Friends of Madison County Parks & Trails

FMCPT Programs

Adopt-A-Trail

Help keep the trail clean and safe for cyclists, runners, and walkers. Encourage your organization to adopt a trail segment and become its designated caretaker.

(2 segments still available.)

Learn more…

Trail Ambassadors

Trail Ambassadors promote trail camaraderie, help trail travelers with info & advice, highlight the local community, and create a welcoming environment for everyone on our trails.

Learn more…

Prairie Remnant Management

Help manage prairie remnants with their colorful prairie wildflowers, “polishing prairie jewels” that date back into pre-settlement Ohio history.

Learn more…

Adopt-a-Trail

Help your community. Sign up for the Adopt-a-Trail Program.
Your group will assist in maintaining assigned segments of the Prairie Grass Trail in Madison County, including cleaning debris from the trail and helping maintain trail safety by reporting hazards, obstacles, and any adverse trail conditions.
(Our thanks to Boy Scout Troop 102 who pioneered the program in 2004 by becoming the first organization to adopt a trail segment.)

Trail Segments

Wilson Road to Glade Run Road – Country Bunch 4-H Club
Glade Run Road to Spring Valley Road – Boy Scout Troop 104
Spring Valley Road to Maple Street – Boy Scout Troop 102
Midway Street to Roberts Mill Road – Prairie Raiders 4H Group

Trail Segments

Roberts Mill Road to Neil East Road – Chandler Masonic Lodge 138
Neil East Road to Neil Road – (Needs your help!)
Neil Road to Botkin Road – (Needs your help!)

Trail Ambassadors

The Trail Ambassadors Program: All you need is a desire to help and share with others. No previous experience is needed, just a willingness to be a trail friend and a good person. It’s not formal, just a “program” that people can participate in to help us make our trails great experience for everyone.

Objectives:

  1. Trail travelers – Report trail hazards and provide information and assistance to trail users.
  2. Trail care – Pick up trash along the trail when you can, report any trail hazards so they can be remedied.
  3. Trailhead – Greet campers, provide information on local amenities, offer assistance, and encourage them to fill out Guest Cards to give us their feedback.

Trail Ambassadors Need:

  1. The ability to communicate positively w/others, including trail travelers, local community residents, and trail-adjacent property owners.

Trail Ambassadors Must:

  1. Learn and follows basic “trail etiquette,” laws, and rules established for use of the trail.
  2. Set a good example at all times in language and attitude since you will be representing yourself, your community, the Friends of Madison County Parks & Trails, the City of London, and the Madison County Park District.

Prairie Remnant Management

Prairie Remnant Management:

The original Ohio prairies – with their diverse beauty of grasses and wildflowers – were mostly lost to the steel plow when it was invented in 1803. Thanks to FMCPT’s “Prairie Remnant Management” program, hikers and bikers along the Prairie Grass Trail can now enjoy the beauty of such pre-settlement day flora, such as Royal Catchfly, Queen of the Prairie, Purple Coneflower, and Wild Bergamot, along with prairie grasses such as Big Bluestem and Prairie Cordgrass.

With a sense of privilege and responsibility, in 2005 we began “polishing prairie jewels” and helping preserve a wondrous part of our natural heritage.

Special thanks to the expertise of:

  • The late Jack McDowell, wonderful prairie restoration expert and part-time Land Management Coordinator with Columbus Metro Parks,
  • John Silvius, Professor of Biology at Cedarville University, and,
  • Julia Cumming, our dear friend with the Madison Soil and Water Conservation District.
Your Help is Needed

Memberships help keep our all-volunteer efforts going. Join, or renew, today to help keep us going strong.
(We’re a non-profit 501c3, so it may be tax deductible!)

Click here to help… and thank you!

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Around 2009, an idea first developed during a conversation between Wayne Roberts with FMCPT and Van Viney, CEO of MATCO Services. It took a while, but in 2019 work began in earnest to begin construction of a "welcome" area on the east side of London. This was envisioned to compliment our beautiful "welcome" on the west side of town, the Prairie Grass Trailhead with its camping area, shelter house, and many other amenities. The original vision to create a multi-panel mural using the bricked-in windows of the old tile factory building that MATCO now owned was expanded upon to include a mini-park, a respite with benches, pleasant landscaping, and more.

Many local people have contributed many, many hours of brain power and sweat equity to bring this project from an old factory wall and overgrown grounds to the trail highlight it has become. We have kept costs extremely low though all of the in-kind donations and almost innumerable hours of donated labor. But also, we received great support support for the funding we required, all from Madison County-area companies and people. It was, and is, a true "community" project.

An added benefit was realized a couple of years ago when we found that we could easily create access to Roberts Pass for MATCO clients and employees. They previously had found  handicapped-friendly trail access difficult if not downright impossible. For the first time, they are able to safely access their next-door neighbor, the Roberts Pass section of the Ohio to Erie Trail!

Further value was gained when Michele Bouquet and Sue Cline joined our efforts bringing the wisdom of the Madison County Master Gardeners with them. They, and many of their cohorts, contributed tons of time developing and implementing a gorgeous native plants garden in our mini-park, along with several pollinator plant zones. We hope to build on the value of this by adding educational kiosks throughout the mini-park. We also plan to work with area groups, including the OSU Extension Center, on educational opportunities for local schools, seniors, etc.