2025 Spring Calendar
of Volunteer Events
Volunteers work in concert with the Arc’s staff to complete a variety of forest stewardship tasks, including planting trees, monitoring tree diseases, restoring rare ecosystems, creating new trails, and – most importantly – removing non-native invasive plants that threaten the balance of our most sensitive ecosystems. Volunteers work to restore, protect, and perpetuate native plant and animal communities in the Arc’s growing preserve system.
Hickory Hollows Trail Construction
February 22, 2025, Meet at 9:45 am, workday is from 10 AM - 2 PM. St Rt 753, Hillsboro, 45133 (map)
Join Land Stewardship Manager Tim Pohlar and fellow volunteers as we create a new trail on what will become a future favorite in the Highlands Nature Sanctuary. Hickory Hollows is a 78-acre property on the lower slope of Spargur Hill, bordered by a picturesque private lake. This property shelters one of the largest, oldest hickory forests that we have found in the Sanctuary region. Ancient pignuts, shagbarks, and bitternuts thrive alongside giant white and red oaks. Please join us! Get a sneak peek of an awesome new trail and the beautiful lake that borders it. Volunteers will assist in benching in the initial loop trail, building steps, learning how to flatten a slope, building water bars, removing tripping hazards, and more. There is a job for everyone. No experience is needed; all are welcome. Please bring work gloves, a personal water bottle, a packed lunch, and/or snacks. Please note that there are no restroom facilities at this location. For registration, click here
Sandy Springs at Rock Run, Dune Clearing and Vernal Pool Reconstruction
February 26, 2025, Meet at 9:45 am, workday is from 10 AM - 2 PM. U.S. Rt 52, Stout, OH 45684, Adams County (map)
Join Land Stewards Austin Newton and Elijah Crabtree on a unique sand-based ecosystem situated just above the Ohio River in Adams County. This preserve protects the last intact sand dunes from an ancient system of dunes that once covered miles of river bank and hundreds of acres. We will continue pushing back the dune ridge by clearing and stump-treating the hardwoods encroaching on the area. Additionally, we aim to rebuild a vital vernal pool in time for the spring amphibian breeding season. There is a job for everyone. No experience is needed; all are welcome. Please bring work gloves, a personal water bottle, a packed lunch, and/or snacks. Please note that there are no restroom facilities at this location. For registration, click here
Rock Run, Invasive Removal Workday
March 19, 2025, Meet at 9:45 am, workday is from 10 am - 2 pm. U.S. Rt 52, Stout, OH 45684, Adams County (map)
Join our Land Stewards, Austin Newton and Elijah Crabtree, down in Southern Adams County as we battle aggressive invasive plants, including multi-flora rose and bush honeysuckle, once again. Surrounded by 60,000+ acre Shawnee State Forest and privately-owned woodlands, Rock Run belongs to one of the largest near-contiguous blocks of forest left in the state, over 100 square miles in size. You can understand why it is so important to do our due diligence in removing the non-native invasive plants that could take over and destroy this treasure. Rock Run shelters such beauties as the showy red trillium, the rare nodding mandarin, and an unusual mint called Meehan’s mint carpets the preserve at lower elevations. Black birch and hemlock communities thrive in deep ravines with precipitously steep slopes. No experience is needed; all are welcome. Please bring work gloves, a personal water bottle, a packed lunch, and/or snacks. Please note that there are no restroom facilities at this location. For registration click here
Quiverheart Gorge, Invasive Removal Workday
March 15, 2025, Meet at 9:45 am, workday is from 10 am - 2 pm. 400 2199 OH-781, Peebles, OH 45660 (map)
Join Land Steward Austin Newton and caretakers David and Kim Baker, as we continue combating invasive species such as bush honeysuckle, wineberry, and multiflora rose. We will be cutting, stump treating, pulling, and digging these plants. This is a fantastic opportunity to explore the towering vertical walls of Dolomite and enjoy the beauty of Quiverheart Falls, all while catching a glimpse of the early spring flowers that will be starting to emerge from their winter sleep. Everyone is welcome; no experience is needed, and there's a job for everyone! Please bring work gloves, a personal water bottle, and a packed lunch or snacks. After our workday, we invite you to relax at David and Kim’s home, recap the day, and enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal. For registration click here
John Simon Farm, Trail Construction Workday
March 22 & 28, 2025, Meet at 9:45 am, workday is from 10 am - 2 pm. 8721 Careys Run Pond Creek Road, Portsmouth, OH 45663 (map)
Join Land Steward Elijah Crabtree as we begin our trail construction into the remote hill country of John Simon’s ancestral 5th-generation French Farmstead, established in 1864. This future trail will offer hikers spectacular panoramas while traversing majestic oak forests. Volunteers will assist in creating a new and exciting trail, build steps, learn how to flatten a slope, build water bars, remove tripping hazards, and more. Come for one or both workdays. There is a job for everyone. No experience is needed; all are welcome. Please bring work gloves, a personal water bottle, a packed lunch, and/or snacks. Please note that there are no restroom facilities at this location. For registration click here
Ridgeview Restoration Farm, Invasive Removal Workday
March 29, 2025, Meet at 9:45 am, Workday is from 10 am - 2 pm. 6636 St. Rt. 753, Hillsboro, OH 45133 (Map)
Join Arc Director Nancy Stranahan, Brent Charette, Marilyn Welker, and the amazing Ridgeview Farm Biodiversity Brigade as they continue their quest to re-wild this rich and biodiverse farm. Non-native invasive plants like bush honeysuckle, autumn olive, and multiflora rose constantly challenge wildland preservationists. Spring and fall, year in and year out, staff and volunteers descend on the farm to remove these plants from the landscape. Using hand tools and the targeted application of herbicide solutions, volunteers will continue to turn the tide in favor of the native plants and animals that call Ridgeview Farm home. A hearty lunch awaits our volunteers at the end of the day. No experience is needed; all are welcome. Please bring work gloves, a personal water bottle, a packed lunch, and/or snacks. For registration click here
Tremper Mound, Scioto River Bottoms, Tree Planting
April 23, 2025. Meet at 9:45 am, Workday is from 10 am - 2 pm. OH-104, McDermott, OH 45652 (Map)
Join Tremper Mound Land Stewardship Manager Elijah Crabtree and fellow volunteers as we begin our third year of the Scioto River Riparian Corridor Reforestation Project. Our goal is to build back the vitally important riparian buffer of the Scioto River’s western banks by planting a diverse selection of trees like Pin Oaks, Shellbark Hickory, Silver Maple, River Birch, and more. Volunteers will assist in planting trees, installing landscape cloth, and protective cages around our newly planted trees along the river. You will also have a chance to see how the trees from the last two years are doing. No experience is necessary; all are welcome. Please bring work gloves, a personal water bottle, snacks, and/or a packed lunch. Please note that there are no restroom facilities on the preserve. For registration, click here
Cedar Run, Trail Construction Workday
April 30, 2025, Meet at 9:45 am, workday is from 10 AM - 2 PM. Meet at Elder's Landing, 7511 Browning Rd. Bainbridge 45612 (Map)
Join Land Stewardship Manager Tim Pohlar, the DaVinci Waldorf School, and fellow volunteers as we build a new trail at Cedar Run Preserve connecting to Miller’s State Nature Preserve. This addition will enhance our scenic trail network by showcasing the area's rich and diverse flora, fauna, and spectacular views in the Highlands Nature Sanctuary and Rocky Fork Gorge. Volunteers will assist in creating a new and exciting trail, building steps, learning how to flatten a slope, building water bars, removing tripping hazards, and more. There is a job for everyone. No experience is needed; all are welcome. Please bring work gloves, a personal water bottle, a packed lunch, and/or snacks. Please note that there are no restroom facilities at this location. For registration click here.
Resilience Woods, Invasive Removal Workday
May 7, 2025, Meet at 9:45 am, workday is from 10 AM - 2 PM. 30784 Township Hwy 292, Logan, OH 43138 (Map)
Join Land Stewardship Manager Ethan King and fellow Forest Keepers as we tackle invasive Japanese Barberry. This plant is an ornamental in many of our backyards, but unfortunately, it quickly escapes landscape gardens and invades our Preserves, replacing critical native plants and shrubs. Surprisingly, tick populations increase where barberry is a management issue. Overall, Japanese Barberry is a nuisance that we want to control. This will be a digging workday! We will have shovels for use, but if you have a favorite shovel that you like to use, please feel free to bring that with you. No experience is needed; all are welcome. Please bring work gloves, a personal water bottle, a packed lunch, and/or snacks. Please note that there are no restroom facilities at this location. For registration click here.
Honeycomb Rocks, HWA Treatment Workday
May 17, 2025, Meet at 9:45 am, workday is from 10 AM - 3 PM. 24102 Co Rd 34, Rockbridge, OH 43149 (Map)
Join our Land Stewardship team and fellow volunteers as we work to preserve the hemlock forests in this gorgeous nature preserve. We surveyed our woodlands for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid over winter and are now ready to treat. Armed with our survey maps and location points, we’ll identify trees needing treatment. Some of the many jobs that need to be done during the workday include soil trenching around the trees, measuring each tree to determine the dosage, carrying in the necessary equipment and insecticide, documentation, marking the treated trees with spray paint, and carrying in food and water for the day. There will be a job for all! No experience is needed; all are welcome. Please bring work gloves, a personal water bottle, a packed lunch, and/or snacks. Please note that there are no restroom facilities at this location. For registration click here.
Ash Cave Eastern Reserve, Invasive Removal Workday
May 21, 2025, Meet at 9:45 am, workday is from 10 AM - 3 PM.26400 OH-56, South Bloomingville, OH 43152 43149 (Map)
Join Land Stewardship Manager Ethan King and other volunteers as we tackle the invasive Japanese Barberry. This plant can be found as an ornamental in many of our backyards, but unfortunately, it quickly escapes the landscape gardens and invades our Preserves. It replaces our native plants and shrubs and seems to cause an increase in the tick population in the area where they are found. Overall, it is a nuisance that we want to control. This will be a digging workday! We will have shovels for use, but if you have a favorite shovel that you like to use, please feel free to bring that with you. No experience is needed; all are welcome. Please bring work gloves, a personal water bottle, a packed lunch, and/or snacks. Please note that there are no restroom facilities at this location. For registration click here.