If you're interested in seeing where The Nature Conservancy got its start in Ohio, Lynx Prairie Preserve is the place to visit.

It was here, where islands of grassland support rare species like Texas sandwort and blue-hearts, that in 1959 a group of ecologists made a small investment in the future of Ohio’s natural resources, paying $1,000 for the 42-acre parcel of prairie. 

The Ohio Chapter of the Conservancy was similarly humble at the time, with about 100 members, but over the next 50 years both Lynx Prairie and the Conservancy’s Ohio program would flourish. 

Lynx Prairie has now burgeoned into southern Ohio’s 13,500-acre Edge of Appalachia preserve system, comprised of species-rich woodlands and rustling prairies that have been pieced together over time in a large-scale protection puzzle.  And while Lynx was growing, so was the Conservancy’s work across the state, expanding to protect some of the best forest, grassland, wetland and freshwater resources. 

"It's amazing, really,” says Terry Seidel, the Conservancy’s director of real estate in Ohio, of the organization’s growth in the state.  “I wonder if our founders could’ve imagined what that first purchase would develop into."

Leaving a Legacy 

So far, the Conservancy has protected nearly 40,000 acres in the Buckeye State, establishing a system of nature preserves and supporting the conservation efforts of dozens of partner organizations. 

Legacies of the Conservancy’s work can be found everywhere:  Over the years the Conservancy has established nearly thirty preserves, protecting many of the state’s remaining natural strongholds, where biodiversity is greatest. 

Kitty Todd Preserve Seidel says, is a good example of this.  “It’s got one of the highest concentrations of rare species in the state.” 

Established in 1972 as a 26-acre nature preserve, Kitty Todd now covers more than 700 acres and is a key part of a larger network of preserves and parks.  This interconnected network allows the preserve to play a significant role in the bigger ecological scheme of things. 

“Kitty Todd is part of northwest Ohio’s Oak Openings region, which is within the headwaters of the Maumee River,” explains Seidel. “That means that protection and restoration efforts at the preserve will ultimately help to keep the river in better shape and, thus, Lake Erie.”

Working at the Scale of Nature 

It’s this kind of big-picture thinking that’s become a trademark of the Conservancy in recent decades. 

“It’s no longer enough to protect small pockets of biodiversity,” Seidel says of the organization’s evolution in Ohio. “As natural systems deteriorate around the world, we have to think about those places that are critically important on a global scale.”

In Ohio, that means focusing on the state’s remarkable forest and freshwater resources.   

“Lake Erie and the Ohio River offer a tremendous opportunity to contribute to conservation efforts at a globally significant level,” says Seidel.  “We need to protect these systems not only for nature, but also for the millions of people who rely on them.”

In addition to these freshwater resources, Conservancy scientists also have prioritized the state’s Appalachian forests, which are part of the oldest and most diverse forest system in North America. 

From protecting prairie remnants, to conserving and restoring large forested landscapes and extensive freshwater resources, the Conservancy in Ohio has come a long way since its formation in 1958.

And as challenges to our work have grown over the years – rising land prices, new and more aggressive invasive species, climate change and the quickening pace of development – so have we.   While land acquisition continues to be an important tool, Ohio has developed a host of conservation strategies to achieve its large-scale goals.

“Now more than ever we’re promoting public policy initiatives and developing a stronger and more varied network of conservation partners,” Seidel explains.  “All this helps to build capacity.” 

And as the Conservancy’s work grows over the next 50 years, so will the legacy it leaves.  

“I know my grandchildren will benefit from the work we’re doing,” Seidel says proudly.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right):  Photo © Ohio Department of Natural Resources (Trees); Photo © TNC (Hikers at Kitty Todd Nature Preserve)