Volunteers from Bulls Run ask park board to help renew lapsed lease, promote education programs

Nancy Clark, president of the board for Bosewood Nature Sanctuary and Arboretum, and Melissa Prophet, the organization’s naturalist, told the park board in Middletown that the volunteer-run 11-acre Bulls Run property offers monthly free public programs, school field trips and education kits that local teachers can borrow.

The visitors said the group needs city help to “reorganize the lease” for the site, which they described to the board as lapsed. They left brochures and flyers and asked for a city contact to coordinate follow-up on the lease and on routine maintenance tasks such as hazardous-tree removal and signage updates.

The request matters because Bulls Run functions as a largely volunteer-run city green space that operates programs for children and nearby schools, the presenters said. The naturalist role at Bulls Run is the organization’s only paid position and is described as extremely part time; volunteers carry much of the maintenance and program work.

Clark said the board aims to run at least one public event each month and highlighted recurring programs: park workdays generally held every other Saturday (09:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.), spring wildflower walks on Sunday afternoons, and an August prairie walk on the arboretum’s one-acre prairie. Memberships are voluntary; Clark said a family membership runs $40 and includes the child-focused “Nature Tots” program for ages about 18 months to 8 years, while most programs remain free to the public.

Prophet described an education-grant program the group developed for local teachers. "We applied for an education grant through Mendenhall Community Foundation and created several education loan tools," she said, adding the kits (including a “get out on the trails and discover” backpack) are available to educators in Monroe, Middletown and Trenton to borrow for classroom use or field trips.

The presenters said the organization has run field trips for second graders and worked with groups such as the Edge Teen Center to bring volunteers to the site, and that Bulls Run relies on donations, memberships and occasional grants to pay for expenses such as porta‑potty rental during April–November events. Clark told the board the group is submitting a bridge-repair grant and is seeking help with signage so it can better advertise events.

Board members asked staff to exchange contact information with the presenters and to place the lease discussion on a follow-up agenda so the city and Bulls Run can clarify responsibilities and next steps.