by Erick Wikum

I am no arbiter of who can and cannot use the Little Miami Scenic Trail, but this fall, I have literally had to kick hundreds of nuts off the trail. These nuts were up to no good and acting so unsafely! They have been known to cause walkers and runners to stumble and to roll their ankles and have even caused cyclists to tumble to the ground. Each fall, so many nuts drop onto the trail uninvited. What’s a responsible trail user to do? I invite you to join me in my crusade to rid the trail of such nuts. I recently encountered some nuts that managed to escape, but I was able to snap a photo. Be on the lookout and if you see one of these nuts, don’t hesitate to kick it off the trail.

The husks shown in the picture are from a black walnut tree.

• The black walnut tree (Juglans nigra) is one of North America’s most valuable and beautiful native trees.
• The easily worked, close-grained wood of the black walnut has long been prized by furniture- and cabinetmakers for its attractive color and exceptional durability.
• The black walnut’s roots, which may extend 50 feet or more from the trunk, exude a natural herbicide known as juglone. This substance is also found in the tree’s leaves and fruit husks. Juglone inhibits many plants’ growth under and around the tree, thereby limiting the tree’s competition, leaving more water and nutrients for itself.
• The fruit of the black walnut tree drops in late summer through October. The size of a baseball and colored lime green, the fruit is quite heavy (and resistant to our fall trail leaf blowing operations).
• The “meat” inside the outer shell is edible. To harvest, collect the nuts as soon as possible to avoid mold and remove the husks immediately. Wear gloves as the husks stain your hands (and anything they touch). If the nut is too hard, wait a few days and it will brown and soften up. To remove the husk, you can simply step on them gently with an old pair of shoes. Hose down the nuts in a large bucket to remove any remaining husk. Dry the walnuts for a couple of weeks on a screen or drying rack or in a hanging mesh bag. You can store them unshelled for up to a year.

Source: https://www.almanac.com/black-walnut-trees

Nov. 2023

by Phil Obermiller

Access to a flowing river, flat farmland, and the Little Miami Railroad convinced the Ohio militia to establish Camp Dennison in southern Ohio. Named for the then governor of Ohio, it was a Civil War recruitment and training center accommodating thousands of Union soldiers between 1861 and 1865. Today Camp Dennison’s population of 345 includes trail enthusiasts Barbara Wilson and Anne Lehnig.

With plants, pots, mulch, and a bench provided by Symmes Township Anne (above left) and Barbara (right) created an inviting stop at the intersection of the trail and Cunningham Road. A block south, at the Lincoln Road intersection, they also landscaped around a FLMSP bench and helped organize a “Little Free Library” kiosk for passersby.


Their attractive hardscaping in both locations includes large rocks they’ve excavated by hand, and hitching posts for horses from nearby Derbyshire Stables. With a gentle smile, Anne adds that “Those posts also help keep cyclists from propping their bikes on the planters.”

Barbara and Anne note that theirs is a community effort supported by the township and the Camp Dennison Civic League, along with neighbors such as Tom Alford who helps with the heavy lifting and others who help keep the plants watered. The women say they are “happy to do the small things that highlight the beauty of our area…there’s so much potential here.” When working at the intersections they maintain, they enjoy the appreciation shown by many trail users who stop to complement their work, or simply offer a smile with a thumbs up on their way by.

Barbara says many folks who stop to chat frequently ask “Where are we? Is this Milford? Loveland?” Calling Camp Dennison “a hidden gem,” Anne and Barbara are always pleased to tell folks about their community. Some of these conversations lead to questions about whether there are any homes for sale…proximity to the trail is considered an attractive amenity.

After three years working as undocumented volunteers, Barbara and Anne have filled out the proper paperwork and now proudly display the Friends of the Little Miami State Park official Volunteer Trail Crew signs on their cars. 

Next time you’re in the area of mile marker 49 on the trail you’ll be in the heart of the “hidden gem,” Camp Dennison. And if you see them, be sure to say “Hi” to the women who keep it polished.

FLMSP member Phil Obermiller is a Far South Trail Sentinel.

November 2023

photo: the Ordovician sea

by Rick Forrester and Janet Slater

We are so enamored with the “bike” trail, we sometimes forget about the Park areas that aren’t manmade. If you meander off the asphalt/berm and head down into one of the stream crossings, you will find a variety of historical adventures awaiting you in the rocks.

Southwest Ohio’s surface rocks are the oldest in the state. Most of the rock you see in Warren County is from the Ordovician (440-500 million years ago) period of the Paleozoic Era. Older Cambrian rock (mostly sandstone) lies deep below it, but no “modern” rock strata for the Mesozoic Era (65-225 million years ago) or Cenozoic era (2-65 million years ago) are present as they have all been abraded and weathered away. Our Ordovician strata are mostly limestone and shale, rocks that form on the earth’s crust. But this bedrock was far from here when it was formed, because what is now Ohio was about 20 degrees south of the equator at that time.

What is now southwest Ohio was once a vast but shallow saltwater sea, and our Ordovician rocks were formed from minerals, older rock sediment and shell fragments settling to the bottom. The tropical climate was ideal for marine life, so we now find a wide variety of fossils in this part of Ohio. Trilobites, our official state fossil, were some of the first animals with complex exoskeletons (outer shell-like skeletons). Sponges, jellyfish, and brachiopods (similar to clams) were abundant. The Caesar Creek area is an excellent area to hunt for fossils, especially the spillway area of the dam.

Take some time and check out the stream beds, and travel back to an ancient time with tropical temperatures and a saltwater sea. You never know what ancient history awaits you.

Photos above: Trilobite, brachiopods
Below: Geologic map of Ohio and Geologic Time Column, from Ohio’s Natural Heritage, Ohio Academy of Science