Darke County Parks has a long standing legacy of educating young and old alike about nature with live animals. The renovation of the Nature Center classroom into the “Live Classroom”, which included built in terrariums, enclosures, and aquariums as well as wildlife murals painted on the walls, even earned them an award from the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association in 2012.

Recently two park supporters, Ed Koenig and Drema Wetzel, wished to continue the tradition of quality displays and donated a beautiful 170 gallon aquarium to the park district. The new display features an enclosed wooden cabinet stand and a wood top with crown molding. The tank is now home to the “pond life” creatures such as bluegill, redear sunfish, and a small catfish. Visitors can get an up close look at their native fish and explore underwater life. The park would like to extend a huge thank you to Ed and Drema for their gift and to the park volunteers who help move and transport the tank to the Nature Center. Naturalist Kathi McQueen said she’s so pleased that the “community is helping to keep our displays fresh and updated so the park district can continue to grow and prosper, teaching future generations about the importance of nature and conservation.”

In the near future, the display will feature informational signage about fish species and pond life, but for now Darke County Parks invites everyone to check out their gorgeous donation and all the other live animal displays. For more information about the Darke County Parks visit their website at darkecountyparks.org.

Darke County Parks is hosting a series of fitness programs called Naturally Fit occurring the fourth Monday of every month. Everyone wants to lead healthier lives and spend more time outdoors. However, workout machines aren’t always environmentally friendly, and gyms aren’t very exciting. Besides, sometimes life just gets in the way! Use these programs as an “excuse” to schedule time outside and get moving. Each of these programs focuses more on fitness than nature, with everyone moving at their own pace, whether that’s one loop or ten. The November program will take place November 28th at 4:30pm at Routzong Preserve which has 1.5 miles of trails through 55 acres of beech and maple forest. The park is located on Routzong Rd. just a half mile north of State Route 571 east of Greenville. Meet there, and don’t forget to bring a water bottle. For questions or weather updates, call the Nature Center at 548-0165.

Did you know?  Exposure to cold temperatures activates brown fat cells which burn energy and produce heat.