28-06-2025
Nature: Clyde Gosnell and Omie Warner are extraordinary conservationists
The year 1930 brought momentous impacts for conservation in Ohio. The Great Depression was setting in, but the dates of Jan. 19 and June 24 launched two people, who would eventually have an outsized impact on the stewardship of the Buckeye State's natural resources.
Louise 'Omie' Warner was born on the earlier date, and Clyde Gosnell the latter date. It would be some time before their paths would cross, but they'd eventually become a power couple in conservation.
Warner was married to Dr. Jack Warner until his death in 1996, and Gosnell was married for 44 years to his first wife, Sue.
When Gosnell and Warner met, there was an instant attraction, and they married in 2001. They remain deeply in love to this day. Even at the age of 94, both are hearty, hale, creative thinkers and whirlwinds of ideas and activities.
Both became interested in nature as kids, but career paths followed different trajectories. Warner became an anesthesiologist, and Gosnell an architect. Warner had a long and distinguished medical career, and Gosnell left a big architectural imprint on Columbus.
Nature: Eastern tent caterpillar nests can be seen throughout Ohio
He specialized in hospital design and had major roles in the design of Grant, Mount Carmel and St. Ann's hospitals — and about 45 other medical centers. He also designed parts of the Pontifical College Josephinum, but undoubtedly, his best-known work was the iconic Christopher Inn on East Broad Street.
Warner did not let the grass grow under her feet, even while actively working. Her first husband had purchased 236 acres of land in Delaware County in 1953. He decided to preserve the wetlands and woodlands and use part of the property for sustainable agriculture.
Inspired by their daughter Gale's vision, the two turned the property into the Stratford Ecological Center, an educational showcase of the best agricultural practices. Woodlands on the property host scads of breeding salamanders and other wildlife.
Stratford opened in 1993 and hosts around 16,000 visitors annually — over half of them children. Because of her contributions, Warner was inducted into the Delaware County Agricultural Hall of Fame.
Prior to his architectural career, Gosnell enlisted in the army and spent 15 months on the ground during the Korean War. At one point, his unit received airstrike support from two young Air Force aviators who would later achieve fame as astronauts: Buzz Aldrin and John Glenn.
Much later, inspired by astronomer Brad Hoehne, Gosnell and Warner worked tirelessly to establish the John Glenn Astronomy Park at Old Man's Cave in Hocking Hills, which opened in 2018.
Astronomical education was by no means their only contribution to the betterment of Hocking Hills State Park, which sees over 4 million visitors annually. After much leg work, along with naturalist Paul Knoop, they convinced both the Ohio Departments of Natural Resources and Transportation to reroute State Route 664, which passes near Old Man's Cave.
The former alignment forced visitors to cross the busy road near a blind corner, creating a dangerous situation. The new risk-free reroute was completed in 2011, and millions of people are the beneficiaries.
Many people, especially birders, appreciate the massive prairie/wetland complex at Battelle Darby Metro Park in southwest Franklin County.
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Gosnell, along with his buddy Jack McDowell, visited relict prairies to collect the seed that spawned the prairie, which now harbors bell's vireos, blue grosbeaks, sedge wrens, northern harriers, short-eared owls and much more.
Consummate naturalists and born educators, Gosnell and Warner have long hosted Trillium Fest at their Mathias Grove property on the northern fringe of Hocking Hills.
Thousands of people have attended the mid-April event over the many years they've opened their property. The lure is an awe-inspiring forest blanketed with red trillium and large-flowered trillium — the latter is Ohio's state wildflower.
Gosnell also expresses the beauty of nature through his art. He got interested in painting decades ago and has produced scores of works. Several years ago, he gifted me a beautiful watercolor of darters in Big Darby Creek.
It features four species of the little perch family members, including the rare Tippecanoe darter. The eye-catching painting owns space on a prominent wall of my home.
This brief column can only cover the tip of the iceberg regarding Gosnell and Warner's accomplishments. The numerous awards they've received over the years reflect their many achievements.
Insatiable intellectual curiosity, out-of-the-box thinking and a tireless work ethic are rare attributes. Combine them all in one person and you've got a one in a million. Put two one in a millions together and you've got Gosnell and Warner.
We owe a huge debt of gratitude to this power couple, whose work will benefit people for generations to come.
Naturalist Jim McCormac writes a column for The Dispatch on the first and third Sundays of the month. He also writes about nature at jim
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Nature: Clyde Gosnell and Omie Warner are top conservationists
