Wagner Preserve
Location
900 Leonard Rd
Baltimore, OH 43105
Entrance & Parking
Liberty Union-Thurston District Office
1108 S Main St
Baltimore, OH 43105
Park in rear near the land lab entrance behind bus garage.
Hours
Open Year-Round, Dawn to Dusk
Walnut Creek
About the Preserve
160 acres in Liberty Township in the northern part of the county.
The site was acquired in 2020 by purchase using Clean Ohio Grant funds.
Some of the activities you can enjoy at this preserve are observing the heron rookery and other wildlife from the trail.
Preserve Features
The preserve’s location adjacent to Liberty Union-Thurston School District’s elementary school, middle school, and district office, along with direct connection to their 40-acre land lab, will provide opportunities for expanded educational programming to students, teachers, and administrators. In 2025, following research and coordination by FFA students and staff from the school and park district, a remote feed camera was installed to provide real-time monitoring of a blue heron nest (see below).
Great Blue Heron Rookery
The most remarkable feature of this preserve is the heron rookery. It is one of the largest Great Blue Heron rookeries south of the Lake Erie watershed. At last count, there were 64 active nests!
The camera is solar-powered. The feed may be interrupted on overcast and cloudy days or during inclement weather.
Upland Field
Following acquisition of the property, Fairfield County Park District and US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) coordinated habitat restoration efforts through the Partners for Fish & Wildlife (PFW) program. Work included planting native grasses, wildflowers, and other forbs into the previously farmed portions of the preserve. In 2024, USFWS utilized Ohio Department of Agriculture H2Ohio funds to remove failing field tiles in the field north of Walnut Creek, restore natural hydrology, and create seasonal wetlands in the floodplain.
Waterways
Walnut Creek
Walnut Creek | Photo by Josh Zielinski
Flowing from east to west through the property, Walnut Creek provides high quality aquatic habitat for over thirty species of fish, more than a dozen varieties of freshwater mussels, and a diverse array of macroinvertebrates.
Two additional, unnamed, tributaries enter the property from the south and flow into Walnut Creek.
The riparian corridor bordering both sides of the main channel offers rich botanical diversity including trees that produce Ohio’s largest native fruit, the Paw Paw, and towering Sycamores whose stout branches provide a stable platform for the nests comprising the heron rookery.
Trails
Natural Surface Trail
This 0.5-mile-long trail is accessed from the school property near the Land Lab entrance. It provides opportunities to view the heron rookery.
Hiking trail only. No Pets. No Bikes or motorized vehicles.
Picnic Shelters
There is no picnic shelter at this location. Unlike other Fairfield County Park District locations, because this is a nature preserve, no pets or picnicking are permitted – see Nature Preserve Rules below.
Picnic Tables
There are no picnic tables at this location.
Nature Preserve Rules
Use of a nature preserve is for passive recreation, nature observation, research, and education. Certain activities are prohibited for the safety and preservation of the plants and wildlife. Below are a few points to remember:
- Visitors are required to stay on trails.
- No pets (except assistance animals)
- No collection of any plant, animal, or other substance
- No hunting and fishing on nature preserve and natural areas
Wagner Preserve
Location
900 Leonard Rd
Baltimore, OH 43105
Entrance & Parking
Liberty Union-Thurston District Office
1108 S Main St
Baltimore, OH 43105
Park in rear near the land lab entrance behind bus garage.
Hours
Open Year-Round, Dawn to Dusk
Walnut Creek
About the Preserve
160 acres in Liberty Township in the northern part of the county.
The site was acquired in 2020 by purchase using Clean Ohio Grant funds.
Some of the activities you can enjoy at this preserve are observing the heron rookery and other wildlife from the trail.
Preserve Features
The preserve’s location adjacent to Liberty Union-Thurston School District’s elementary school, middle school, and district office, along with direct connection to their 40-acre land lab, will provide opportunities for expanded educational programming to students, teachers, and administrators. In 2025, following research and coordination by FFA students and staff from the school and park district, a remote feed camera was installed to provide real-time monitoring of a blue heron nest (see below).
Great Blue Heron Rookery
The most remarkable feature of this preserve is the heron rookery. It is one of the largest Great Blue Heron rookeries south of the Lake Erie watershed. At last count, there were 64 active nests!
The camera is solar-powered. The feed may be interrupted on overcast and cloudy days or during inclement weather.
Upland Field
Following acquisition of the property, Fairfield County Park District and US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) coordinated habitat restoration efforts through the Partners for Fish & Wildlife (PFW) program. Work included planting native grasses, wildflowers, and other forbs into the previously farmed portions of the preserve. In 2024, USFWS utilized Ohio Department of Agriculture H2Ohio funds to remove failing field tiles in the field north of Walnut Creek, restore natural hydrology, and create seasonal wetlands in the floodplain.
Waterways
Walnut Creek
Flowing from east to west through the property, Walnut Creek provides high quality aquatic habitat for over thirty species of fish, more than a dozen varieties of freshwater mussels, and a diverse array of macroinvertebrates.
Walnut Creek | Photo by Josh Zielinski
Two additional, unnamed, tributaries enter the property from the south and flow into Walnut Creek.
The riparian corridor bordering both sides of the main channel offers rich botanical diversity including trees that produce Ohio’s largest native fruit, the Paw Paw, and towering Sycamores whose stout branches provide a stable platform for the nests comprising the heron rookery.
Trails
Natural Surface Trail
This 0.5-mile-long trail is accessed from the school property near the Land Lab entrance. It provides opportunities to view the heron rookery.
Hiking trail only. No Pets. No Bikes or motorized vehicles.
Picnic Shelters
There is no picnic shelter at this location. Unlike other Fairfield County Park District locations, because this is a nature preserve, no pets or picnicking are permitted – see Nature Preserve Rules below.
Picnic Tables
There are no picnic tables at this location.
Nature Preserve Rules
Use of a nature preserve is for passive recreation, nature observation, research, and education. Certain activities are prohibited for the safety and preservation of the plants and wildlife. Below are a few points to remember:
- Visitors are required to stay on trails.
- No pets (except assistance animals)
- No collection of any plant, animal, or other substance
- No hunting and fishing on nature preserve and natural areas
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