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OUTDOORS
Forest Service adds 4,100 acres to Wayne National Forest
IRONTON — The U.S. Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy and forest users gathered today 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 Nature 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 Nature Conservancy began buying the land from Mead-Westvaco Corp. The Nature 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.
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 Nature 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 Nature 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.
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