Spring Valley Nature Preserve

Spring Valley Nature Preserve is a Nature Reserve located on Columbus Road, Granville, consisting of 45 acres. Before becoming a Nature Preserve, it was a pool that closed and it was offered for sale. For it to become a Nature Preserve it had to undergo a certain governmental process since, For an area to be called a Natural Preserve there needs to be agreement from the land owner, the Natural Resource Commission(a public body appointed by the governor), and the Department of Natural Resources.

With the idea in mind of preserving a prime piece of real state land alongside being a place for enjoyment where adults and youth alike can participate in passive recreation activities such as hiking and bird watching or simply walking around and enjoying nature. With the intention in the beginning for the previous swimming pool bathhouse to become a nature center and re-landscaping the area, the place has become, over the years a place to have picnics under the Sugar Maple trees or the Proposal tree.

History

Since the early 19th century, a locality known by the name of Spring Valley has led to various new discoveries. Discoveries which include but are not limited to Natural history and prehistoric Indian artifacts. It is quite difficult to accurately know the age of the Spring valley, but it is known for sure that it is quite ancient since the beech-maple forest has not been logged since the 1800s.The atmosphere of the forest makes it seem as if human activity has not taken place there for a long time.

Preservation

Spring Valley Pool came about in 1933 when a contractor was tasked with building a community swimming pool. The pool initially had a sand bottom which was eventually replaced with a concrete bottom. It closed down in 2004 almost 70 years after it had first opened. In 2005 the pool land was up for sale, and in 2007 Licking Land Trust bought the land. Which is now managed by Granville Recreation District. To further efforts for preservation purposes, the trails in the park reserve are not paved and biking is also not permitted.

Special feature

A bench or tree in the Spring Valley Natural Reserve can be purchased by anyone in order to support the preservation of the park reserve.

Geology and geography

Spring Valley’s terrain largely consists of two different kinds of landscape. Salt Run is one of the landscapes that exists here. The salt run is made up of glaciers’ soil and stratified rocks. These structures help in shedding light on the Flowerpot hill, the other landscape that exists here. Flowerpot hill is a rather large land formation that is sloped on both sides, made up of sandstone. This probably rounded up around 12,000 years ago. The valley is made up using a variety of permutations and combinations of these landscapes.

Made up of a main trunk and two branches that total to a length of about 3.5 miles. This stream has a lot of strength considering how it single handedly created this valley. Osage orange trees or hedge- apple trees as they are often called, line the area. Some of them are over 150 years old. There are signs of mounds and earthworks being built here, but many have been lost. Although, many more such earthworks exist but are waiting to be uncovered.

Current situation

Making an outdoor pool again

The Columbus Dispatch conducted a poll in 2012 asking people in Granville if they felt the need for an aquatic center. Fifty-two percent of the 1200 polled supported the idea. The district has been looking at public interest for the past two years deciding whether or not to build a swimming center. The results of the poll show that the community is in favor of making an outdoor pool again after the shut down of the Spring Valley Pool in 2004.

Concerns

While the feedback from the community might be in support of an outdoor pool, there are still present concerns that act as an obstacle to building one. The location in which it would be built is the main one. Officials are still looking for a suitable area to construct the aquatic center.

Activities and amenities

Spring Valley Nature Preserve has a passive recreation system for people to enjoy during their visits. A passive recreation system means it supports activities that have minimum impact on the environment. This type of recreation has the intention to support all the natural resources of the place, promoting activities such as hiking in nature trails, bird watching, and passing a Frisbee.

Spring Valley Natural Preserve has two major trails one being, Spring Valley Extended Loop which includes attractions along the way and connects to the other trails — Flower Pot, Song Bird Valley, Sugar Maple, and Roberts Ridge Trails —-each trail has its own attraction. Song Bird is known for its steep and wind flow as you hike your way up. Flower Pot trail is a more easy-to-walk trial with some downed trees along the way. Robert’s Ridge is one of the main trails to follow because it connects with the rest of the trails. Recognizing this trail is easy since it starts near a private tennis court then connects with most of all the trails and finally leads downhill at the end of the hike.

There are 12 amenities found in Spring Valley Nature Preserve most in different elevations, but all abundant in shade trails. These include a Shelter House with the capacity to host 60 people (including a fireplace (with its precautions) electricity, and a picnic table around it) and portable restrooms. Some of the restrictions include pets only being allowed if they are leashed throughout the trip and alcohol only being permitted within private events according to the GRD Alcohol Policy.