Neff Carriage House repairs

When: Feburary, 2009
Who: Contractor Tom Noftle and crew

The Neff Carriage House is the oldest remaining building in Glen Helen. Constructed in the early 1840s to serve as a recreation facility for guests staying at the Neff Hotel, the structure has weathered the years remarkably well. Workers repaired holes in the roof, patched wide open windows, and generally tighted up the structure to ensure that it keeps standing.

Bridge Restoration

When: May, 2008
Who: Eagle Scout candidate Eamon Papania and his crew
Where: Yellow Springs Creek, downstream from the old dam

This heavily travelled bridge across the Yellow Springs Creek was starting to fail. One of its two support beams had been damaged by flooding and by age. To earn his Eagle Scout badge, Eamon Papania coordinated the repair of this important stream crossing. Thanks Eamon!

The scouts needed to haul a new support beam through the Glen to the bridge site.	They pried out the old rotton support beam, and inserted the new one.	The group poses on the newly rebuilt bridge.

Fence Removal

When: November, 2005
Who: Eagle Scout candidate Larry Forshaw and his crew
Where: South Glen

At one time, many areas of Glen Helen were used for agriculture. Some of the old fences remain -- rusting away, and creating a hazard for visitors and widllife. For his Eagle Scout project, Larry Forshaw mobilized a group to remove fencing from an area, completing an important step in the restoring the Glen.

This rusty old fence remained in the Glen from its agricultural days	The scouts cut the fence into sections...	and hauled it away.

Controlled Prairie Burn

When: October, 2008
Who: Miami Township Fire Department, photos by Alice McKinney
Where: Grinnell Road Prairie, just west of the covered bridge

Prairies require periodic burns to release nutrients, and control the growth of woody plants. The Grinnell Road prairie was planted in 2005 and ready to be burned. This burn, scheduled in the fall after both flowering season for plants and nesting season for birds, was designed to encourage the spread of prairie wildflowers.

The fire department starts the burn at the west edge of the prairie.	The public was able to watch -- from a safe distance.	Fire Chief Colin Altman worked to keep the fire from spreading outside the prairie.

Wetland Restoration
When: October, 2007
Who: Glen Staff and volunteers, with excavation by Bob McClain and funding from the US Fish and Wildlife Service
Where: South Glen, north of the wellfield for the Village of Yellow Springs

Early settlers to Glen Helen started farms in the flat areas. However, abundant springs made the land hard to farm. To dry out one field in the South Glen, settlers created a high berm to keep spring water in a channel, away from their fields. This year, we breached this berm, allowing spring water to reflood the field. We should start to see changes over the next few months. Slowly, the wetland will grow healthy and diverse again.

Painting Clayton House

When: August, 2007
Who: Community volunteers
Where: North Glen, along State Route 343

Clayton House, one of three interns houses at the Outdoor Education Center, received a welcome facelift by a team of volunteers. In a 70 hour blitz, two bedrooms, the living room, kitchen, and two hallways were given a fresh coat of paint. Glen Helen naturalists work hard when they're on the trail with schoolchildren. Now they can come home to a cleaner, brighter home.

Before	During	After
It had been years since the kitchen was painted.	Volunteers spent hours patching walls, priming, and painting.	With its new coat of paint, the kitchen is one of four rooms that is now cleaner, brighter, and more comfortable.

Replacing the old truck

When: December, 2007
Who: Made possible by a cadre of Glen Helen supporters

With a 1000-acre preserve to maintain, a heavy-duty truck is vitally important for maintaining our facilities. A truck is a necessity for plowing the roads in the winter to keep them free of snow and safe for our school groups and visitors, using the winch to move downed trees, and hauling everything from mowing equipment to gravel to owl food. Our old truck lasted for 22 years, but finally needed to be replaced.

Before	After
The old truck served us well, but was no longer safe to drive.	The new truck, outfitted with a heavy-duty plow, will allow us to keep our drive safe for years to come.

Honeysuckle removal

When: October 24, 2006
Who: Antioch College class, under supervision of Botany professor Tom Ayrsman
Where: North Glen, along Corry St., near the Fire Station

Dr. Ayrsman's class has made several trips into the preserve this semester to pull invasive honeysuckle.  Armed with our heavy-duty "Weed Wrenches," they have been able to topple trees -- some of which are over 15 feet in height -- and pull them out by their roots.  Their efforts will make a lasting imact on the ecology of the preserve.

Before	After	The Honeysuckle Graveyard
The only thing growing in the understory is invasive honeysuckle	The landscape has been cleared. As soon as next spring, wildlowers will start to return.	Students created a massive pile of downed honeysuckle which we used to close a highly eroded trail.

Trail Restoration

When: October 21, 2006
Who: Land Manager George Bieri, along with volunteers and a crew of workers from Springfield-based Habitat Creations.
Where: Inman trail along Birch Creek, just upstream from the stepping stones.

Many people consider the section of the Inman trail between the stepping stones and the cascades to be one of the most beautiful and ecologically-sensitive parts of Glen Helen.  In two long days, they constructed over 30 steps, and stabilized a section of trail in danger of tumbling into the creek below.

Before	After	The Crew
This scenic stretch of trail along Birch Creek was both highly eroded and increasingly unsafe.	The trail crew placed a series of stone steps -- some of which were huge and HEAVY!	To complete the project, workers needed to bring a small cement mixer deep into the preserve. It came and went without a trace.