This was a student project by Kymberly Ware, Yujia Kuang, and Jessica Muha for Jake Boswell and Ethan McGory's course LARCH 4960 in Autumn 2018. Waterman Farm is an agriculture and natural resource laboratory located less than a mile northwest of Ohio State University's main campus and within a ten minute drive of downtown Columbus. Its 261 acres are what remains of the land grant university’s agricultural education and research history. The farm is home to a 200 jersey cow dairy operation and over 70 acres of designated agricultural research. Despite its close proximity to campus and unique educational experiences, many students and faculty are unaware of Waterman’s existence. The connectivity between the site and main campus is disjointed, as there are no direct bus routes, safe pedestrian access ways, or bike trails. The first design decision for this project was to create a bike trail connection from the residential area to the west of Waterman, through the farm, to the existing multiuse trail south of the site and along the main roads into campus where it can also connect to the existing Olentangy River greenway trail. The aim of the site design is to create a robust bioremediation system by enhancing its riparian pollinator corridors and to extend circulation throughout the site while embracing views and teaching opportunities. It is also the goal of this project to create a model multi-species pasture grazing system that cuts down on the amount of silage grown on site, remediates soils and allows for a more rich educational opportunity near campus.
