THE LAND:
Shepherd's Corner's 160 acres host many different habitat types: hay field,
old field/successional forest, wetland, mature woodlands, and riprarian.
These areas are accessable along a system of trails that starts in the Meadow
, cuts across the farm fields and winds through the woods down to Blacklick
Creek (see the
'Find Us' section for maps).
The property is unusual in having so many different types of ecosystems, in a relatively
small area. Shepherd's Corner is committed to maintaining this diversity of habitat
and ensuring the health of the land. In 1997 Sr. Jane Belanger, O.P. and Mark Dilley,
a wetland ecologist, conducted an environmental survey which identified 320 plant
species, numerous invertebrates (snails, spiders, insects), 20 fish species, eight
amphibian, six reptile, 13 mammal, and 105 bird species, although more species almost
certainly exist on the property. The study highlighted the amazing diversity and
surprisingly good environmental health of the Shepherd's Corner property in the midst
of Columbus' urban sprawl.
