons and Platts pick up litter between clean ups. Judy Robinson inspires others to adopt streets for litter maintenance, and she also initiated invasive removal by Clintonville Woman’s Club members. Ann Almoney and Dominic Julian photograph wildlife so you see first hand the wonder of wildlife in our backyards. Greg Schneider continues to guide our efforts to maintain and add new plants to the rain garden. An education sign will be installed at the Adena Brook Rain Garden site.

It’s time to invite you to support our work. Any donation amount is appreciated. As many of you know, we do not charge dues or offer memberships to belong to Adena Brook Community. Instead we ask for donations from those willing and able to support the specific projects and tasks we decide to do each year. Make your check payable to “Adena Brook Community” and mail it to PO Box 14055, Columbus, OH 43214. Thank you!

Today Adena Brook Community was recognized with a SWACO Emerald Award at their annual luncheon held at the Easton Hilton. Each year SWACO honors an individual, a business, and an organization or community for an Emerald Award. SWACO’s program is the premier recognition event in Central Ohio focusing on waste reduction and environmental stewardship. Robert Seed from Keep Columbus Beautiful nominated Adena Brook Community and the committee awarded our group “for six years of environmental leadership, litter clean-ups, invasive plant removal, native tree planting, and installing the first City/Community rain garden at High and Overbrook.” Neighbors Bill and Nan Platt accepted the award on behalf of all Adena Brook Community volunteers. Keynote speaker Ed Begley, Jr., actor and Los Angeles environmental steward, inspired the group of approximately 1000 attendees with stories about living a green life and operating a green business. Joining Bill and Nan at the event were Georgia and Steve Blum-Herminghausen, Ann Florentine and Derek Hansford, Diana Jung Stacey, Wan Jung, and Susan Michael Barrett. Neighbor Greg Cunningham attended representing The Limited.