Guests enjoy a day with nature at Creekside

 

[October 28, 2021] 

It was a fun and exciting day this past Saturday at the Dr. G. Dennis Campbell Creekside Outdoor Center for Environmental Education. The community came out to explore and learn more about nature and life in the days of old.

The outdoor education center is a large expanse of land owned by Lincoln College. Its grounds have been carefully adapted to accommodate visitors while preserving nature and the history that comes with it.

The facility offers students of the college the opportunity to study the environmental sciences in real life rather than from books and slides. It also offers visitors a means of enjoying the outdoors, exploring nature, and also absorbing some of our history from today backward to pre-historic days when mastodons roamed the wild in Logan County.

The insectarium, sponsored by the Lincoln Rotary Club, features native plants conducive of drawing a wide variety of insects and butterflies with an emphasis on regenerating the monarch butterfly population.

On Saturday, Creekside hosted a fall festival that included attractions for the nature lover paired with fun activities and of course, food.

The park like area that is the introduction to the facility was scattered with vendors and activities for people to enjoy as they arrived. The bon fire area was lit with wood gently emitting heat that felt pretty good on a cloudy somewhat chilly day.

In the Insectarium there was something new this year, a nature themed art show featuring works from local artists, and Master Naturalist Pamela Moriearty and Nichole Kinney. In addition to being a very talented artist, Kinney is also a student in the Environmental Sciences at Lincoln College. Works from both artists featured images that showed the elements of nature or the wildlife that dwells therein.



Walking in the door of the insectarium there were four paintings by Moriearty depicting the four seasons of Creekside reflected in scenes from different parts of the facility. Guests were immediately challenged to view the paintings and then as they toured Creekside, find the location where the painting had been done.

Following the concrete path that winds through the insectarium, guests were able to view more amazing works by the two artists.

Leaving the insectarium and traveling the concrete walkway toward the pavilion, Lincoln College had a table set up sharing information about the college, and free gifts.





Artist Trish Proud had a tent with art for sale and further on into the lawn Kinney also had art for sale.

In the pavilion there was a gourd painting activity, along with displays by the Rock Lady, Mandy Cordray; and another by her sister Marcia Cook, offering information about the Moksha Center.

On the lawn was the Traveling Top Hat, Heart and Soul Catering, and Lincoln College. All three were offering warm foods from warm apple crisp with vanilla ice cream or warm cider at Top Hat, to Pizza Rolls and cinnamon rolls at Heart and Soul, to dogs and brats by Lincoln College.

The Lincoln Park District had an area designated for games and sharing information about the park district.

Then it was time to head back to the woodland by way of a boardwalk made by the Lincoln Rotary.

Along the way, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service representatives spoke about pollinators and growing gardens for them, They offered some entertaining and educational games for kids, and gave out what they called “seed poops” that were made of mud with various seeds incorporated within. The mud was shaped into balls and allowed to dry. Visitors were encouraged to take a ball home to plant it and see what happens.

At the edge of the tree line stood the Pete Fredericks Log Cabin. There the Abraham Lincoln Railsplitting Association was set up doing demonstrations of work that would have been performed in the days of the early settlers in Logan County. There was wood splitting, cooking and also some fun with hatchets.





In this area there is also a simulation of an archaeological dig. This particular set up was “seeded” with items that might have been found under the earth over the passage of time. True to life, the items found in the dig site are not all pre-historic. As time goes by, the soil of the earth move and re-deposit through wind and rain. Therefore in a real dig, one might first find things that are less than 50 or 75 years old. Then the deeper one digs, older items may be found.

From the cabin, guests have the option to stay on the boardwalk that winds around the edge of the tree line, or they can be more adventurous and follow one of the many grassy but well-marked trails through the wood.

While the dirt and grass paths bring one closer to nature, the boardwalk offers more history of the area and explanations of the changes of the land over time, particularly the erosion patterns of the Sugar Creek that skirt the property.

The final reward of traveling the boardwalk is the birds-eye-view of Sugar Creek from the Wibben Lookout. Walkers can take in the tranquility of the water before heading forward or heading back to the pavilion area.



The boardwalk ends at the lookout, but there is a well-built though very steep set of wood steps that will lead guests down to the water’s edge for closer examination.

For the trip back, there are many natural sights to take in. Along the way on this particular day there were deep purple berries to see, walnuts on the trees and on the ground, and gigantic white puffballs the likes that few have ever seen.

In addition, as one follows the boardwalk, they should pay attention to the small brass plaques tacked to the sideboards of the walk.

Depending on which way they are walking as they read them guests are taken back in time with the little plaques noting historical moments locally and nationally. The plaques also talk of the evolution of the community from pre-historic days to modern times. There are also much larger information stations along the boardwalk that again show the passing of time and record important events in our history.

Although Saturday was a special day with many extra activities, Creekside is open year round and visitors can come out and explore nature on their own at a time of their choosing.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS: Creekside is located along Sugar Creek, about five miles north of Lincoln at 1234 County Road 2000N. Directions: From I-55 take exit 133 toward Lincoln. Turn left onto North Lincoln Parkway and travel three miles. Turn right on 1250th Ave. (Nicholson Road) and travel 3.1 miles (passing over I-55, past the Epperson Subdivision and over Kickapoo Creek) Turn left on 2000th St. (the second left after Kickapoo Creek) and travel about half a mile. Turn right onto the gravel road marked Small-Edwards Trace that leads to Creekside.

[Nila Smith]