Wayne National Forest Land Purchase Completed
U.S. Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy celebrate partnership protecting 4,100 acres in Ironton Ranger District
IRONTON, OHIO — August 13, 2008 — The U.S. Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy and forest users gathered Wednesday to celebrate the successful completion of a partnership that has added more than 4,100 acres of land to the Wayne National Forest in southeastern Ohio.
The final phase of the project, in which the Conservancy transferred 1,665 acres in Lawrence County and 514 acres in Gallia County to the U.S. Forest Service, completes a land protection project that began in 2004, when the Conservancy began buying the land from Mead-Westvaco Corp. The Conservancy completed the purchase in 2005.
“This land is very diverse with numerous fishing ponds, open meadows, and young mixed hardwood and conifer trees. We are excited about the tremendous recreational opportunities that this additional acreage will offer the public, “said Jerri Marr, Acting Forest Supervisor, Wayne National Forest.
The 4,117 acres is now part of the Wayne National Forest. A portion is named Anderson Meadows Public Hunting and Viewing Area in honor of the late Ora E. Anderson, a former trustee of The Nature Conservancy, who supported the establishment and growth of the Wayne National Forest for decades. The property was purchased by the U.S. Forest Service in four acquisitions over 3 years, bringing the total acreage of the Ironton Ranger District to 104,257 acres and the Wayne National Forest to 240,979 acres.
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Lands transferred from The Nature Conservancy to the Wayne National Forest will remain open to the public for hiking, fishing and hunting.
Photo © TNC
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Since 1989, The Nature Conservancy, a private conservation organization, has worked with the Wayne National Forest to protect more than 5,475 acres of forest for the benefit of future generations. Most of the land has been located in northern Lawrence County, one of the Conservancy’s forest conservation priorities in Ohio.
“The U.S. Forest Service has been a great steward of some of Ohio’s most iconic forests,” said Josh Knights, Executive Director of the Conservancy in Ohio. “The Wayne National Forest is a tremendous resource for all Ohioans, providing recreational opportunities and timber while protecting clean water and wildlife habitat.”
The property has historic value as well – the Underground Railroad was active in this area and the historic Pioneer Iron Furnace stack is located on the property. Numerous beaver ponds and picturesque sandstone rock outcroppings are scattered about the property.
These lands have been operated since 2005 as the Ironton Forest Wildlife Area, a public hunting and fishing area, through a cooperative agreement with the Ohio Division of Wildlife. The land will remain open to public hunting and fishing as part of the Wayne National Forest.
Ohio’s Appalachian forest is part of the oldest and most biologically diverse forest system in North America, and at its best will harbor a rich array of flowering and medicinal plants, dozens of tree species, songbirds, game species like ruffed grouse and wild turkey, and other wildlife including bobcat, black bear, bats, salamanders and snakes.
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.
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