Fairfield County Park District

06/01/2026

2026 Yoga in the Parks is starting!🧘‍♀️

Join our instructor Jeannie for free yoga classes on Wednesdays, beginning June 3rd. Whether you are a beginner or experienced yogi, yoga can provide many benefits to your health!

Yoga is held at Smeck Park on Wednesdays at 5pm from June-August. Bring a mat and drinking water.

ALL are welcome! 💚

✨

05/31/2026

June 2026 programs here! Mark those calendars 😉

✨

05/30/2026

For anyone unfamiliar with Earth Camp, here are some photos showing just how much fun our campers have! Earth Camp is a great opportunity for kids grades 3-5 to meet new friends, explore nature, customize their own camp shirt, and learn how they can do their part to care for the environment.

In years past, Earth Camp has been held at Smeck Park. But this year, we are mixing it up and will be having it at Mambourg Park! We are so excited for the new location, and hope you are too!

Interested in registering? You can find registration and more info at Fairfield Soil and Water Conservation District's website here: fairfieldswcd.org

Deadline is end of the day June 3rd!

✨

05/29/2026

It's Milling Day! Sunday, 5/31 🌽

Step back in time and watch how corn was milled over two hundred years ago! While you tour the inside of the mill, learn from our historian and volunteers about how mill equipment was used and compare how it has changed today.

Stebelton Park at Rock Mill is open dawn to dusk year-round. However, you may only go inside during open hours:

Wednesdays and Saturdays 11am-2pm
Sundays 1-4pm

Milling demonstrations are done the last Sunday of each month May-October (weather permitting).

✨

05/29/2026

Get your kiddo registered! 🥾

DEADLINE approaching soon! There are still a few spots left to sign up your 3rd-5th grader for Earth Camp! Please do so by Wednesday, June 3rd. Give us a call for any questions you may have at 740-653-8154 and check out the flyer below for more details. We can't wait to see you there! Registration form can be found here:https://fairfieldswcd.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Earth-Camp-Registration-Forms-Updated-2026.pdf

05/28/2026

"Take it easy" -Mr. Snail

Ohio has many of species of snail, both aquatic and terrestrial. This snail was enjoying a fresh rain at Wahkeena Nature Preserve!

Land snails are fascinating creatures. Beginning their life as a tiny egg under a moist log, they hatch and look like tiny versions of their adult form. Once the mother snail lays her clutch of 20-100 eggs, she will either slightly bury them or use a special glue to keep them in place. She then abandons her eggs...

These mollusks have a varied diet. Many enjoy decaying matter like leaves or wood, while some prefer fungi or even other snails! Their mouth looks a bit different than ours. Think of a cat's sandpaper textured tongue. That's a similar texture to a snail's mouthpart called a radula. Snails "lick" away parts of their food little by little with that sandpaper-y mouthpart.

There is one vital resource that snails need for survival- calcium. Calcium can be found in stone, animal bones, or abandoned snail shells. Without this calcium, the snail's shell will become weak and not give the snail any protection from predators.

Snails are important to our ecosystem because they are called decomposers. Decomposers are nature's clean up crew! They clean up the forest floor by eating decaying organic matter and help recycle those nutrients back into the soil.

✨

05/28/2026

With our recent storms, it is very important that our visitors stay safe and cautious of any down trees/debris! If you encounter any large trees that have fallen or any other hazards along trail, please let us know! 🌿

05/27/2026

Nothing cuter than a little bitty snapper🥰
Though diminutive now, this common snapping turtle will eventually grow to be Ohio’s largest turtle species, sometimes weighing in at over 35 lbs - if it’s lucky! It will both avoid predators and be a predator by hiding in dark murky water to prevent detection and grow. Let’s just say we wouldn’t want to meet this guy in a dark wetland in 10 years!

05/26/2026

Do you enjoy a fun challenge? Do you like being outside? Do you like NOT getting lost in the woods?? Try orienteering! 🗺

Orienteering is the art of getting around with map and compass. It can be anything from something to just help you navigate, to a competitive sport you can participate in. Intrigued?

Join us for intro to Orienteering at Smeck on 6/4! We'll start with the basics of compass navigation and end with you being able to make and try out your own orienteering course.

Get full program details at fairfieldcountyparks.org/events

✨

05/24/2026

Have you ever seen a raptor? No, we aren't talking about velociraptors... perhaps a Turkey Vulture or a Red-tailed hawk? Next time you're out and about, keep an eye out for these two other raptors who you've also probably seen but may not have known what they were.

Red-shouldered Hawk! 🌳

These beauties could easily be mistaken for a Red-tailed Hawk if you don't get a good look. The key is in the name: it depends where the red is! In addition there's a good context clue of where you see them; the red-tail are larger and stay in more open fields and the red-shouldered are smaller and better at navigating the tight corners of woodlands.

American Kestrel! 🐁

Kestrels are our smallest raptor, only about the size of a Blue Jay. You may not know it, but you've almost certainly seen them sitting on electric wires by open fields. They hang out there and scan the ground for rodents; some studies suggest they may even track small animals by their urine. Look for those beautiful rusty and blue-grey colors with black dots on the wings. If you don't see them on a wire another easy ID is if you see a small bird hovering in the air, as these raptors can do just that.

📸
Red-Shouldered Hawk via Wikimedia Commons | Andy Morffew
American Kestrel via Wikimedia Commons | James St. John

✨