Parks help residents rediscover the great outdoors
By Susan Nienow CONTRIBUTING WRITER
This is Part 2 in a two-part series on the county's parks.

The Government Center Trail is a good place to see several varieties of fungi.

Tents and sleeping bags aren't necessary. Getting back to nature can be as simple as visiting a favorite neighborhood park. Chesterfield parks offer lunchtime breaks or after-work walks, picnic opportunities and nature programs.

If you sit quietly in Rockwood Park, you might spot the shy gray fox that shows up occasionally. Government Center Trail is a perfect spot for area workers to take a walk after lunch or work while Huguenot Park adds a greenway to the growing retail center nearby.

Each of these parks has different things for county residents to discover.

Rockwood Park

Rockwood Park is not only the county's oldest park - it's also the most popular, according to the county's Web site. It's easy to see why so many people go there since it has four shelters, each having a dozen or more picnic tables, a sports complex with ball fields and tennis courts, a dog park, garden plots and nature trails.

Petunia, a young opposum, visits with children at the Rockwood Nature Center. The center often hosts events that help expose children to the workings of Mother Nature.

On a single weekend day when the weather is good, the nature center has over 100 visitors. It is a good way to enjoy living things you might not see otherwise. In addition to a selection of turtles, frogs, toads and skinks, the center is home to two copperhead snakes and a rattlesnake. You are not, however, likely to see a rattlesnake slithering freely out in the park as they are not indigenous to this area.

A bashful, blind chipmunk is one furry animal that calls the nature center home. Many of the center's animals are obtained from rehabbers who have determined they can't be returned to the wild, explained Denise Flora, recreation activities specialist. The snakes are captive-bred. The bullfrog was raised from a tadpole at the center.

Those who prefer nature outside can take one of the four natural trails. Gregory Pond Trail is a 1.6 mile trek in the woods to Gregory Pond, which is actually not part of the park. However, it is a great place to see herons and other water birds and to count the turtles, said Ken Jenkins, park manager.

The trails are used all the time. Every day at 7 a.m. there are at least 20 regulars who walk and jog the trails.

Rockwood's new dog park is very popular. About an acre and a half of land, it is divided into two sections with only one open at a time so the grass can recover in the other section. "One Saturday I counted 32 dogs at one time using the park. There were no problems," said Jenkins. "Most people have pretty goodnatured dogs."

Government Center Trail

The 1.5 mile walking trail in the county government complex has been used by walkers and joggers for years, but in June 2006, it opened as a formal trail with a stone-dust surface. It passes through a wooded area with mixed hardwoods that are probably about 60 years old, said Chesterfield County Extension Agent Mike Likins, who takes groups of Master Gardeners to the trail for "fungal forays." (That's "mushroom hunting" for the layman.)

Fall is the typical time for mushrooms to sprout, spread their spores and reproduce, but some years are better than others. These groups aren't hunting mushrooms to eat, but to understand the symbiotic relationship between the fungi and the trees. Much of a mushroom's life is below ground. While they are beneficial for trees and other plants, many are poisonous, Likins cautioned.

When asked if he eats wild mushrooms, Likins answered with an adamant "No!" There is no easy way to tell if they are poisonous, he explained.

But the sights along the trail aren't limited to looking down. The birds are migrating now so it is a good time to look up when you are walking through the woods, said Likins.

In addition to the classes of Master Gardeners, the trail is used by walkers and joggers, parents with strollers, bicycles and dog walkers.

The trail is part of the "greenways" effort to preserve open space and connect residents with woods, parks and natural areas. Trail development in the county is a priority and part of the county's master plan.

The construction of the trail was done by members of the Sheriff's Office Work Force and volunteers such as Boy Scout troops and other community groups.

Huguenot Park

This 56-acre park, tucked behind CJW Medical Center's Johnston Willis campus, has become a suburban oasis for those who want to take a break from concrete and traffic noise. The park is heavily wooded with pines and hardwoods that give cover for songbirds and small animals. It also has three soccer fields, two picnic shelters and tennis and basketball courts for the sports-minded.

In addition, Huguenot Park has an azalea garden and walking trails with mile markers for fitness training. The trail begins and ends at Robious Sports and Fitness Center's parking lot. Many of the members take advantage of the outdoor running trail, noted Susan Taylor, park director.

Katie's Playground, designed for both able and disabled children, is always busy. "It is packed every day," Taylor said. "I used to work at Rockwood Park and thought that playground was busy, but this has even more kids."

"We get lots of out-of-towners," she added, "and they are always impressed with [Chesterfield's] parks."