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Places We Protect

Brown's Lake Bog Preserve

Ohio

Green fern plants and trees surround a walking path.
Brown's Lake Bog in Summer Lush foliage along the trail at Brown's Lake Bog, Ohio. © Emily Speelman

This 100-acre preserve protects a bog with floating sphagnum moss mat, a 7-acre kettle lake and an outstanding example of a glacially formed hill known as a kame.

Overview

Description

Brown's Lake Bog represents a very rare plant community in Ohio. The naturally acidic properties of sphagnum, coupled with its ability to insulate the water below from rapid air temperature changes, provided the right environment for the creation of the bog and its relict boreal plant communities. More than 20 rare plants are found here.

As one of the few well-preserved, virgin boreal acid bogs remaining in a region where wetlands have been drained for agricultural use, Brown's Lake Bog was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1967.

The greatest threat to the integrity of the glacial relict bog community is succession. Some of this may be unnaturally accelerated due to increased runoff and changes in water chemistry, possibly caused by surrounding agricultural areas. Without intervention, the entire kettle depression would become a swamp forest. If woody plants are permitted to encroach upon the sphagnum mat, these shrubs and trees would eventually shade out the bog species that make this area unique.

Access

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Hours

Trails are open year-round, daily, from dawn to dusk

Highlights

Activities include: Hiking, birding, nature photography and observing rare and native plants

Size

100 acres

Explore our work in this region

Photos from Brown's Lake Bog

The 100-acre preserve is home to 20 rare plants and is one of the few remaining kettle hole peatlands in Ohio.

Brown's Lake Bog entrance signage.
A young boy crouched on a boardwalk surrounded by ferns and trees.
Yellow and white fungi growing on a log in a forest.
A brown and yellow salamander slithering through the dirt.
A boardwalk covered in snow with bare trees surrounding it.
A dragonfly perched on a piece of wood.
A dense green forest.
A boardwalk surround by green ferns and Loop trail signage.
Mushrooms growing on a log.
A northern pitcher plant surrounded by ferns.
Brown's Lake Bog entrance signage.

Brown's Lake Bog : Brown's Lake Bog has been a designated National Natural Landmark since 1967. © TNC

A young boy crouched on a boardwalk surrounded by ferns and trees.

Exploring Brown's Lake Bog: Young children and adults alike can explore Brown's Lake Bog Preserve. © Danae Wolfe/TNC

Yellow and white fungi growing on a log in a forest.

Fungi: Various fungi cover fallen logs across the forest floor at Brown's Lake Bog. © Danae Wolfe/TNC

A brown and yellow salamander slithering through the dirt.

Critters at Brown's Lake Bog: Four-toed salamanders are commonly spotted throughout the preserve's forest floor. © Anthony F. Belfast

A boardwalk covered in snow with bare trees surrounding it.

Snowy Path at Brown's Lake Bog: Hikers can still enjoy the snow-dusted pathway at Brown's Lake Bog during the colder months. © Emily Speelman

A dragonfly perched on a piece of wood.

Critters at Brown's Lake Bog: Twelve spotted skimmer dragonflies can be spotted across the preserve thanks to its large, identifiable dark spots. © Emily Speelman

A dense green forest.

Brown's Lake Bog's Ferns: Ferns cover the forest floor throughout Brown's Lake Bog. © Emily Speelman

A boardwalk surround by green ferns and Loop trail signage.

Brown's Lake Bog Loop Trail: Hikers can enjoy the 1/2 mile loop trail at Brown's Lake Bog. © Emily Speelman

Mushrooms growing on a log.

Pholiota Mushroom: A variety of pholiota fungi grow at Brown's Lake Bog Preserve thanks to its naturally moist conditions. © Emily Speelman

A northern pitcher plant surrounded by ferns.

Northern Pitcher Plant Flower: The Northern Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea) is one of the few wildflowers that are native to peat bogs like Brown's Lake Bog. © Emily Speelman

Visit

  • This 100-acre preserve is a bog with its floating sphagnum moss mat, a 7-acre kettle hole lake and an outstanding example of a glacially formed hill known as a Kame. Brown's Lake Bog is one of the few remaining kettle hole peatlands in Ohio. The bog and surrounding 80 acres of lowland forest were purchased by The Nature Conservancy in 1966 and declared a National Natural Landmark in 1968. A 1990 purchase of 19 acres secured ownership of all of Brown's Lake.

    Plants

    • Bog buckbean
    • Rose pogonia orchid
    • Mud sedge
    • Pitcher-plant
    • Round-leaved sundew
    • Large cranberry
    • Marsh fivefinger
    • Grass-pink orchid
    • Tawny cottongrass

    Amphibians and Reptiles

    • Four-toed salamander

  • Our vision is of a world where people and nature thrive together. The Nature Conservancy encourages people of all ages, races, ethnicities, religions, gender expressions, and abilities to visit our preserves and has a zero-tolerance policy for racism and discrimination.

    The following activities are NOT permitted at Brown's Lake Bog Preserve:

    • Pets of any kind (service animals are permitted)
    • Biking and mountain biking
    • Camping
    • Driving an ATV or off-road vehicle
    • Cooking or campfires
    • Horseback riding
    • Hunting
    • Picking flowers, berries, nuts or mushrooms
    • Removing any part of the natural landscape
    • Snowmobiling

    Use of other power-driven mobility devices (OPDMDs) is prohibited. For more information about the use of (OPDMDs) at our open preserves, please visit our OPDMD guidelines.

Current Conservation Work

The Nature Conservancy is working to maintain the existing open bog mat and expand the open mat to include currently shrubbed over areas around the bog lake. This area has been very heavily encroached upon by shrub succession over the past half century. TNC also manages the preserve for visitor use by maintaining the boardwalk and trails.

Brown's Lake Bog Preserve Ferns cover the forest floor of Brown's Lake Bog along the board walk as the sun shines through the trees. © Emily Speelman
Northern Pitcher Plant Northern pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea) is one of Ohio's few carnivorous plants and is a rare plant, officially listed as threatened in Ohio. © Emily Speelman
Brown's Lake Bog Preserve The boardwalk lush with foliage and sunshine on a summer day. © Emily Speelman
Turkey Tail Fungus (Trametes versicolor) Common in all parts of Ohio, but always stunning to see the wide range of colors displayed. © Emily Speelman
Rose pogonia orchid (Pogonia ophioglossoides) Considered threatened in Ohio. A bog plant that blooms in June. © Emily Speelman
Tawny cottongrass (Eriophorum virginicum) The fluffy blooms of this bog loving grass in late summer are unmistakeable. © Emily Speelman
Round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) One of Ohio's carnivorous plants, it attracts and digests its prey with the sticky substance on its leaves. © Emily Speelman

Find More Places We Protect

The Nature Conservancy owns nearly 1,500 preserves covering more than 2.5 million acres across all 50 states. These lands protect wildlife and natural systems, serve as living laboratories for innovative science and connect people to the natural world.

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