Benjamin Logan Local Schools' Environmental Science Club is marking its 10th year, Peak of Ohio reported on Oct. 8, 2026. The club opened the school year with a trip to Jolly Acres, where 28 student members pressed apple cider, painted pumpkins and navigated a corn maze, according to the report. The Brewer family hosted the group. The visit was meant to build understanding of Logan County's agricultural heritage and the rural landscape near students' schools and homes.
Over the past decade, the club has involved students in environmental projects and community service. Members have cleared invasive species, planted trees, created pollinator plots and raised-bed gardens, and installed a bluebird trail on the Benjamin Logan campus. Guest speakers have covered forestry, native birds and Ohio bats. Other activities have included an overnight program and owl prowl at Kirkmont Center and Enviro-Camp, a summer extension offered for three years.
For the current school year, plans include dissecting owl pellets to study food webs, measuring heart rates of daphnia, searching for tardigrades known as water bears, and hiking a Logan County gorge to examine geological history. Organizers say the activities are meant to prompt questions, observations, environmental career exploration and understanding of local natural resources.
The club is jointly sponsored by Benjamin Logan Local Schools and the Logan County Land Trust. It is led by educators Ryan Kerns, Spencer Reames and Bruce Smith, along with Bob Stoll of the Land Trust. Smith has taught at Benjamin Logan since 1985 and serves on the Land Trust board; Stoll is a Benjamin Logan graduate and longtime board member with forestry, soil conservation and agriculture experience. The club is open to grades four through 12, and this year's 28 members applied and committed to participate. The school district is recognizing the Land Trust partnership and thanking the Brewer family.