Morrow
Soil and Water
Conservation District

"To educate and assist all people in the conservation of the valuable natural resources of Morrow County."

Headwaters Outdoor Education Center

Free as all Outdoors

151 Home Road

Mount Gilead, Ohio 43338

(419) 946-7923 ~ mocoswcd@redbird.net

Location

Educating in Conservation Since 1999

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Headwaters Outdoor Education Center (HEOC) is located on 150 acres of county owned property just north of the sheriff's office on Home road in Mount Gilead. For 25 years the property has been managed by the Morrow Soil and Water Conservation District with the help of a core group of dedicated volunteers and the support of our community.

Monthly outdoor education programs are held at the education center for both children and adults at no cost.

With 3 miles of maintained hiking trails (open from dusk to dawn), a sizable wetland, acres of forest and a quant duck-pond there's something for everyone at Headwaters!

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A Home and a History

The land on which HOEC is located was originally operated as the County Home. Today a single barn is all that stands for it's 115 year legacy. More than 2,100 people found their place at the Home from 1870 onward. The Home and it's residents tended to both the cattle that shared the space and maple syrup production.

The County Home served as a physical space for those seeking refuge, whether that be the downtrodden, the recovering, the forgotten or those pushed away by the rest of society. The Home offered retreat, work and community to those that needed it the most.

In 1986 the County Home was closed.

Today, a small cemetery located on the north boarder of the Headwaters Outdoor Education Center. A 2022 joint effort with the Morrow County Historical Society preserved the site history through a County Home and Cemetery Dedication.

In 1998, 12 years after the closing the doors, the property where the County Home sat was leased to the Morrow Soil and Water Conservation District. A long-term plan was formed between the commissioners and the Morrow SWCD to maintain the properties diverse ecosystems and to be used as a learning tool for the local residents.

A naming committee formed and after several thoughtful suggestions a vote was taken.

Headwaters, comes from streams and waters that drain Morrow County including; the Kokosing River (eastern part), Big Walnut and Alum Creeks (central part), Whetstone Creek (western part) and tributaries of the Olentangy River (northern part). Morrow County is also located at the convergence of two major watersheds (Kokosing and Scioto River Basins’).

A Simple Set of Goals

Provide a physical space for the dispersal of, and learning about, information that is meaningful to Morrow County citizens regarding natural resources and the environmental.

2024
Calendar
Of Events

Winter Tree Identification Hike

Sunday, January 28 at 1pm

with speaker Katie Gerber of ODNR Forestry

Bees 101

Sunday, February 11 at 1pm

with Matt Murphy of Sunshine Farms

and Gale Martin of Natives in Harmony

Pond Clinic

Wednesday, March 13 at 5:30pm

with Steve Fender of Fenders Fish Hatchery

Solar Eclipse "What to Expect"

Saturday, March 23 at 12n

with speaker Dan Everly of Warren Rupp Observatory

Spring WEE Discover Pre-school Program (ages 3-5)

Thursdays, April-May at

10:15a.m-11:30a.m. OR 12:45pm - 2pm

Call 419-946-7923 to register your Discoverer!

Fungus Funday

Sunday, April 14 at 2pm

with Curtis Young of OSU Extension (Van Wert)

and with Marion Mushrooms

Invasive Species Control and I.D.

Sunday, May 19 at 2pm

with Katie Gerber of ODNR Forestry

WILD DAYS CAMP (ages 5-10)

June 11-13 from 9-11am

Call 419-946-7923 to register your WILD One!

Sandhill Cranes and other Endangered Species

Sunday, June 23 at 2pm

with Mia Shotwell of HOEC

Paleontology and Dinosaurs

Sunday, July 14 at 2pm

with Wayne Fowler

HOEC At the Fair!

Week of August 26th - September 2nd

Fall WEE Discover Pre-school Program (ages 3-5)

Thursdays, September-October at

10:15a.m-11:30a.m. OR 12:45pm - 2pm

Call 419-946-7923 to register your Discoverer!

Pumpkins and their Desserts Contest

Sunday, September 29 at 2pm

Trick or Trail!

Saturday, October 19 at 4pm

"Trick or Trail", Campfire, Stone Soup, Movie Night

Annual Winter Make-it-Take-It

Sunday, November 3 at 2pm

with Kim Forgety of HOEC

Call
(419) 946-7923
For Details

Create an awareness of, and a concern about, our environment and the conservation of our natural resources within the local public, and particularly public schools.

Collaborate with, other local agencies that align with the goals and objectives set forth by MCSWCD and HOEC.