• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

		The Nature Conservancy in Oklahoma Oklahoma Chapter   How We Work   Stewardship   Science   News Items   Events   Help Out   Contacts Where We Work   Four Canyon   Nickel   Pontotoc Ridge   Tallgrass Prairie   More . . . Links

J.T. Nickel Family Nature & Wildlife Preserve
Overview

The J.T. Nickel Family Nature & Wildlife Preserve covers more than 15,000 acres in Cherokee and Adair Counties. Established in 2000, the preserve is the largest privately protected conservation area anywhere in the Ozarks. The preserve was created as a result of a land gift from the John Nickel Family to protect the area's nature and wildlife for future generations.

The steeply forested hills and narrow valleys of this 15,000-acre preserve harbor an exceptional diversity of plants and animals, many of which occur nowhere else outside the Ozarks. Seeps and springs provide for abundant water throughout the landscape, allowing for creeks and waterfalls to flow in all seasons. Verdant oak-hickory forests transition to a mosaic of lofty pine woodland, oak savanna, shrubland, and prairie. These diverse habitats provide abundant opportunities to view deer, turkey, songbirds, and other wildlife.

The Nickel Preserve has been identified as a key conservation area in the protection of biological diversity in the Ozarks Ecoregion. The preserve harbors numerous species and plant communities identified as primary conservation targets in the Conservancy's ecoregional plan for the Ozarks. The long-term maintenance of an ecologically functional landscape will be enhanced by the size and integrity of this largely intact area.

The Nature Conservancy manages the Nickel Preserve as a core conservation area to support native forest, woodland, and savanna communities. More than 1,200 acres of the flats and valleys converted to non-native grasses are being restored to native plant communities in an ambitious woodland and savanna restoration effort. As fire is returned to its historical role in this Ozark system, a diverse landscape mosaic is expected to emerge, with an even greater diversity and abundance of wildlife species. The Conservancy is currently pursuing the reintroduction of elk, a once-common ungulate absent from this Ozark landscape for more than 150 years.

Public Access

A county road bisects the preserve from west to east. Two self-guided hiking trails begin at the headquarters building. These are open during daylight hours 7 days a week. Access to other areas of the preserve may be arranged by contacting the preserve manager. The headquarters building is staffed on weekdays. No hunting, fishing, or camping is allowed on the preserve.

Nickel Preserve Conservation Plans:

• Conservation Elements
• Fire Management
• Savanna Restoration
• Elk Reintroduction
• Invasive Species Control
• Salamander Monitoring
• Bringing Back the Chinquapin