Waterman Farm

Waterman Farm, originally uploaded by andiwolfe.

This photo was taken the day after Thanksgiving, on a cold and sunny afternoon. I really enjoy walking on Waterman Farm, the Ohio State University experimental farm. It's so nice to have a bit of rural scenery in Columbus, Ohio. The contrast of the city skyline against a working farm is visually interesting, and the open space of the farm helps me to relax amidst of all the bustle of a city.

I recently heard that the long term plans for this area includes taking some of this land to make it into parking lots to replace the ones along Canon Drive as the hospital complex and medical school expand their footprints into those parking areas. I have no idea what the university planners think about the value of land, but this landmark and acreage are more valuable than mere dollars for building footprints and parking lots.

I was glad to see the news that Upper Arlington's application to put a connector road through from Ackerman to Zollinger wasn't funded. From what I read, the university was behind that poor bit of planning. Progress does not mean making every square inch of an urban area a busy and noisy place, full of traffic and people in a rush to raise their blood pressure. We need these kinds of spaces to be left open. I wish there were some visionaries amongst the planning commissions who could realize the value of nature and the ecosystem services such open areas provide.