Blue Grosbeak, Photo by Austin Langdon, new sighting in MEPBig Blue Stem GrassMEP is certified as a Wildlife Habitat (Thanks Bob Henn)Black SwallowtailPeggy Logue points to new sign of MEP birds in Wildlife Blind

The Season is Bright at Miller Ecological Park

Located within walking distance of three Lebanon City Schools and along the City's bike path, the opportunities and benefits of developing The Will and Harriet Miller Park as an ecological park for passive recreational activities have inspired City administrators and planners, area school personnel, local businesses, service organizations, neighbors, and the Miller Family descendants to join together to make the idea become a reality.   To see picture titles, place your cursor on the picture. To view a map of the park: Click Here

 

OKTOBERFEST IS OCTOBER 10!  VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED.  Click here to sign up. 

Bird Monitoring with Austin Langdon:  https://ebird.org/hotspot/L8275690

CONTACT Casey Burdick to learn about  volunteer opportunities.  Casey is the City of Lebanon Recreation and Natural Resources Coordinator. 513-228-3104; cburdick@lebanonohio.gov

 

New Memorial Marker at Shawn Steinke Memorial Labyrinth

STEINKE MEMORIAL LABYRINTH ENGRAVING

Miller Ecological Park has a wonderful spiritual Labyrinth. After a number of years..."Finally!!! The Shawn Steinke Memorial Labyrinth has it’s entrance marker!" 

The labyrinth path is a nautilus, spiral shape with plantings and a bench in the center.  A sign at the beginning of the Labyrinth explains to those approaching how to walk the labyrinth for healing, mindfulness, and peace.

Peggy Logue, one of the original committee members to plan and develop the Labyrinth invites all to : "Go see it and walk the labyrinth. It misses you!" Peggy.   For more information, click here

Bricks will line to entry way feature.

UPDATE: ENGRAVED BRICK FUNDRAISER

Miller Ecological Park Trustees and Steering Committee are organizing an engraved paver fund-raising project to help fund a restroom/shelter/storage building for the entrance of MEP. The committees are offering the engraved Pavers for $100 donations ($75 if donated in 2020). 300 pavers are planned to line both sides of the stone walk from the parking lot to the entry way feature. (4x8 Paver; 3 lines of text; 14 characters per line) The first run of orders is currently being engraved and will be placed soon.  We are currently taking orders for the second run. For an order form:
Austin Langdon, MEP's Own Birding Expert

FOCUS ON OUR VOLUNTEERS: AUSTIN LANGDON

Austin Langdon, a Lebanon birder, first came to a Miller Ecological Park Steering Committee Meeting in April 2019.  Since then, he has added so much of his birding knowledge, enthusiasm and ideas to the group and to the park. He has led a number of birding walks, put MEP on ebirder and listing species identified, participated in the Backyard Bird Count at MEP, assisted Carol Carraway with getting bird feeders filled, and more.
Austin's most recent addition was adding a Bird Idenfication Poster to MEP that he and his friends put together.  It is now posted in the Bird Blind.  Click here for a photo.
Jerusalem Artichoke

Wildflowers in MEP: Tenth in a Series: Jerusalem Artichoke

Bob Henn brought a Jerusalem Artichoke to the Miller Ecological Steering Committee's Zoom meeting on September 14.  During his "Make Us Naturalists" presentation, he gave an informative and entertaining presentation on this wildflower which is in the Aster family. It is found along country roads and wet ditches and is a big yellow plant 6-8 feet tall.  The roots are edible, much like a potato.  Sacajawea fed them to Lewis and Clark on their journey.  Settlers boiled the flower buds of the edible Sunflowers and ate them with butter as they did artichokes.

You can find a few Jerusalem Artichokes in MEP in the Prairie Loop at East End.

other wildflowers in the series: Click here

 

Blackpoll Warbler

Blackpoll Warler

A New Species Record for Miller Ecological Park!

by Austin Langdon

Warbler migration is in full swing! Added 7 new species to Miller Ecological Park’s bird inventory this morning while hiking. Interested in learning bird identification? Consider downloading “Merlin Bird ID” (free) to your smartphone.
New species for MEP : Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Nashville Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Cape May Warbler, and Blackpoll Warbler (pictured)
Check out  https://ebird.org/hotspot/L8275690 for the 118 species that Austin has recorded.  Some have photos and other information