None The Nature Conservancy in Ohio Press Releases Search All Press Releases Randall Edwards Phone: (614) 717-2770 ext. 30 E-mail: redwards@tnc.org

Wayne National Forest Grows

U.S. Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy join to protect 1,268 acres in Lawrence County. A portion of the new land has been honored for noted conservationist Ora E. Anderson.

IRONTON, OHIO — September 14, 2007 — A total of 1,268 acres of forest and grassland were added to Ohio’s only national forest today through a partnership between the U.S. Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy.

The land, in Washington Township in northern Lawrence County, is now part of the Ironton Ranger District of the Wayne National Forest. The Forest Service purchased the property on Friday, September 14, 2007 from the Conservancy for $982,240.

Located between existing Wayne National Forest property and a state wildlife area, the land will remain open to the public for hunting, fishing, bird-watching, and other recreation.

“The property is a significant addition to the Wayne National Forest. It includes 1,268 acres of open meadow for song birds like the Henslow Sparrow, young growth forest, and several fishing ponds. The property contains the historic Pioneer Iron Furnace and is near the community of Blackfork, Ohio, where ancestors of the Underground Railroad live today,” said Forest Supervisor Mary O. Reddan.

The land is a mixture of reclaimed mine lands and young hardwood forest and is important because it closes a gap in Forest Service ownership in the Ironton Ranger District – a popular center of outdoor recreation.

 “While the forest on this property is relatively young, this land is part of the Appalachian forest – the oldest and most diverse forest system in North America,” said Rich Shank, state director of The Nature Conservancy in Ohio. “It’s very important for plant and animal diversity in Ohio.”

A portion of the newly-acquired land is named Anderson Meadows in honor of Ora E. Anderson, a former life trustee of The Nature Conservancy who supported the establishment and growth of the Wayne National Forest for decades.

"Ora Anderson was a strong ambassador for the Wayne National Forest and the Conservancy throughout his life,” Shank said. “Even in his nineties, he helped us win the support of Congressman Ralph Regula, who in turn helped us secure funding for this project.” Regula is a senior member of the Appropriations Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Nature Conservancy acquired the land as part of a 4,100-acre purchase of forested hills and reclaimed strip mines from the former Mead-Westvaco company in 2004 and 2005. The Conservancy has been holding the property until Congress could appropriate the money for land acquisition on the Wayne.

These lands have been operated since 2005 as the Ironton Forest Wildlife Area, a public hunting and fishing area, through a cooperative agreement with the Ohio Division of Wildlife. In September of 2006, the Conservancy transferred nearly 670 acres of the land to the Wayne. The remainder of the Conservancy land – approximately 2,180 acres – will remain under the Division of Wildlife management.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.