Shepherds Fest: Saturday September 23rd
On September 23rd from 1:00 – 3:30 pm we are holding our 7th annual Shepherds Fest.
We invite you to come visit & enjoy some time at Shepherd’s Corner Ecology Center. Take some time to walk our mediation trail & labyrinths. Meet some of Shepherd’s Corner friends and supporters such as Franklin County Soil & Water Conservation District and our beekeeper will be here to share knowledge about bees! Shepherd’s Corner friend Gail Maraman from Windy Crest Design will be on site to share her art! (Gail also leads wonderful programs here at Shepherd’s Corner). Diana Morse will also be joining us with a wool yarn spinning demonstration. Learn more ways that you can recycle!
Meet, greet, and feed our flock. Maggie, our llama, may even come to say, ‘Hi’! Explore our meditation trail and take a hayride around to see parts of Shepherd’s Corner you may not have seen before! Our back patio that overlooks the pastures, garden, and our smaller labyrinth is a great space to enjoy some delicious food if you would like to bring a picnic! Be sure to bring a water bottle to be filled at one of our water stations.
This event is free to the public! We are asking those who attend bring shelf stable foods to donate to local food pantries.
We are raffling off a quilt that was created and donated by Sr. Andre Kravec. Participation in the raffle is not tax deductible and is limited to Ohio residents.
Raffle beings 9/12 and will end at Shepherds Fest on 09/23/2023. Click the quilt below to purchase tickets online.
Individual raffle tickets will be available for purchase on site at Shepherds Fest (Event is from 1:00 – 3:30 pm, with raffle at 3:00 pm. Ticket sales will end at 3:15 pm).
Quilt Raffle: Drawing at Shepherds Fest
Quilt created and donated by Sr. Andre Kravec.
Measurements: approximately 51 inches x 54 inches
Participation in this raffle is not tax deductible and is limited to Ohio residents.
Raffle beings 9/12 and will end at Shepherds Fest on 09/23/2023.
Individual raffle tickets will be available for purchase on site at Shepherds Fest (event is from 1:00 – 3:30 pm, with raffle at 3:00 pm. Ticket sales will end at 2:45 pm).




Wetland Update
Our wetland pools are beginning to take off! Creatures such as insects, macro invertebrates, and amphibians have found themselves at home in the wetland pools.
Recently a few flats of aquatic and emergent plants were planted in our wetland area. In efforts to help these plants become established, a thin filament was added between a couple different posts. In the pictures below, if you look closely, you can see the filament. This is to dissuade the geese from eating the plants that have been recently added.
Plants included in the most recent plantings were:
Bristly Sedge (Carex comosa)
Broadleaf Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia)
Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata)
Soft Rush (Juncus effusus)
Soft-stem Bulrush (Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani)
Woolgrass (Scripus cyperinus)
September Programs at Shepherd’s Corner
Embrace Peace: September Labyrinth Walk
Wednesday, September 13th 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Suggested Donation: $5
Facilitated by Susan Bellotti
A time to find peace and inner calm as we enter into the Fall season.
Labyrinth walks are times for quiet reflection. Due to their nature, silent walking is encouraged. Our labyrinth is located on Wengert Road, at the second drive to the right. Please wear comfortable shoes. Everyone is welcome! No previous meditation experience or experience walking labyrinths is required.
Learn more about labyrinths! Here’s a video and here’s another to learn more!
Registration, which is required, closes three business days prior to the program or when capacity is reached. We ask that program participants pay for the program at the time of registration. Payment can be made using the secure form on this page. You may also pay by check or cash if you prefer. Please register by calling (614) 866-4302, emailing, or submitting this form.
Shepherds Fest (Annual Open House)
On September 23rd from 1:00 – 3:30 pm we are holding our annual Shepherds Fest. We hope to see you at this annual event!
We invite you to come visit & enjoy some time at Shepherd’s Corner Ecology Center. Take some time to walk our mediation trail & labyrinths. Meet some of Shepherd’s Corner friends and supporters such as Franklin County Soil & Water Conservation District. Shepherd’s Corner friend Gail Maraman from Windy Crest Design will be on site to share her art! (Gail also leads wonderful programs here at Shepherd’s Corner). Diana Morse will also be joining us with a wool yarn spinning demonstration.
Meet, greet, and feed our flock. Maggie, our llama, may even come to say, ‘Hi’! Explore our meditation trail and take a hayride around to see parts of Shepherd’s Corner you may not have seen before! We are hoping to have a food truck on site this year, as we did way back in 2019! Our back patio that overlooks the pastures, garden, and our smaller labyrinth is a great space to enjoy some delicious food.
This event is free to the public! We are asking those who attend bring shelf stable foods to donate to local food pantries.
More information about this event will be added as the date gets closer!
Fridays, we will be open to visitors from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Check our calendar to find out which Fridays we are open (until mid-November)!
Instead of a suggested donation we ask that you please bring a donation of shelf stable food. These items will be given to local food pantries to help lessen food inequity and insecurity in the area.
We invite you to spend time at Shepherd’s Corner Ecology Center. Come walk our meditation trail and the outdoor labyrinths. We do ask that all visitors check in at the office upon their arrival. We will be closed in the event of inclement weather. If you are considering visiting, we ask that you contact us either by calling (614) 866-4302 or by emailing and letting us know.
August Programs at Shepherd’s Corner
A Morning Reflection on the Hidden Life of Trees: Reflections from Peter Wohlleben’s Book
Saturday, August 19th 9:30 am – Noon
Suggested Donation: $5
Facilitated by Sr. Anne Lythgoe
What might we learn from the forest about community, caring, death and regeneration? Inspired by the international bestseller The Hidden Life of Trees, by Peter Wohlleben, Dominican Sister of Peace Anne Lythgoe will explore the interconnectedness of ecosystems, and lessons trees learn to survive and thrive as beautiful pillars of the forest. The morning will include some reflections on aspects of the Hidden Life of Trees, time for quiet communion with Shepherd’s Corner landscape, and group conversation.
Registration, which is required, closes three business days prior to the program or when capacity is reached. We ask that program participants pay for the program at the time of registration. Payment can be made using the secure form on this page. You may also pay by check or cash if you prefer. Please register by calling (614) 866-4302, emailing, or via this form,
Fridays, we will be open to visitors from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Check our calendar to find out which Fridays we are open (until mid-November)!
Instead of a suggested donation we ask that you please bring a donation of shelf stable food. These items will be given to local food pantries to help lessen food inequity and insecurity in the area.
We invite you to spend time at Shepherd’s Corner Ecology Center. Come walk our meditation trail and the outdoor labyrinths. We do ask that all visitors check in at the office upon their arrival. We will be closed in the event of inclement weather. If you are considering visiting, we ask that you contact us either by calling (614) 866-4302 or by emailing and letting us know.
July Programs at Shepherd’s Corner
Mary Not Quite Contrary: Cultivating Culinary & Medicinal Tea Herbs
July 14th 10:00 am – noon
$8 per participant
Do you grow herbs and find yourself wondering what you can use them for? This program will be led by Mary Rodney of Seeds Well Sown, located in New Albany, Ohio. Mary grows some of the herbs that are used in the creation of her teas right here at Shepherd’s Corner! This program will focus on tea herbs, but we’ll talk about and taste some culinary herbs as well.
Join us in learning how Mary started her business & why she gardens. We will be tasting and touring the garden at Shepherd’s Corner.
Register and learn more about this program at this link.
Click here for a PDF version of the flyer!
First Fruits: July Labyrinth Walk
Wednesday, July 26th 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Facilitated by Shawn Scott & Nan Cameron, Earthkeepers
Suggested Donation: $5
Join us at the Labyrinth for as we reflect on the harvests at hand.
Our labyrinth is located on Wengert Road, at the second drive to the right. Please wear comfortable shoes. Everyone is welcome! No previous meditation experience or experience walking labyrinths is required.
Registration, which is required, closes three business days prior to the program or when capacity is reached. We ask that program participants pay for the program at the time of registration. Payment can be made using the secure form on this page. You may also pay by check or cash if you prefer. Please register by calling (614) 866-4302, emailing, or by using this link.
Fridays, we will be open to visitors from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Check our calendar to find out which Fridays we are open (until mid-November)!
Instead of a suggested donation we ask that you please bring a donation of shelf stable food. These items will be given to local food pantries to help lessen food inequity and insecurity in the area.
We invite you to spend time at Shepherd’s Corner Ecology Center. Come walk our meditation trail and the outdoor labyrinths. We do ask that all visitors check in at the office upon their arrival. We will be closed in the event of inclement weather. If you are considering visiting, we ask that you contact us either by calling (614) 866-4302 or by emailing and letting us know.
17th Annual Farm Fresh 5K Wrap Up
Thank you to everyone who made our annual Farm Fresh 5K a success! We truly appreciate each of you! Thank you for supporting our environmental education programs, land and water conservation projects, and our efforts to provide fresh, naturally grown produce to those in need.
A huge thank you to our donors and our sponsors!
Harvest Leader
Columbus Financial Concepts
Shepherd’s Corner Ecology Center Advisory Council
Mascazzini Art Glass
Crop Planter
Dr. John Tyznik: Family Physicians of Gahanna
Peaceful Heart Center
James G. Flaherty Co., LPA
Ultimate U Personal Training
St. Pius X Church
Seed Saver
Bob & Diana Kozlowski
Varckette Family Chiropractic
Mad Scientist Associates, LLC
Planter
Pure Joy Massage & Yoga
Media Sponsor
St. Gabriel Catholic Radio: 820 AM
Some of the pictures from the race!
View the 2023 Farm Fresh 5K race results here.
17th Annual Farm Fresh 5K is right around the corner!
There’s still time to register for our annual all-terrain 5K!
You can register here: https://bit.ly/3LNaShE
Donate here: https://bit.ly/3MhhuXd
Learn more about the race: https://shepherdscorner.org/5k/
Wetland Planting: Earth Day
Saturday, April 22nd, we hosted a volunteer event to show love and gratitude toward Mother Earth. Wonderful volunteers joined us in planting native plants in and around our newly constructed wetland. Earth Day was a perfect day for the next step in our wetland & prairie creation project!
Volunteers from St. Charles School, Otterbein University, The Ohio State University, Ohio Dominican University, Gay for Good, and other Shepherd’s Corner friends helped plant 950 plugs of emergent marsh and prairie plants and 30 shrubs and upland buffer plants.
On Earth Day, we planted: Buttonbush, Black Chokecherry, Pussy Willow, Elderberry, and Blue False Indigo. Marsh & Common Milkweed, Butterfly Weed, Bristly Sedge, Tussock Sedge, Purple Coneflower, Great Spikerush, Swamp Rose Mallow, Dense Blazing Star, Bergamot, Foxglove Penstemon, Obedient Plant, Pickerel Weed, Little Bluestem, Soft-Stem Bulrush, Cup Plant, Ohio Spiderwort, and Blue Vervain
Here are some images from the planting!
An Earth Day Invitation
Our Mother Earth spends every moment of her existence providing for and loving us. Our most basic needs are met through the air, the fruits of the soil, the water, and the beauty. She bears life for us, heals us, and invites us into relationship with the divine and all created things.
It is right that out of reverence and gratitude we pause to listen and respond to the needs of Earth. What is she telling you? What is your response?
The creation of this wetland is an act of love for Earth. With your help, we work to turn these hay fields into a thriving, wonderfully productive, and biologically diverse ecosystem. An ecosystem that has amazing abilities to filter water, sequester carbon, refill groundwater stores, and provide a refuge for countless species throughout their life cycles.
Help us help Earth heal herself. Knowing her generosity, it wouldn’t be a surprise if you find something beautiful along the way.