Creating the Pollinator Pathway One Project at a Time
Current and Future Projects
What is in the works or already underway
at North Central Ohio Pollinator Pathways
City of Delaware Parks
NCOPP will be assisting in the signage and promotion of the planned Delaware Parks & Rec native plant installations at Smith & Mingo parks. Smith was planted on May 18 and Mingo will be planted on June 21, 2025. See events page on how to volunteer to help us out!
Mingo Park - Creekside site
Sponsored by Evening Kiwanis. Will be planted in the next year once invasives are removed.
Liberty Library Branch
Installation TBD. Designed by Jenny Adkins of Mad Scientist Associates and to be installed by Nick Hirsch.
Springfield Branch Trail
10-foot pollinator strip between Liberty Rd & Franklin along bike trail. In the works for summer 2026.
Financed by Delaware Parks and Rec.
Buckeye Valley Farm
Tentative prairie supporting agricultural
classes in association with DELCO Water. Details TBD.
Carlisle Elementary Pollinator Garden
To be planted in June 2025 By the Carlisle Girl Scout Troop.
Completed projects
Delaware Parks & Rec Native Plants Installations in May-June 2025
NCOPP assisted in the signage and promotion of the planned Delaware Parks & Rec native plant installations at Smith & Mingo parks. Smith was planted on May 18.
Creating a Pollinator Garden at Andrews House
A garden was designed and planted at the Andrews House in Delaware in May 2025. Our goal was to plant native flowers in 1 – 2 areas around entrance with designs by Amy Dutt.
Unity Community Center Pollinator Garden - April 24, 2025
NCOPP planted the opening spaces near Unity Committee Center's two entrances (about 80’ x 8’) with plants from OWU Greenhouse on April 24, 2025.
City of Powell Recreation/Parks Pollinator Spaces
NCOPP will be working with the Parks Director and City Council members to plant 120 native plants in Powell parks. The plants were donated by Leaves for Wildlife and NCOPP. The first installment took place in late September at Arbor Ridge Park.
Delaware Parks & Rec Pollinator and Prairie Installations – Winter/Spring 2025
NCOPP will be assisting in the signage and promotion of the planned Delaware Parks & Rec Pollinator and Prairie installations at Lexington Glen Park. The plans are to treat the site in late fall with planting happening in the winter/spring of 2025.
Schultz Elementary learning prairies and woodland
An extension of an Eagle Scout project approved by the Delaware Board of Education with plans to seed in the winter of 2025. The Eagle Scout project focused on the woodland and this project is a extension of that work done by Evan Maus. Support will be provided from NCOPP's Stefanie Hauck and Ryan Mohr from the United States Fish & Wildlife Partners for Wildlife Program. An agreement with DCS will allow USFWS to establish and maintain the habitat for ten years. A native prairie garden is in progress outside of science teacher Kristin Wilder’s classroom. Plants will be donated by Natives in Harmony with assistance from Pollinator Pathways and Strata Eco Solutions.
Hyatts Middle School and Olentangy Outdoor Classroom and Prairie – September 2025
NCOPP, OPHI, Delaware Soil & Water, and Olentangy Schools will be supporting students as they learn about the natural world and take part in the Reed Run Riparian project and vernal pool restoration.
Through the contributions of the NCOPP, who donated 170 plants, and Leaves for Wildlife, who donated 120 plants, raised beds were created with native plants on September 24, 2024. The project was managed by Susan Weber with the assistance of planting director Amy Eiken and the Berlin HS Biology Club.
North Central Pollinator Pathway expanded the native habitat at Boardman Arts Park with a planting project on June 8, 2024. Gale Martin of Leaves for Wildlife Nursery helped supply the plants installed on that day. Ongoing maintenance and monitoring of the habitat is planned for the future. Project coordinator is Terry Hermsen, thermsen@otterbein.edu.
​Delaware Cooperative Preschool Garden – Planted July 24, 2024
An approximately 10’ x 4’ garden planted at the Delaware Cooperative Preschool in early July. The plants were bought using a generous grant given by Wild Ones and the design was provided in partnership with NCOPP.
Columbus State Community College Pollinator Garden – Summer 2024
The Columbus State Community College Pollinator Garden was restored and enhanced in the summer of 2024 with plans for upkeep in the winter of 2025. In cooperation with OPHI & Strata Eco, plans have been made to treat the area for invasive species and extend the prairie in the future.
OWU’s Early Childhood Education Center Garden – Planted August 12, 2024
Native landscaping with mature plants was done at the Ohio Wesleyan University’s Early Childhood Education Center in August of 2024 with plans to add more plants in the future. Time and plants were donated by Strata Eco Solutions.
Planting a Micro Prairie at Delaware Hayes High School - Phases One and Two complete Sept. 21, 2024 and May 2025
As part of Hayes High School's Outdoor Learning Lab, 150 plants were planted in a quarter-acre set of habitats representing ecological areas around Ohio on September 21, 2024, with help from the Hayes environmental science class. Students learned about the importance of native flowers and worked together to help support the pollinators in the area. The plants were donated by Leaves for Wildlife, with others purchased by NCOPP.