The jagged swells of dolomite bedrock, displaced by a meteorite millions of years ago, are part of the diamond-in-the-rough appeal of The Nature Conservancy’s Strait Creek Prairie Bluffs Preserve in Pike County.

The dynamic landscape supports a varied assortment of rare and native plant and animal life and has attracted the attention of those who revere nature since Ohio’s ancient cultures occupied the surrounding lands.

“Where the impact occurred, the bedrock was shifted up to 1,000 acres above the ground,” explains Dave Minney, the Conservancy’s Southern Ohio land steward. The result -- a mammoth circular cryptoexplosion structure, stretching nearly 4 miles in diameter across northern Adams and southwestern Pike counties -- is a mosaic of woodland, forest and grassland habitats and the wildlife they attract.

Seeing the Bigger Picture

The Conservancy has been working at Strait Creek, which runs along the edge of the cryptoexplosion structure, since 1984, when it purchased the preserve’s original acreage from Cincinnatians Ed Neu and Carol Rickert Neu (who donated some of the property). Since then, the Conservancy has acquired more than 500 additional acres of this ecologically distinct area. In recent months, the Conservancy has expanded its vision of the preserve, and is looking to protect several hundred more acres within the cryptoexplosion area.

“The original preserve was purchased with the aim of protecting rare plants,” says Minney, citing bluehearts, a flowering plant, as a particular focus. “The vegetation in the cryptoexplosion area is closely related to the bedrock,” he adds, meaning some areas have relatively common plant communities while others, like the grassland areas that grew atop the dolomite bedrock, foster more unusual species.

Presently, about 520 native plant species, including 30 rare plants, grow in the 614-acre preserve. “With the added acreage, we think we’ll be able to protect grassland nesting birds, too,” adds Minney. Key bird species here include Henslow’s sparrow, dickcissel and the grasshopper sparrow.

Ancient Admiration

In letters to the Conservancy, the Neus talk of being drawn to buy, and compelled to preserve, “this property with the exotic-looking flora and topography.” Others have shared this mindset. The cryptoexplosion structure has been revered and maintained by humans at least since the Fort Ancient cultures built the Great Serpent Mound within its boundaries. Today, the efforts of Ohio’s ancient cultures are still visible within the area.

“This land is still relatively natural,” explains Minney. “The combination of grasslands, woodlands and forest that existed here before European contact are still present.” Minney says reintroducing natural disturbances, primarily controlled burns, has revived more than 50 acres of grasslands. Still, efforts to restore the landscape continue. Currently, negotiations to purchase more than 130 acres of potential grassland, the first step in achieving our expanded conservation goals for this area, are in progress.

“Let me tell you something about the bluehearts…they were rare when we bought the preserve,” says Minney, estimating the number at that time could be counted on his fingers. Today, aided by prescribed burns, bluehearts bloom by the thousands at Strait Creek. “Now, I’d say that plant isn’t particularly rare anymore."

Nature picture credits (left to right): Photo © ODNR (Strait Creek Prairie Bluffs Preserve); Photo © ODNR (indian paintbrush).