Raven Rocks
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LOCATION:
Southern Belmont County SIZE: 1,015 acres ENTERED CONSERVATION EASEMENT: 2014 ABOUT: Raven Rocks is located in Belmont County's Wayne Township, within Ohio's Appalachian Plateau. The property is a magnificent area with natural, historical and archeological significance. The series of ravines, sandstone cliffs, extensive rock overhangs, and miniature waterfalls is unusual in the eastern Ohio hills. In 2014, Raven Rocks was placed into a conservation easement with the support of the Clean Ohio Green Space Conservation Program, making it the largest natural area conservation easement in Ohio history at that time. |
Bonasa
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LOCATION:
Monroe County SIZE: 112 acres ENTERED CONSERVATION EASEMENT: 2017 ABOUT: Bonasa Environmental Research Gardens in Monroe County, Ohio, is an example of land that has begun the healing process through decades of hard work by landowner Nora G. Hines and her former classmates- Gerald Zimmerman, James Amrine, and Geneva Hines. According to Nora, the farm was purchased in 1967 and named after one of the first animals she saw. “That was a ruffed grouse, so its Latin name was chosen. More recently I learned that bonasa is Latin for “bonus roast” and what I have learned from Bonasa has been a true bonus (an unexpected blessing).” One of the earliest actions Nora took was to have the US Soil Conservation Service evaluate the soils. The report came back that there were two categories of soil; eroded and highly eroded. There was no mention of top soil. “That report, though discouraging, was about what I expected. The neighbors had already told me that in 1900 the entire farm had been a corn field. The first challenge was to find ways to stop (or slow) the soil movement and establish viable plant communities in these highly eroded sites.” To promote healthy plant communities as well as improve the structure and fertility of the soil, Nora and her friends planted and hand fertilized thousands of tree seedlings over the next two decades. “The real change has been below the surface of the ground. The soil... has taught me more about keeping in harmony with its real needs. I feel I am just beginning and while I continue to study and learn, these essential components of the environment continue to work where, if undisturbed, will help the soil prepare for the next stage in plant succession.” One of Nora’s goals had been to improve the land so that it produces clean air and clean water. The land has taught her the vital importance of all components of a forest ecosystem. “I now understand that these tiny microorganisms have been a well-organized system essential for delivering nutrients to plant roots, helping to clean pollutants from soils as well as the air that moves through the soil, and recent research has shown some of the ways the bacteria in the soil, like a part of a giant nervous system, are part of a system of communication between plants.” “It is common for people to think that the forest is a place for wildlife. But I have been thinking of it as an important part of the human environment. Instead of only exploiting this resource, I think about ways to live more in harmony with nature." |
CALDWELL-BROWN LEGACY FARM, HOMESTEADED 1818
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LOCATION:
Belmont County SIZE: 280 acres ENTERED CONSERVATION EASEMENT: 2019 ABOUT: Neal and Barb Caldwell knew their Belmont County farm had been in the family for a long time, but it wasn’t until they started doing the research that they discovered it’s actually been owned by family members for over 200 years. In fact, it was in 1818 that President James Monroe signed a land patent to Neal’s great-great-great-great grandpa, Abel Brown, who bought the original 80-acre parcel as a gift for his son to start a new life in this beautiful stretch of eastern Ohio. The farm changed hands over the years, sometimes being sold and sometimes deeded over “for love and affection,” but always passing from one family member to another. Neal’s father, Charles Caldwell, inherited the farm in 1951 and added over 200 more acres. The Caldwell family over the many years milked dairy cows, farmed crops, and hunted and trapped in the extensive mature woodlands. Because of the rich history of the property, and the high ecological value of the forest and woodlands, Neal and Barb decided to permanently preserve the farm through a conservation easement with Captina Conservancy. The conservation easement is an agreement that runs with the property, and so will be in place for all owners into the future. The Caldwells’ conservation easement ensures the farm cannot be divided or extensively developed, and forest management is under strict guidelines of the USDA/Forestry/ODNR and Ohio Forestry Program as well as prohibiting clear-cutting trees. “Clearly putting the property under the protection of a conservation easement is the best option we currently have to pass it on to future generations as a priceless natural resource,” Caldwell said. The farm is certified as a Bicentennial Ohio Historic Family Farm by the Ohio Department of Agriculture in honor of the more than 200 years their family has been part of the state’s farming community. |
private
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LOCATION:
Belmont County SIZE: 182 acres ENTERED CONSERVATION EASEMENT: 2018 and 2019 ABOUT: These 182 acres are located in southwest Belmont County, and contain headwaters of the South Fork of Captina Creek. The property is made up of a mix of established, mature forest, early succession forest, wetlands, and fallow farm fields gradually returning to forest. This mix of vegetation types provides great habitat for a diversity of wildlife. |
