Nature in spotlight year round at Norma Johnson Center

Nature is in the spotlight year round at Norma Johnson Center, and it also will be highlighted at its annual recognition dinner and silent auction fundraiser on Feb. 27 at 5:30 p.m. at the Union Hill Methodist Church in Sugarcreek.

Winners for the annual essay contest will be announced, and the Golden Oak Award winner will be honored, along with Eagle Scouts who have completed projects at the center.

“The question for the essay contest this year is 'Nature is all around us,'” said Marsha Freeland, director of the Norma Johnson Center, which is located 3 miles west of Dover on Route 39.

Entrants of the contest are encouraged to pick a sense and describe an outdoor experience with it. “This can be from your point of view or a plant or animal’s point of view. We picked this theme because we love to hear the creative essays that are written by those who enter the contest,” Freeland said.

The essay contest each year is open to children in kindergarten through eighth grade and will be judged in age groups of k-2, 3-5 and 6-8. Drawings also are accepted in each age group. In the drawing the theme must be represented in the artwork.

The top-two winners of each category will read their essay at the event and receive a T-shirt and goodie bag.

Tickets for the event are $15 each for guests age 13 and older and $10 each for guests age 5-12. Guests age zero to 4 are free. The menu includes salad, baked chicken, ham balls, cheesy potatoes, peas and carrots, and dessert.

Tickets can be purchased by calling the office at 330-339-7976 to reserve a spot. Payment may be made in person at the office or by mail to the Norma Johnson Center, 85 E. Iron Ave., Dover, OH 44622.

After event costs are covered, the money raised will go toward the Accessible Trail project. “We have been working on it in stages,” Freeland said. “We are working on raising the money for the Accessible Trail on the Conservation Side at the moment.”

Freeland is grateful for the help of Nathan Ruggeri and Casey Rowland, who have both worked on the Accessible Trail as part of their Eagle Scout projects. “It’s moving along nicely,” Freeland said. “We now have the fishing deck on the Conservation Pond and a boardwalk over the spillway to get to the fishing deck.”

The fishing ponds are popular with families who enjoy catch-and-release fishing. The trails throughout the grounds provide for enjoyable hiking through wooded and open fields, hills, meadows and scenic vistas. Freeland credits the NJC groundskeeper, Kris Kahler, and the seasonal staff and volunteers for doing an amazing job at keeping the trails and grounds inviting.

The mission for the NJC has not changed over the years. “It is to promote conservation and preservation of natural resources through education, community outreach and personal experience,” Freeland said, adding that the focus of the organization's board is to provide funding for education-based activities and now helps provide funding through the nonprofit for projects that benefit NJC as a whole.

“Through programs and events, we work with more than 12,000 students and community members,” Freeland said. “We do not know how many community members used the center through the year. We are hoping to get some trail counters to help us, but our staff has noticed that during the evenings and on the weekends, the parking lots are either full or at least have a few cars in them.”

For 2020 the NJC staff and volunteers will continue to work on the Accessible Trail at the Conservation Pond and will start looking at connecting the Preservation Pond and the Conservation Pond.

The plan is to use material that will give visitors a more stable trail base for which to push strollers and wheelchairs. “Board member Het Sabo is also working on a bird-observation area that will benefit all who visit the center,” Freeland said.

Upcoming fundraisers for the center include the Chicken BBQ on May 9 and the Spring Plant Sale. Tickets for the Chicken BBQ and the spring plants available are now online for ordering. Plant pickup is the same day as the barbecue.

Visit the newly updated NJC website at www.normajohnsoncenter.com for more information. Donations and memberships can be made through the website.

Union Hill Methodist Church is located at 7877 Union Hill Road NW near Sugarcreek.