Richland County Park District

10/13/2026

PUBLIC NOTICE:
A section of the the Richland B&O Trail will be closed Today, Tuesday October 13th, to accommodate construction near the Lexington Senior Civic Center. When site conditions allow, a detour will be provided through the parking lot of the Senior Civic Center. The parking lot may be closed at times for equipment staging.
For your safety, please abide by all posted signage and trail markings while construction is in progress.

10/10/2026

🐦 BIG SIT 2026 updates! 🐦 Check comments⬇️

Up to 4 species by 5:00am: White-throated Sparrow was the first bird when it was heard chipping at 4:00am. Then came a Screech Owl trilling and 2 Barred Owls caterwauling! Also a couple Cardinals chipping, all before light!

10/09/2026

The Visitor Center at Gorman Nature Center will be closed Saturday, October 10, but we invite you to join us outdoors for our 14th Annual Big Sit!

Come join us for this ALL DAY bird counting event at Gorman Nature Center! The entire day will be spent counting birds from the top of the hill at Gorman Nature Center.

Visitors are welcome to come and go as they please throughout the day. Bring your binoculars and a lawn chair if you have them, and feel free to stop by for an hour or two, bring a snack, and learn about the birds found throughout the park!

RCPD Natural Resources Technician Luke Donahue will be counting birds from 3:00 AM - 9:00 PM, so stop by and keep him company!

NEW LOCATION THIS YEAR: The counting area will be located at the top of the hill above the nature center. Signs will be posted to direct you to the new location.

The Visitor Center will not be open, but we hope you’ll join us outside for a day of birding!

Questions? Call the park office at 419-884-3764 for details.

10/09/2026

October's Nature Discovery Homeschool program will be on Tuesday, October 13th at 1:30 PM at Gorman Nature Center.

Our theme this month is Building a Mosaic of Biodiversity. We will meet in the picnic pavilion at 1:30 and learn about biodiversity together. What does it mean? How can we investigate it? And how do the little pieces fit together to create a whole ecosystem? Come explore Gorman Nature Center's mosaic of living things!

IMPORTANT NOTE: This program is designed for older elementary and middle school children. All ages are welcome! However, at times, younger children will not be able to participate in some of the activities. Parents are expected to stay with their kids and completely supervise them the whole time.

10/06/2026

Do you love spiders? Or do they make you shudder? Did you ever wonder why they build fancy webs? Bring your preschoolers tomorrow for a fun program all about spiders and their webs!

Our weekly Parents & Kids Preschool Program will be held at the Gorman Nature Center on Wednesday, October 7th. There will only be ONE PROGRAM at 10:00 AM. The 9:00 AM class will resume in June.

Please dress appropriately to hike and explore outdoors, including jackets and boots if needed. We will meet in the picnic pavilion, and we plan on being outside unless weather conditions are unsafe.

Don't forget to bring your nature-related items for show-and-tell!

10/02/2026

The Gorman Nature Visitor Center
Saturday hours for 10/3/2026
11:00AM-3:00PM

The trails and outdoor restrooms are still open from dawn until dusk as usual. We will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, October 6th, 2026.

Happy Hiking!

09/30/2026

🐦 Check out the view from our new Big Sit spot! 🐦 Or should we say hawk watch? 🤔

If your sick of birding by foot then why not bird by lawn chair? Come join Naturalist Luke Donahue, Sat Oct 10th, and see how many species we can spot from the new 17-foot circle! Luke will post himself at the circle from 3:00am-9:00pm, and signs will direct you from the Nature Center to the new spot on top of the hill.

Last year was a record-breaking Big Sit with 56 species. Can we beat that this year with the improved view facing Clearfork Reservoir? You might also want to come for the donuts??? 😉

Remember to bring a lawn chair, snacks, and binoculars. See you then! Learn more: https://www.thebigsit.org/

09/29/2026

This program is CANCELED today due to staff illness. We hope to see you next week!

Do you live in a community? Animals and plants live in communities too! Come learn about the different roles that living things can have in their "neighborwood."

Our weekly Parents & Kids Preschool Program will be held at the Gorman Nature Center on Wednesday, September 30th. There will only be ONE PROGRAM at 10:00 AM. The 9:00 AM class will resume in June.

Please dress appropriately to hike and explore outdoors, including jackets and boots if needed. We will meet in the picnic pavilion, and then we will head inside for our stations. However, if we have time, we may still go out for a short walk outside!

Don't forget to bring your nature-related items for show-and-tell!

09/24/2026