Edge of Appalachia Preserve System

Ancient forests of massive oaks and American chestnut once blanketed nearly all of what would become southern and eastern Ohio. When the first white settlers arrived in the Ohio Valley, wolves and elk wandered this rustic landscape of pristine rivers and fertile forests.

Yet by the early 1900s, about 90 percent of the original forest cover had been cleared to make room for farmland and to feed the iron furnaces of southern Ohio—severely degrading part of North America’s oldest and most biologically diverse forest systems.

Today, Ohio’s Appalachian forests are returning, with nearly 40 percent of the region cloaked in mixed hardwood forest. The Nature Conservancy’s 20,000-acre Edge of Appalachia Preserve is a key component of this recovery process, mending habitats on a large scale and preserving the landscape’s unique natural legacy.

Current Conservation Work

The Edge of Appalachia Preserve is threatened by the invasion of woody species into prairie openings, as well as unsustainable forestry practices and habitat fragmentation in areas surrounding the preserve. In addition, the unauthorized use of off-road vehicles inside the preserve is disturbing habitat and creating favorable conditions for the establishment of non-native weedy plants, which eventually can displace native vegetation.

The Conservancy has been working to combat these threats through land acquisition, education and restoration efforts.

• Land acquisition focuses on consolidating land holdings and linking critical areas within the preserve system, which consist of 11 contiguous preserves that are owned and managed by both the Conservancy and the Cincinnati Museum Center.
• The Conservancy's Sunshine Corridor Project aims to link the Edge of Appalachia Preserve System with Shawnee State Forest, creating the largest contiguous, protected forestland in Ohio. This will benefit resident and migrating wildlife as well as create more recreational opportunities.
• Land management efforts include restoration of glade communities and prairie openings and addressing timber management issues as they relate to local economic development and neo-tropical migrant birds.
• The Conservancy continues to build partnerships with the local community and public and private entities to develop innovative approaches to compatible economic development.
• Young scientists are gaining knowledge and skills at the Edge of Appalachia Preserve's Science Camp, run by the Cincinnati Museum Center, which takes place every summer. Here, teens (ages 17-19) have the unique opportunity to assist scientists in the research process.
• The Conservancy and the Edge of Appalachia Preserve System are part of an active community of local businesses and organizations working to promote the exciting destinations and things to do in Adams County. Follow backroads to find quilt barns, Amish baked goods, historic sites and much more.
• The Nature Conservancy in partnership with many other organizations, as part of Leadership Adams, created a Hiker's Guide to Adams County Ohio. The guide is a detailed brochure of nature trails, maps and interpretive information to make visiting Adams County easy and enjoyable. Download the map or check it out online here.
• In October 2019, 14 additional miles of trail were officially added to the Buckeye Trail on Edge of Appalachia Preserve property. Through a partnership between Buckeye Trail Association (BTA) and TNC, BTA volunteers constructed this new trail. This additional portion of trail can be accessed from the end of the Joan Jones Portman Trail. This effort gets more of the Buckeye Trail off roads and into the wilderness.
• Hunting is permitted on a very select portion of the Edge of Appalachia Preserve at certain times of the year. Permission to hunt is granted by Nature Conservancy staff to a limited number of applicants. The application process begins in the fall and is currently closed. For general hunting questions, please contact Rich McCarty - 937-544-2880 Ext. 15.