Betty Lowe鈥檚 family has owned nearly 3,000 acres of forested land in the foothills of Appalachian Ohio for the last century.
Now, the property is open to the public.
In one of the in state history, Lowe is working with a pair of nonprofits to ensure her family鈥檚 property is protected as the Joy Valley Nature Preserve for generations to come.
鈥淐onserving a large parcel like this is very important to the type of wildlife and conservation values that need a large continuous unbroken forest, and that's what this place is,鈥� said Brian Blair, a board member with Athens Conservancy.
Lowe donated the property to the local landbank, which will manage it as a nature preserve, protecting wildlife while simultaneously marking trails and developing parking for easier public access.
Meanwhile, the Nature Conservancy holds a conservation easement on the land. The national entity will provide oversight and ensure the property is protected long-term.
The importance of nature preserves
Southeast Ohio already boasts some of the state鈥檚 most beloved nature, from Hocking Hills to the Wayne National Forest.
But public lands are limited in Ohio compared to the rest of the country.
鈥淥hio, in general, is only about 4.2% public land,鈥� Blair said. 鈥淪o even though we have some beautiful state parks and wildlife areas in Ohio, and especially southeast Ohio, we don't have a huge amount of public land compared to some other states. And that's where nature preserves like this come in.鈥�
Blair says nature preserves like Joy Valley help provide habitat for a wide range of animals.
鈥淪pecies like bobcats, salamanders and everything in between need large protected areas like this, whether they're in the state parks or in the nature preserves,鈥� he said.
And nature preserves also take pressure off popular destinations like Hocking Hills.
鈥淓verybody loves the Hocking Hills, and in a way we're kind of loving it 鈥� not to death 鈥� but we're being pretty hard on the Hocking Hills with all the visitation,鈥� Blair said. 鈥淣ature preserves like this really help meet the public demand for conserved natural areas.鈥�
He doesn鈥檛 recommend visiting the Joy Valley Nature Preserve quite yet 鈥� cell phone reception there is limited and it鈥檚 not well-marked.
But that will change in the coming months: Athens Conservancy says adding signage and trail markers is a top priority.
