All posts by RavineFriend

Wildflowers, Wildlife Habitat

2019 Annual Plant Walk

When:  April 28, 2019, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Where:  New Parkland Shafer Park north of St Rt 161 in Little Turtle

Meeting site: Shafer Park, 5220 Cambria Way, Westerville

Be among the first to explore this new MetroPark acquisition using Clean Ohio Conservation Funding. The parkland is a ravine system located east and along Big Walnut Creek, and north of Blendon Woods Metro Park. More details will be posted on Friends of the Ravines website and Facebook page.

Please note: Shafer Park is a primitive setting with no running water or restroom facilities. Please bring a reusable bottle to stay hydrated.

Plant Walk Guides: Metro ParksAssistant Resource Manager Carrie Morrow and Forest Ecologist Andrew Boose.

Wear comfortable shoes. This is a rain or shine event. FOR T-shirts will be on sale for $25.

Snow Trillium
Art Contest, Columbus Ravine, In the News

Winners of the 2017 Ravine Art Contest

The Award Ceremony for the Sixth Ravine Art Contest was held on February 24, amid a mix of teachers, student artists and their families. Nearly 90 works were on display at the Northwood ARTSpace; the largest number of entries in Ravine Art Contest history. Among the entries were painted landscapes, wildlife prints, photography, haiku poetry and plenty of owls. The contest for K-12 students in Franklin County has been successful for us in spreading our message of ravine protection and restoration. Some art entries have focused on common ravine problems such as litter, invasive species, and dwindling habitat.

The variety and creativity of Contest entries continues to impress audiences during each annual gallery exhibit. Each year, students submit artwork that captures a melding of nature and science with art. Some students from the Columbus Gifted Academy submitted wonderful bird mono-prints, some adorned with spectrograms (a visual scientific notation) for the vocalization of specific bird species. At first glance, these spectrograms are reminiscent of the reddish ownership stamps commonly seen on Japanese prints. In a collaboration with the Grange Insurance Audubon Center, students selected a bird species and learned about their habits and habitat, then created artworks that were submitted to the Contest.

This mono-print of a screech owl entitled Glowing Night Eyes is by sixth grader Lucia Dipaola of Columbus Gifted Academy. His favorite ravine is at Hayden Run.

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Many people contributed to make the contest a success. Many thanks to Linda and Eric Burden for being key donors underwriting school prizes and exhibition expenses. This year, our panel of judges included Amy Youngs, an environmental artist and assistant professor in OSU’s Department of Art, and Maria Juranko of the Wexner Center of the Arts. These jurors volunteered their expertise in selecting winners from each grade category.

A number of organizations supported the contest by donating items to include in student prize packages including Blick Art Materials, REI, Sierra Club Central Ohio Chapter, Columbus GreenSpot and Half Price Books. Still others volunteered their time and labor to help install the exhibit, print student certificates (Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission) and close out the gallery exhibit and returning the artwork to student artists. Thanks to all of these individuals and organizations for supporting the Ravine Art Contest.

Friends of the Ravines was proud to award student and the corresponding school prizes for the following categories:

Visual Art Grades K-2 – Lilly Sagraves, a kindergartner from Georgian Heights Alternative Elementary for her bird collage

Visual Art Grades 3-5 – Fifth grader Alayiah Taylor-Mitchell, from Westgate Elementary School for her decorative squirrel with an acorn

Poetry Grades 3-5 – Fifth grader Jesse Imler, from Georgian Heights Alternative Elementary School for her illustrated haiku entitled Winding Hallow

Visual Art Grades 6-8 – Sixth grader Nora Hagen of Indianola Informal K8 School for her landscape created with watercolor and gel pen entitled Ravine Dream. Her favorite ravine is Walhalla Ravine.

Visual Art Grades 9-12 – Ninth grader Eduardo Varona attends Independence High School. His entry, River, was created with pencil and employed blending and shadowing favored by judges.

 

At the Award Ceremony, student artist Hunter Johnson, of Columbus Gifted Academy provided a detailed account of the brush work and blending he used to create his landscape painting of a waterfall entitled “Snowy Night.” According to his entry form, he was “inspired by Bob Ross by his working with the flow and the happy little trees.” Hunter is in fifth grade and his favorite ravine is Glen Echo Ravine.

Art Contest, Columbus Ravine

2017 Ravine Art Contest

Friends of the Ravines is proud to announce our 6th Ravine Art Contest: Artwork Inspired by Franklin County Ravines,” a contest for students in Franklin County Ohio. Entries of poetry and 2D art will be accepted for four grade categories including elementary (K-2) and (grades 3-5), middle school (grades 6-8), and high school (grades 9-12). All entrants, friends, families and teachers are invited to attend an Award Ceremony at the Northwood ARTSpace, 2231 N. High Street, on February 24, 2017. Prizes will be awarded to first-place winners in each grade category. Winning works and selected entries will be publicly exhibited at the Northwood ARTSpace during February and March 2017.

Visual Arts Grades 6-8; Artist Olabisi; Columbus Gifted Academy; Teacher - Michelle Alder

Olabisi Peters, Columbus Gifted Academy, grade 8

Ravine Art Contest Deadline is January 20, 2017
Enter Today! Download entry form here

Contest Rules

  • The Ravine Art Contest is open to all Franklin County students in grades K-12. Public and private school students, latchkey participants and home schoolers are encouraged to enter.
  • A completed entry form must accompany all submissions. Entry forms are downloadable here.
  • Entries must be original, flat works of art or poetry. No electronic reproductions, tracings, or copies will be accepted. Entries must be submitted flat or rolled, not folded.
  • One contest entry per student.
  • Subject matter of each entry must be an original artwork related to Franklin County Ravines. What is a ravine habitat? What kinds of animals live there? What trees and shrubs grow there? Is there a stream and aquatic life? Are there insects or birds? How do ravines make you feel?
  • Maximum size of 2D artwork should be 18” X 24”, not including matting. Entries in all grade categories must be matted or mounted (floated) and ready to display. DO NOT FRAME ARTWORK.
  • Poetry Guidelines: Any form of poetry will be accepted up to 500 words. Student poets may use photographs posted on Friends of the Ravines website for inspiration or find their own form of inspiration.
  • Poetry entries and entry forms may be submitted electronically in jpeg, doc, or pdf format. Send to FriendsOfTheRavines@gmail.com. Put Ravine Art Contest in the subject line.
  • Entries may be submitted by U.S. Mail to Friends of the Ravines, P.O. Box 82021, Columbus, Ohio 43202.
  • Entries can be delivered in person to the Indianola Informal K-8 School at 251 East Weber Road, Columbus, OH 43202. Please call the school at (614) 365-5579 for hours. To make alternate arrangements to submit entries, contact the Contest Coordinator at (614) 447-1650 before the deadline.
  • All non-electronic entries must include an entry form securely affixed to the back. Teachers/Sponsors of contest winners will be notified by e-mail and/or phone at the contact information provided on the entry form by February 17, 2017. Incomplete entry forms may be disqualified.
  • Entries must be submitted or postmarked by January 20, 2017.
  • By entering, the artist gives Friends of the Ravines and contest sponsors permission to use their artwork or poetry in a public art exhibit, on their website or communications and in the Friends of the Ravines’ newsletter, Ravinia. All artwork remains the property of the artist.
  • Friends of the Ravines will take great care of all entries; however FOR is not responsible for events that may cause damage to the entries.

Contest Judging
Entries will be judged by artists and/or former teachers from the central Ohio area. The judges will evaluate technical ability and creativity as it relates to the “Artwork Inspired by Franklin County Ravines” theme. Depictions of ravines must have appropriate ravine inspiration, and be tastefully rendered. Friends of the Ravines reserves the right within their complete discretion to disqualify any entries that may be deemed unsuitable for public display.

Optional: Contestants may choose to attach a brief statement (50 words max.) about their medium, subject, interpretation, favorite ravine, or any other information they feel is relevant to judging.

Contest Awards

  • Teachers/Sponsors will be notified by February 17, 2017.
  • Prizes will be awarded in the form of gifts or certificates from a local art supply, book store, or local merchant depending on the nature of the entry. Prizes will be awarded to winners in the following groups: grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.
  • School sponsors of the winners will receive a school specialty gift certificate or check for sponsors to use in purchasing classroom supplies. The amount and number of school prizes will depend on the entries and level of funding available. At least three school prizes will be awarded. School prizes will not be awarded to individuals.

Public Art Exhibition

  • All winning entries will be on display at the Northwood ARTSpace, 2231 N. High Street, Room 100 from February 18 through March 17, 2017.
  • A reception for all entrants, friends, families and teachers will be held on Friday February 24, 2017 at 7:00 PM.
  • Winners are not required to be present to win.

Return of Artwork

Artwork may be picked up at the Indianola Informal K-8 School after March 31, 2017. Teachers or parents may submit a stamped and self-addressed envelope for the return of entries. Friends of the Ravines is not responsible for artwork not picked by May 2, 2017. Please call the Indianola Informal K-8 School at 251 E. Weber Rd. for hours at (614) 365-5579.

The 2017 Ravine Art Contest is made possible through the generosity of individual donors.

Uncategorized

What’s Up, Butternut?

By Alice Waldhauer

Image by Valerie Zinger via Flickr Creative Commons
Image by Valerie Zinger via Flickr Creative Commons

Late in 2009, the City of Columbus planted 18 butternut (white walnut) saplings within and near Glen Echo Park as part of restoration efforts following sewer line work known as the Beulah Trunk Line Rehabilitation. The City planted many other trees too, but the butternut planting caught my attention because of the threatened status of that species, Juglans cinerea. The butternut tree was the subject of an article in Ravinia in the Fall 2010/Winter 2011 issue of our newsletter. Preparation of that article led me to contact Dr. Dale Bergdahl, then of the University of Vermont as he studied butternut trees, and problems associated with a devastating canker that has decimated over 80% of the population of butternut trees.

Since that time, I have been monitoring the butternut trees; periodically checking on them to see how they are faring in Glen Echo Ravine. As of 2015, each of the butternut trees within Glen Echo Park have succumbed to the vagaries of city living; either mowed down with turf grass or washed out during stormwater that surges through the Park with some regularity. But one of the butternut trees continues to thrive on private property east of the Park in a short segment of Glen Echo Ravine located between Silver Drive and the railroad tracks.

There have been some threats to the survival of this particular tree since 2009. In April 2013, I drove by the site on my way to deliver a few morel mushrooms to a friend near Glen Echo Ravine and noticed a water-line break just above the planting spot. This was a big break, with enough force to lift a manhole cover off of its mooring, and water gushed into an adjacent catch basin and also directly down the steep ravine slope. By the next morning, heavy equipment was mobilized to the site for repairs. Fortunately, the excavation barely missed the root system of this butternut tree, but it wasn’t known whether fill material used to cover the excavation area would bury the tree alive as it eroded and slumped down the ravine slope.

This sole remaining butternut tree is nearly tall enough to be seen from the freeway. During my last visit in September 2015, the tree was about 15 feet tall and foliage on spreading branches was green and vibrant due to a cool and wet summer. It may be another decade before the tree is old enough to bear nuts, and I hope to be there to sample some.

Columbus Ravine, FOR Board, Glen Echo, Thanks

Thank You, ComFest!

Since the rain closed the stage at ComFest, and Alice didn’t get to tell the crowd what the generous ComFest grant money does for Friends of the Ravines, we decided to make a little video to thank ComFest. Here, Alice Waldhauer thanks ComFest and explains that their grant money supports the continued publication of our newsletter, Ravinia.

Fundraising, In the News, Thanks

FOR at ComFest

CF-LOGO-web

See Alice Waldhauer speak about FOR’s mission and role in the community as part of the ComFest Awards Ceremony at 3:20PM on Saturday, June 27th at ComFest in Goodale Park. The ceremony takes place at the Bozo Main Stage. FOR is a proud recipient of a ComFest grant, and is happy to speak to the ComFest crowd about ravine stewardship in Central Ohio.

Fundraising, In the News, Thanks

Thanks for Liking Friends of the Ravines!

With your support, we were successful in landing a coveted position in the Lucky’s Market Bags for Change Program. Under this program, local non-profit organizations are selected by a Facebook vote every three months for the chance of a generous donation by Lucky’s Market. At the Market checkout, customers that bring a re-usable grocery bag are presented with a wooden dime token that they can place into one of three bins near the store exit. Each dime token represents a ten-cent donation to the selected non-profit. The bins for each non-profit are in place for three months, and we are hoping that tokens will pile up fast. Lucky’s Market plans to sweeten the pot too, by matching the token donations at the end of the three month period – Sweet!

bags for change

Last week, Facebook voting began and ended, and votes for Friends of the Ravines were initially slow to come. We asked for votes, and our supporters turned out in force. By the end of voting on Sunday, Friends of the Ravines brought in the most votes of the 5 selected groups. Thanks for liking us on Facebook, and we hope that Lucky’s customers will like us too!

 

FOR Board, Fundraising

New Projects in the Works for FOR

Greetings from the FOR Board Retreat!

FOR Board Retreat Collage

On Saturday, June 20th, all active members of the FOR board met at the Battelle Darby Creek Nature Center to brainstorm ideas for the next few years. With the help of the incomparable Kim Stanz, the board developed new ideas for ravine stewardship, fundraising, and membership rewards. Keep an eye out for news about the following projects over the next few months:

  • New & Improved Membership Benefits
  • A Revised Website with Updated Content
  • Calls to Action for Ravine & Neighborhood Advocacy
  • Increased Fundraising Efforts – and Opportunities to Give
  • Volunteer Opportunities
  • Exciting New Community Partnerships
  • Compact & Accessible Stewardship Information
  • A Map of Central Ohio Ravines

In the meantime, “Like” us on Facebook or contact us at friendsoftheravines (at) gmail (dot) com to learn more. You can also pick up a current issue of Ravinia at the Whetstone Library, Lucky’s Market, Weiland’s Market, and other Central Ohio locations.

In the News, Thanks

FOR Honored by Columbus Landmarks Foundation with Henry Hunker Urban Legacy Award

FOR Board Members Sherrill Massey (L) and Martha Buckalew (R) with Columbus Landmarks’ Executive Director, Ed Lentz.

Board members Sherrill Massey and Martha Buckalew attended the 2015 Annual Meeting & Preservation Awards ceremony to receive the Henry Hunker Urban Legacy Award from Columbus Landmarks Foundation. The Henry Hunker Urban Legacy Award was presented to Friends of the Ravines “for their work to protect, preserve and restore the Ravines of Columbus.”

Henry Louis Hunker (1924 – 2009) was a distinguished geographer, educator, and writer whose reputation and contributions to Ohio, especially Columbus, attracted many to his classes at The Ohio State University. Henry was a leader in the Association of American Geographers (AAG) and a founding member of the Columbus Landmarks Foundation.   His book, Columbus, Ohio: A Personal Geography, vividly expresses his commitment to and understanding of the value of historic preservation.