For years, the sign greeting visitors has read, ‘Future Home of Leonard Nature Park.?
But that will change on Saturday, June 20 when the first three words are removed as the park celebrates its official grand opening from 10 a.m. until noon. The event will include a scavenger hunt for kids and free wildflowers for all those who attend.
‘It’s not a big piece of property, but it’s a really nice little respite in the Village of Leonard,? said Cheri Arsenault, co-chair of the village’s park and recreation committee. ‘It’s a jewel.?
Purchased by the village in May 1988, the 3.1-acre park is located just south of the Polly Ann Trail on the east side of Forest St. (Rochester Rd.). It was originally a stockyard back in the days when Leonard had a railroad running through it.
With its mixture of wooded and wetland areas it’s a passive park that offers visitors a quiet, peaceful place to take a break from either the trail or their busy lives, contemplate things and appreciate some natural beauty in the form of native plants and wildlife, according to Arsenault.
It’s even got a vernal pool, which, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website, is ‘a valuable and increasingly threatened ecosystem? that provides habitat, food and water for a number of plants and animals.
What’s a vernal pool?
‘Vernal pools are seasonal depressional wetlands that . . . are covered by shallow water for variable periods from winter to spring, but may be completely dry for most of the summer and fall,? the EPA website states. ‘The pools collect water during winter and spring rains, changing in volume in response to varying weather patterns. During a single season, pools may fill and dry several times. In years of drought, some pools may not fill at all.?
Man-made park amenities include a stone hitching post from the 1890s, a number of benches on which to relax and a nature trail lined with woodchips.
?(The trail’s) not big, but it meanders all the way back to the rear of the park,? said Arsenault, who’s lived in Leonard for 25 years and is a Master Gardener.
The plan is to eventually replace the woodchip surface with either crushed stone or asphalt. Both require less maintenance.
Volunteers began ‘working on (the park) in earnest? around 2010. Free labor and donations have been the park’s lifeblood from the beginning and continue to be relied upon for its development.
‘We’ve been working at this a long time,? Arsenault said. ‘We have a long way to go, but in terms of what it looked like before and what it looks like today, it is such an improvement.?
The biggest job was removing the dead ash trees and branches that populated most of the site.
‘We finally have the dead ash mostly cleared out. It’s safe,? Arsenault explained. ‘Before, there were so many loose limbs hanging, it was really kind of precarious . . . It’s starting to look like a park (now) rather than a piece of property with a bunch of dead wood on it.?
But just because the park is having a grand opening doesn’t mean volunteers are done enhancing the site for users.
A scout named Trevor Dean is going to construct an observation deck overlooking the wetland on the park’s north side. He’s doing this as his Eagle Scout service project and it’s supposed to be complete by the fall.
According to Arsenault, the wetland ‘ecompasses quite a large area? and is frequented by a variety of avian species such as red-winged blackbirds and blue herons.
‘Lots of birds hang out there at different times of the year,? she said.
The ‘next big project,? according to Arsenault, will be to construct a small gravel parking area off Forest St. to provide easier access to the park, particularly for handicapped folks. ‘Hopefully, it will be there later this year,? she said.
Another big project is to construct a fence along the two sides of the park that border private property. ‘We want to make sure when folks use the park that they know where the boundaries are,? Arsenault said.
She also wants to see some picnic tables added to the front of the park and some signage providing visitors information about all the native plants and wildflowers in the park.
‘Some of them have medicinal uses. Some of them are just outright gorgeous,? Arsenault said. ‘I think it’s important people know what’s native and what’s not.?
Right now, Leonard’s park and recreation committee has only eight members.
Arsenault would like to see it grow. Being a Leonard resident is not a requirement.
‘We’re always looking for more people that can give up a couple of hours on a Saturday,? she said. ‘We need warm bodies to go out there and woodchip trails.?
Donations are also welcome.
For more information, contact the Village of Leonard at villageofleonard@gmail.com or (248) 628-7380.