|
Natural Areas Never Far Away in Kansas’ Most Populated CountyJohnson County may be the most populous county in the state of Kansas, but there are still plenty of wild areas to explore, natural areas in which to wander freely, and opportunities to learn about nature. Although it observed its 26th year of operation in 2011, the Johnson County Park & Recreation District’s (JCPRD) Ernie Miller Nature Center in Olathe is still being discovered daily by longtime residents as well as by visitors from outside the area. The nature center is open daily with live native birds and animals on display and at the outdoor feeders. A wildlife viewing area lets visitors see and hear visiting birds and wildlife from the comfort of the indoors. The center also features a 500-gallon aquarium displaying native fish and a courtyard with a small water feature, native plants and bird cages for the center’s great horned and barn owls. In addition to regular school-age and public programs, the nature center is the site of a variety of special events throughout the year, including The Great Backyard Bird Count, Laura’s Legacy (celebrating the birthday of Laura Ingalls Wilder), Haunted Kansas, Tellebration (celebrating International Storytelling Day), Breakfast with the Birds, and the Winter Solstice Celebration. The 116-acre park surrounding the nature center has been preserved largely in its natural state and features three miles of nature trails. Two different prairie remnants are located within the park, including a three-acre area located west of the park shelter just south of the park entrance, and a five-acre remnant near the far southeast corner of the park. Visitors can explore limestone rocks along the park’s Upper Ridge Trail, look for signs of beaver activity along Little Cedar Creek, and search for animal tracks and homes. What makes this island of nature, which is surrounded by development and fronted by a major four-lane highway, an ideal location for a nature center is that within a 30-minute hike, visitors can see prairie, woodlands, and riparian habitats. Park wildlife includes white-tailed deer, beaver, opossum, bobcat, coyote, great-horned and barred owls, red tail and copper’s hawks, and a variety of reptiles and amphibians. What visitors see depends on what time of day and year they visit and how quiet they can be on the trail. Located between Olathe and De Soto is the JCPRD’s Kill Creek Park, an 880-acre regional park with magnificent prairie and lowland vistas accessible by walking trails. Also on the property are 3.6 miles of the Kill Creek Streamway Park, which will eventually connect to an existing 3.7 mile northern portion of the trail in De Soto. The developed portion of the park includes a 26.5-acre lake featuring a swimming beach and marina, both of which are open weekends from late May to early August. Other facilities include four picnic shelters, a playground, and a boat ramp. A bird watchers’ paradise, the park offers mixed hardwood forests, riparian habitat along Kill Creek, and several areas of prairie restorations. A highlight of the park is a 23-acre scenic upland prairie remnant featuring more than 200 plant species, both wet and dry sites, and evidence of two past buffalo wallows. Located on a tree-surrounded hilltop, it includes a prairie observation deck. For those wishing for a more immersive prairie experience, The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism’s Olathe Prairie Center, located between Ernie Miller and Kill Creek parks, includes mowed and gravel trails through native grasses, some more than eight feet tall. With more than 300 acres, the center, which includes remnant and reestablished prairie and riparian woodlands, has the primary goal of preserving local flora and fauna. Eight ponds on the property of various sizes provide intermittent wetlands for wildlife, and a bedrock creek provides an aquatic habitat as well as an opportunity to look back in time through fossil remains which can be found there. The center is open daily from dusk to dawn and includes no public buildings, although portable toilets are available. Opened in 1964 as JCPRD’s first regional park, Shawnee Mission Park has grown to become the most visited park in Kansas. With more than 1,200 acres, it is also the largest park in Johnson County. The developed portion of the park features a 120-acre lake with a beach and marina, The Theatre in the Park outdoor theater, tennis courts, an archery range, observation tower, and 12 picnic shelters. Also in Shawnee Mission Park is the Ogg Prairie. Situated on a sloping southern exposure on the park’s north side, this small prairie is punctuated at midpoint by a rocky outcropping and also encompasses a small pond. A total of 217 plant species have been found in this 3.9-acre prairie. Those seeking solace in the outdoors can also take advantage of 5.12 miles of footpaths and 2.67 miles of paved trails within the park as well as access to the adjoining Mill Creek Streamway Park. This linear park, which includes the Gary L. Haller Trail, has nearly 17 miles of pedestrian and bicycle trails. Designated a National Recreation Trail (NRT), the trail has eight access points and extends from Nelson Island on the Kansas River, south through the cities of Shawnee and Lenexa, and ending in the City of Olathe. In recognition of the agency’s successful efforts to restore local bluebird populations, the Kansas Legislature designated JCPRD as “the Bluebird capital of Kansas.” With more than 330 monitored nesting boxes in seven parks, more than 1,400 bluebirds are fledged, or developed enough to leave their nests, each year. This includes more than 120 nesting boxes along the Haller trail, making it very likely that visitors can catch a glimpse of these magnificent birds. In addition to the wide variety of trails located within JCPRD’s parks, there is an extensive and constantly expanding network of trails to be enjoyed throughout Johnson County. Included in the more than 320 miles of trail that have been developed cooperatively by multiple jurisdictions and private developers are 226 miles of shared use paths, 20 miles of footpaths and 20 miles of equestrian trials. ~David Markham
 Two lighted tennis courts, swimming pool, playground and picnic area.
The Prairie Center is a 300-acre tallgrass preserve and education site with trails winding through remnant and reestablished prairie and riparian woodlands. Most of the eight ponds on the property serve as intermittent wetlands for wildlife. There is a small lake for fishing and water studies. A bedrock creek provides exploration of aquatic life as well as a look back in time through the fossil remains embedded in the limestone creek bed.
|
On the go?
