Preserving the Eastern Forest’s beauty, balance & biodiversity

Current Wildlands Campaign  –  17 Properties – 1756 acres of land

10 acquisitions, 2 donations, 2 bequests, 3 conservation easements, 2 new stewardship hubs

Click here for the Arc’s 2023 Campaign news magazine

In the last two-plus decades, the Arc of Appalachia has grown into a system of two dozen preserve regions protecting nearly 10,000 acres of natural areas. This was accomplished through our supporters and just a handful of Arc staff members working out of a single headquarters at the Highlands Nature Sanctuary in Highland County, Ohio. Imagine what the Arc would look like in the near future if we expanded our land acquisition and stewardship hubs by a factor of three? In truth, our stewardship will need to grow to keep up with our ever-increasing acreage.

Although establishing new stewardship hubs requires substantial funds and may take years to complete, the good news is that we only have to raise money once for them to be sustained forever. We are currently inviting donations and bequest pledges for TWO new regional stewardship hubs – one at Tremper Mound and one in Hocking Hills. In the longer term we aim for two more – one in the Kokosing & Killbuck Watersheds of Knox & Holmes Counties, and one at Quiverheart Preserve in Adams County.

The most intact wildlands awaiting preservation in all of Ohio lie in Ohio’s 32 Appalachian counties, and they are disappearing fast. It is our aim to save them while we still can, and to do so, we are thinking BIG and we are planning ahead.  Click on pictures or text for deeper information. 

Hocking Hills Forever    Total Campaign:  $6,901,956      Balance to Raise: $4,435,100

The Hocking Hills Forever campaign includes 600 acres of new projects including 3 direct acquisitions, 3 conservation easements, 2 property bequests, and the creation of a new and sustained Arc stewardship hub in the heart of Hocking Hills

Tremper Mound Expansion & Stewardship Hub  Total Campaign:  $7,423,755    Balance to Raise: $3,078,755

Tremper Mound is a new 707-acre preserve protecting a 2000-acre Hopewell Earthwork near Portsmouth, Ohio. The Tremper Mound campaign is comprised of FOUR land acquisitions (with the additional pursuit of Huckleberry Ridge) and the creation of a new regional stewardship hub to serve wildlands protection in the southern Ohio River region. 

NEW: Quiverheart Preserve   Campaign Total:  $614,531   Balance to Raise:  $200,000

A new 99-acre preserve protecting an outstandingly beautiful karst landscape includes wildflower showcases, a deep vertical-walled gorge, seeps, springs, and grottos. The property also contains Adams County’s nationally-endangered cedar barrens community. Quiverheart is being readied to one day be our fourth stewardship hub, serving the Arc’s dense collection of nature preserves in a geographic region known to boast exceptionally rich biological communities.

Killbuck Swamp Expansion: Crane Swamp   Project Total:  $894,627     Balance to Raise:  $331,247

We are seeking to expand Killbuck Swamp Preserve with the 193-acre Crane Swamp acquisition. This wetland property includes 1.75 miles of the Killbuck Creek corridor. Also included in the purchase is 2.25 mile long railroad corridor that connects the Crane Lake with the previously established Killbuck Swamp Preserve, offering a high and dry birding trail for future visitors.

Highlands Nature Sanctuary Expansion: Pickett Run   Project Total:  $153,000   Balance to Raise: $153,000

This significant 19-acre property is only the third wetlands site to be sought for the Sanctuary in a typically well-drained region. The tract lies along Rocky Fork Creek near the confluence with its spring-fed tributary, Pickett Run. The cold, clear waters of Pickett Run sustains long stretches of alkaline fens along its borders, filled with swamp marigolds and skunk cabbages in the spring. 

Turtlehead Swamp – LAND DONATION 

This 62-acre wetlands in Knox County protects 2100 feet on both sides of the Kokosing River in Knox County. The Kokosing is an exemplary river for the return of the Common Merganser, a bird that is now a common sight along the waterways. A classic wetlands community, Turtlehead Swamp supports many showy wetland plant species, including marsh marigold, skunk cabbage, and turtlehead.