Arc of Appalachia

Land Acquisition & Nature Preservation - In 2023, the Highlands Nature Sanctuary, Inc. (HNS) (dba the Arc of Appalachia) expanded its preserve holdings by 319.013 acres, thus bringing the total natural project areas acquired by fee simple or conservation easement since the organization's inception in 1995 to 10,598.01 acres. These acquisitions further the nonprofit's mission of wildlands preservation. Natural area acquisitions over the organization's 29 year history through 2023 totaled 159 separate land acquisitions in 28 preserve regions, most of which remain actively monitored and managed by HNS. New land acquisitions that were purchased in 2023 with the aid of private donations and grants included a 5-acre expansion of the Highlands Nature Sanctuary in Highland County called Sycamore Springs, the 31.32-acre acquisition of Honeycomb Rocks in Hocking County, the 84-acre expansion of Tremper Mound in Scioto County known as Huckleberry Ridge, the 91.193-acre expansion of the Killbuck Swamp Preserve in Holmes County known as Bowfin Bottoms, and the 95-acre expansion of the Simon Farm Preserve in Scioto County known as Noel Hollow. One property was donated to HNS in 2023: the 12.5-acre Foster's Retreat in Hocking County, which provided a trailhead entrance for HNS' Resilience Woods preserve. Land Stewardship & Hiking Trails - A significant priority for the staff of HNS's Land Stewardship Team in 2023 was the development of hiking trails that were in large part funded by the Clean Ohio grant program. These included development of trails at Quiverheart Gorge, Killbuck Swamp, Huckleberry Ridge, Cliff Run, Gladys Riley Golden Star Lily Preserve, Sylvan Deep, and Tobacco Barn Hollow, which will add a total of nearly 20 miles of new hiking opportunities for our visitors when they are complete. Non-native invasive plant control is a year-round task across the preserve system, focusing primarily on bush honeysuckle, multiflora rose, autumn olive, and Chinese lespedeza. HNS staff continue to track and treat hemlock wooly adelgid, a non-native invasive insect, in five of our preserves with stands of Canadian hemlock. Efforts to release and expand the native prairie areas at Plum Run continued in 2023. HNS continues management of an Ohio History Connection-owned site, Fort Hill, in Highland County. Research - Arc of Appalachia staff and volunteers continued to engage in several research studies across its preserves. These included an annual week-long bird survey at the Highlands Nature Sanctuary; an on-going timber rattlesnake habitat study at its Tobacco Barn Hollow preserve; a two-week long biological inventory of Pickett Run Wetlands; and a three-day-long acoustic bat monitoring survey at its Tobacco Barn Hollow preserve.

Education - In 2023 The Highlands Nature Sanctuary, Inc. (HNS) (dba the Arc of Appalachia) was committed to teaching the value of Ohio's natural landscapes through its outdoor education courses, through interpretive displays and staff contact at the Appalachian Forest Museum, and via nature immersion opportunities presented to visitors on HNS's nearly 70 miles of hiking trails. Calculated through head counts, registration data, and car counters, HNS attracted 96,564 visitors in 2023. Notable attendance includes: 11,631 visitors to the Appalachian Forest Museum, 16,545 visitors to Fort Hill Preserve, 24,079 visitors to Junction Earthworks, and 18,204 hikers at the Highlands Nature Sanctuary. HNS hosted four large annual events in 2023: Wildflower Pilgrimage, Mothapalooza, Tree People, and the John Roger Simon Sorghum Festival.