Tickets to Three Valley Conservation Trust's largest fundraiser of the year are sold out, but Oxford residents still have other ways to get involved.
The Three Valley Conservation Trust (3VCT), the largest environmental organization in Oxford, is hosting several events this month, including its largest fundraiser, the Farmer’s Feast, to celebrate its 30th anniversary and promote its mission.
The nonprofit preserves more than 24,000 acres across Southwest Ohio through easements, working with private landowners to maintain vital ecosystems.
“Our main mission is to protect and conserve natural areas, green space and working lands, working farms against development and subdivision,” Randy Evans, executive director of 3VCT, said.
The Farmer’s Feast, farm to table dinner
The trust’s largest annual fundraising event, the Farmer’s Feast, will be held on Sept. 21 at 5:30 p.m. at the Champion Mill Conference Center in Hamilton. This farm to table dinner marks the organization’s 30th anniversary and raises money for its conservation efforts.
The event will feature river views, a grazing table and music during the reception. A locally sourced dinner will follow, with entrée choices of chicken, beef or a vegetarian option, along with wine and dessert.
Evans said that the trust tries to host one signature event each year, with funds raised going toward securing conservation easements and protecting prime farmland from being developed.
“It raises awareness,” Evans said. “It allows us an opportunity to engage with folks that aren’t generally members of Three Valley, community members that choose to attend because of the unique offerings at an event like this.”
While tickets are no longer available for the event, there are other ways to get involved with 3VCT.
Fall-Guided Hike at Mill Race Black Covered Bridge
The trust will host a guided hike from 6-8 p.m. on Sept. 26, led by Joe Dumyahn to educate participants on seed collection practices.
The trust has set up free seed libraries at Cherokee Park, VOA Park, Timberman Ridge and Ruder Preserve. The libraries offer wildflower species such as cardinal flower, dense blazing star and black-eyed susan.
Evans said the wildflowers are meant to provide a greater habitat for pollinators and increase the biodiversity of the insect population that is affected by herbicides in pesticides sprayed on properties.
“What we would like to see is a greater diversity of native wildflowers in the area, and many of those are host plants for native and migratory species, and providing a habitat for them,” Evans said.
The trust partners with Metro Parks of Butler County, which has properties with large prairies, home to an abundance of the same species available in the libraries.
“Giving people the opportunity to come out on the hike and walk with the managers of the prairies … will help train them to have smaller plots in their yards or on their properties, how to harvest those seeds, clean them and prep them and get them ready for planting,” Evans said.
Other projects and initiatives
The trust recently finished a second boardwalk at the Ruder Preserve near Leonard Howell Park. According to Evans, the boardwalk was built entirely by volunteers and funded through grants and donations.
The project began after the trust cleared invasive plant species and created hiking trails in the preserve. The addition of handicap-accessible parking inspired the trust to build the first boardwalk in 2018, making the area more accessible.
Other projects include establishing a chapter of the Society of Ecological Restoration at Miami University, revamping the Southwest Ohio Woodland Association and working with community members.
“We want to do what the community members feel is important, and help them work towards those goals that the communities have determined are needed,” Evans said.
The trust’s goal is to conserve 30,000 acres by 2030, according to Evans, and to expand its efforts in habitat restoration, wetlands preservation, and addressing invasive species, streambank erosion and nutrient and sediment loads in the waterways.
“Three Valley has grown and been effective over the last 30 years, primarily due to the support and work of the Oxford [and] Southwest Ohio community,” Evans said, “and we look forward to working with them for another 30 years.”
Evans encouraged residents to support the trust’s mission by reaching out to them, joining the organization, donating, attending events and workshops and advocating for conservation.
