Arc of Appalachia’s Current Wildlands Campaign  –  17 Properties & 1756 acres of land

10 acquisitions, 2 donations, 2 bequests, 3 conservation easements & the creation of 2 new stewardship hubs

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 from one to FIVE? We hope to find out.

Here’s the good news. We only have to raise money for the hubs once. Described below is our ambitious campaign to create TWO new regional stewardship hubs in the near future – 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. 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

Expanding Killbuck Swamp Preserve with Crane Swamp – 193-acre acquisition of wetlands that includes 1.75 miles along Killbuck Creek and a 2.25 mile long railroad corridor that connects the Crane Lake with the established Killbuck Swamp Preserve, and furthermore offer an ideal high and dry birding trail throughout its length.

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 a poster river for the return of the Common Merganser, a bird that is once again a common sight along the waterways. A classis wetlands Turtlehead Swamp supports many wetland obligates, including marsh marigold, skunk cabbage, and turtlehead.