2 0 1 7 �ear in �eview

�ntrepid ��� co-founders

�aul �noop and �im �avidson in old growth

forest at �ercer �oods �reserve, �ocking �ills

Celebrating 15 Amazing Years of ConservationAOA proudly celebrates 15 years of protecting water quality, wildlife and native plant

habitat, working farms, historic and cultural heritage and beautiful places

Beginning with a small group of volunteer naturalists concerned about preserving Ohio’s natural heritage and resources, AOA has grown into an effective non-profit land conservancy serving central and southeastern Ohio. AOA continues to emphasize our guiding principles — providing land and water conservation, stewardship, vision, leadership, education and outreach. In recent years we broadened our strategic vision while refining our geographic service area. We have adopted conservation initiatives which highlight our mission priorities and reflect our focus on water quality and conservation of riparian corridors, particularly in the Scioto and Hocking River watersheds.

Healthy rivers and natural areas, working farms, historic and cultural heritage, and scenic beauty enrich lives and are intrinsic amenities that underpin our quality of life on many levels. AOA has embraced a commitment to the conservation of these resources and to providing public benefits to the many people and communities throughout our region. AOA has numerous conservation accomplishments to celebrate as highlighted on the following pages. We are very grateful to our visionary founders and the countless dedicated friends, volunteers, supporters, partners and donors who have made our efforts and success possible. As we take time to look back, we must also look ahead — to working together to address the many unfulfilled opportunities and needs for good conservation. We hope that you will join with us in our ongoing work to create a conservation legacy of which our region can be proud.

Core InitiativesScioto River Flyway Corridor

Greater Hocking Hills Conservation Initiative

Hocking River Conservation Corridor

Hocking Canal Heritage Trail

Farmland Preservation

Darby Creek Conservation Corridor

Key PreservesBison Hollow Preserve

Mercer Woods

Kleinmaier State Nature Preserve

Cackley Swamp Preserve

Trimble Community Forest

AOA Conservation Demonstration Site

Bartley Preserve

EarthTouch

Marsha Gunder Schneider Preserve

Trella Romine Prairie

Cline Preserve

AOA Success By the Numbers

>10,000 Acres Conserved

15 Counties

86 Conserved Properties

60 Conservation Donors

�and �onservationConservation Easement Preserves Goldenseal Sanctuary

AOA worked with United Plant Savers (UpS) to permanently protect a 292-acre portion of their Goldenseal Botanical Sanctuary with

a conservation easement. According to UpS this is the first property to be protected by a conservation easement for the purpose of

education and research of native medicinal plants. Nestled in the unglaciated Appalachia foothills of Meigs County, the Goldenseal

Sanctuary is home to over 500 medicinal plants. The Goldenseal Sanctuary is the flagship property of UpS and the central focal

point of the UpS mission. It was established in 1998 to provide a safe haven for medicinal plants and to provide a venue for research,

propagation, education and visitation. Formed in 1994, UpS is a nationwide nonprofit devoted to protecting and repopulating at-risk

native medicinal plants in their native habitats. UpS is collaborating with AOA to reintroduce native medicinals to some of our preserves.

Barr Family Preserves Mound View Farm and Snake Den MoundsAOA is working with the Barr family to conserve their four adjoining family farms in Pickaway County through the Ohio

Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Easement Purchase Program. Mound View Farm is the third of the four to be

preserved with an agricultural easement. This 151-acre grain and livestock farm is part of the Barr’s grass-fed, sustain-

ably raised cattle operation. The Barr’s recently preserved a fifth part of

their family farm properties — Snake Den Mounds, which features a unique

convergence of natural and cultural attributes. This 17-acre property lies

on the crest of a prominent glacial ridge with commanding views across

the Barr farms to the Columbus skyline on the north and “Standing Stone” in Lancaster to

the east. The site includes three 2,000 year old Hopewell period native American mounds

and two circular enclosures. It became known as Snake Den Mounds by settlers as a conse-

quence of the stone mounds serving as a black snake hibernaculum.

The primary addition consists of the 139-acre Bowmore property,

purchased from Scioto Land Co., LLC. The bottomland and head-

water corridors on this tract include a relatively mature mixed

hardwood and hemlock forest. Numerous scenic rock features

typical of the Hocking Hills are located on the property, including

steep black hand sandstone cliffs, rock overhangs, outcroppings

and ledges. A non-native pine forest planted on former

pastureland which comprises much of the upland ridge areas, will

be removed. These

areas will be refor-

ested with mixed

hardwoods.

A 5-acre parcel

recently pur-

chased by the For-

est Conservancy to

hold until AOA

could secure grant

monies to acquire

it was also added. Although small, this property borders the

Bowmore site and lies along the southern portion of the East Fork

of Queer Creek as well as a strategic entry point along Schoolie

Road on the south side of Bison Hollow. We were very fortunate

to be able to procure Clean Ohio Fund grant monies to help

facilitate these transactions.

�and �onservation

Bison Hollow Preserve ExpandedAOA purchased two properties in northern Vinton County

to expand our spectacular Bison Hollow Preserve. These sites

will supplement five existing conserved properties and one

conservation easement with a combined 270 preserved acres —

bringing the total area protected as part of Bison Hollow to over

410 acres. Located south of Ash Cave, Bison Hollow straddles

the Hocking-Vinton County line and is an important part of our

Greater Hocking Hills Conservation Initiative. The new properties

protect over 4,000 linear feet of steam corridor including the East

Fork of Queer Creek, which is the central feature of Bison Hollow.

AOA works to conserve land and water resources as sustainable assets for our community. In

2017 AOA increased the conservation lands we steward to 86 properties and over 10,000 acres.

We secured funding for numerous additional conservation transactions that are in process.

AOA Expands Scioto River Flywaywith Three New AcquisitionsAOA purchased three wetland sites in central Pickaway County

as part of our Scioto River Flyway Corridor Initiative: the 150-acre

Katie Wilson Schneider Preserve; the adjacent 32-acre Ray and

Betty Wampler Preserve; and the nearby 57-acre Samuel L. Fox

Preserve. Each of these properties comprised portions of a large

historic prairie and forest wetland system that was located just

north of Circleville on either side of Highway 23. They contain

substantial areas with poorly drained “muck” soils. Although

much of the surface water has been drained from these sites,

substantial wet areas remain, as well as opportunities for rehydra-

tion and reestablishment of enhanced wetland habitats. Many of

the wetland species which once lived in Pickaway County are now

rare. These sites will be managed to provide new homes for wet-

land species that are native to this area. The Schneider property

also includes 3,500 linear feet of riverfront along the Scioto River

and 2,500 linear feet of riparian corridor along Dry Creek. The

Scioto River provides a critical migratory habitat corridor for a wide

range of native birds, butterflies and bats.

Crawford Wetland Adds to theHocking River Conservation CorridorCrawford Wetlands is a valuable Category 3 (highest classification)

wetland located in the Hocking River floodplain east of Rock-

bridge. It was acquired with wetland mitigation monies generated

from nearby utility construction as part of our Hocking River Con-

servation Corridor Initiative. Consisting of 14 acres, the acquisition

area was subdivided from

a larger tract owned by the

Clifford and Martha Crawford

family for multiple generations.

In addition to the wetland

area, the property includes

approximately 1,850 l.f. of the

old Hocking canal.

�tewardship

AOA seeks to enhance the natural qualities of existing habitats and to restore and/or reestab-

lish healthy ecosystems focusing on native plants. As once common species become rare, and

rare species endangered, it is critically important that we provide homes for these species.

AOA works to enhance our land and water resources as sustainable assets for our community. In 2017 we:

▪ Carried out a wide range of stewardship and enhancement

activities on AOA’s properties, in association with community

partners, friends and volunteers.

▪ Undertook expanded efforts to remove and control invasive

species on AOA preserves.

▪ Initiated restoration activities at AOA’s Bartley Preserve.

▪ Utilized the board, staff and volunteers to monitor all of our

conservation properties.

AOA continues to pursue the resources and support needed to carry out our valuable and worthy conservation work. For every $1 donated, AOA is able to protect over $20 worth of land and water resources.

Grants. AOA was fortunate to receive numerous grants this year

to support our conservation, stewardship, education and out-

reach activities. We procured a record of over $11.0 million in

grants from public sector organizations and agencies, helping

to maximize the return on our donor’s investments in our

conservation work.

Donors. AOA was fortunate to receive many generous gifts this

past year including several significant donations for long-term

property stewardship and conservation defense.

Generous gifts from friends and supporters enabled the Appalachia Ohio Alliance to accomplish much in 2017. We are grateful for this support, and for continued validation of our conservation mission.

�rganizational �nhancementAs AOA continues to grow and evolve we are striving to strengthen our organizational capacity to better achieve our mission goals. In 2017 we:

▪ Received a range of technical support and assistance from the

Land Trust Alliance on organizational and accreditation issues.

▪ Procured new office and meeting space in east Columbus.

▪ Sent board and staff members to participate in a variety of

Ohio and national land trust seminars and conferences as part

of our efforts to build stronger leadership and organizational

sustainability. The national Land Trust Alliance Rally provided

valuable learning and training for staff members in land trust

standards and practices.

The Big Give AOA participated in The Columbus Foun-

dation’s The Big Give, raising funds to help

facilitate our Big Darby Creek Conservation

Corridor Initiative.

�utreach and �ngagement

AOA provides opportunities for members and the public to participate in and learn more about our conservation

mission. We emphasize nature-based education that features conserved lands and local ecosystems, conveying an

enhanced understanding of their significance and relevance to our community. Our numerous programs and events help

build partnerships, provide outreach, engage the community, provide hands-on learning and stewardship experiences,

and allow friends to visit the lands they have helped to conserve — some of the most beautiful places in our region.

Snake Den Mounds Tour, Barr Farms, Pickaway County, August 2017

Our 2017 education and outreach program consisted of 19 events, providing a wide range of outdoor activities including

naturalist-guided field trips to AOA properties, workshops and programs. We also undertook a variety of stewardship-based

events focusing on enhancement of AOA preserves. Our Trillium Festival Photo Contest produced some incredible wildflower

photos. In all, our programs and events during the past year attracted over 600 participants, inspired by AOA’s conservation

work and the beauty of our special landscapes.

2017 AOA Conservation Awards

AOA’s Conservation Achievement Award recognizes exemplary

dedication, commitment and achievement in the field of conservation.

Rick Gardner, Chief Botanist for ODNR DNAP was honored for his

many years of dedication and service to Ohio

conservation. Rick has assisted AOA on many

projects including Bartley

Preserve and Kleinmaier

State Nature Preserve.

AOA is fortunate to

have many volunteers who assist our mission

efforts. We presented Conservation Volunteer

Awards to several volunteers

who have made particular contributions: Marcele

Bowen, for her tireless efforts to help clear inva-

sives from AOA preserves; Mark Shubert, for his

long-time participation in AOA stewardship events;

and Kathy Cubert, for her

efforts to increase the photo inventory of our

properties and initiate, plan and manage our

first photo contest this

past spring.

AOA bestowed our

Conservation Partner-

ship Award on two very worthy organiza-

tions: United Plant Savers (UpS) and Ohio

Certified Volunteer Naturalists (OCVN),

Hocking Hills Chapter. UpS has designated AOA’s Demonstration Site

as part of their Botanical Sanctuary Network and is assisting AOA to

reintroduce native medicinal plants on this site. OCVN is a supporter

of AOA’s

conservation

efforts.

OCVN

members

participate in

many AOA

stewardship

events and

other programs.

▪ AOA’s Holiday Card program pro-

vides opportunities to “give a gift

of conservation” to promote AOA’s

mission and local conservation to

friends and associates. Our 2017 card

featured “Snowy Morning Light,”

a winter scene from AOA’s Bison

Hollow Preserve.

▪ AOA’s Annual Dinner, celebrating 15

Years of Conservation

Achievement, was held at Wagnalls Memorial Library in

Lithopolis. Bringing together 110 friends and supporters,

numerous 2017 land and water conservation and steward-

ship successes were recognized. Our featured speaker, AOA

co-founder and honorary board member Paul Knoop, spoke

about the

importance of

conserving riparian

corridors as

protectors of the

river environment.

The Appalachia Ohio Alliance is a regional non-profitland conservancy that serves central, south-central and southeastern Ohio.

The Alliance is dedicated to the conservation and stewardship of our land and water as sustainable natural resources that are an

asset and a legacy for our community.

Appalachia Ohio Alliance ▪P.O. Box 1151 ▪ Logan, OH 43138-4151 ▪ www.appalachiaohioalliance.org

�nd �ore...

At Kleinmaier State Nature Preserve

Appalachia Ohio emerged from the last Pleistocene glacial event nearly 12,000 years ago — a verdant landscape re-shaped by many years of glacial runoff and fill. Today, the green, forest-covered hills and narrow valleys with clear, spring-fed streams support a wide variety of native wildlife and diverse plant habitats which comprise the core of Ohio’s hill-country wilderness. A patchwork of small farms interspersed with woodlands imparts a pastoral, often idyllic character to the landscape. The rolling topography and exposed black-hand sandstone formations contribute to a rich scenic beauty that attracts many visitors and is worthy of conservation.

©2017 Appalachia Ohio Alliance Photograph by Steve Fleegal www.appalachiaohioalliance.org

Happy Holidays

from your friends at the

Appalachia Ohio Alliance

Appalachia Ohio Alliance

is a regional, non-profit land conservancy

working to conserve and steward our land and water

as sustainable natural resources that are an

asset and a legacy for our community

�isit www.appalachiaohioalliance.org

for more information about ��� and our conservation work

�nowy �orning � ight�ison �ollow �reserve

OCVN Members at Demonstration Site