Ruder Preserve’s new and accessible boardwalk is ready for the public

Every morning since May 2023, three retired Miami University professors have spent their mornings in the woods constructing the newest section of a boardwalk, more than 1,000 feet long. Apart from a four-month break in the winter, this routine has been consistent. They expect to see it finished by this year’s Hikeathon on Sept. 21.

The boardwalk, in Ruder Preserve, just across from Leonard G. Howell Park, is part of a project by the Three Valley Conservation Trust – a local non-profit conservation group with more than 24,000 acres of land in Southwest Ohio. The three professors, Mark Boardman, Tom Farmer and Steve Nimis, hope that the site will be a more accessible way for people to enjoy nature.

The project focuses on complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The boardwalk is wide enough for multiple wheelchairs, and includes turnaround areas, bumpers and benches every 150 feet.

Boardman, a board member of Three Valley Conservation, said this goal was partially inspired by the newest ADA-friendly OATS trail. Another motivator for Boardman was his father-in-law, who used a walker and was largely housebound because of this.

Project volunteer and former professor Nimis also had a personal connection to the project and hopes that his niece, who uses a wheelchair, is able to visit.

“If we were going to build it, we wanted it to be accessible,” Boardman said.

The goal of ADA compliance drew in donors such as Duke Energy, Dayton Disability, Adam’s Legacy and the Wakeman Foundation.

The team aims for the project to promote conservation as well as accessibility. Project manager and former professor Farmer has placed bird feeders around the boardwalk and the team plans to add signage about habitats. They’ve also made it a goal to get rid of invasive species – such as Amur honeysuckle – so that native species can recolonize.

Boardman said honeysuckle was particularly troublesome for them and had to be removed before construction on the newest side of the boardwalk could begin. He described it as an “invisible work,” spearheaded by Donna McCollum and Steve Gordon, associates of Three Valley Conservation, including 1,156 volunteers and more than 30 groups since the project’s start.

Photo by Sarah Kennel | The Miami Student
The boardwalk will look over Four Mile Creek and be ADA accessible.

Boardman also described grant writing and financing as part of the invisible work that has gone into the project.

Despite the long path there, the team believes they’re approaching the project’s completion. The main focus now is the details, such as handrails – including spindles and hand grips.

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Nimis said a few regulars come by to check out the progress, and the boardwalk is already being used by a local walking club.

“We enjoy each other’s company, and people come by and compliment us on the work,” Nimis said. “It’s very gratifying.”

According to Boardman, the friendship between the three of them goes back 25 years.

Farmer said he enjoys working with Nimis and Boardman on the boardwalk each day. He likens it to boys “building a treehouse” rather than thinking of it as work.

“We are close friends anyways, so it’s kind of natural for us,” Farmer said. “Before we were working on the boardwalk, we were walking together, and so that just kind of got transformed into working instead of walking.”

Although work will continue on smaller details this week, the path is walkable and will be clear by Sept. 21. The team hopes the boardwalk will receive lots of traffic.

“The outcome is terrific,” said Boardman. “We are really, really glad that it’s a valuable amenity, a valuable addition, to the Oxford community.”

kennelse@miamioh.edu