privately-held 80 acre farm was a paradise for
plant species found only in “Cedar Barrens,” a rare prairie ecosystem limited to
a small unglaciated corner of southwestern Ohio. The Old Naturalist Club. It sounded like fun so we gathered up a group of old friends (with not a soul under 50 so we do mean old!!) and set a date in November to do some old-fashioned nature-stomping. Amassed were some of the finest naturalists in the state: retired Chief Botanist of Natural Areas, Allison Cusick; retired Director of Aullwood Audubon Center, Paul Knoop; retired Chief of Natural Areas, Guy Denny; Naturalist Barbara Lund, and moth and insect expert Eric Metzler.
We bundled in our cars at the Sanctuary and headed south on our 30-mile journey. It was the first really cold day of the season, spitting rain with windy overcast skies. A short snow squall enroute didn’t sober our festive mood, but when we left the cars we zipped our coats up a little higher and pulled down our hats against the wind. We were greeted warmly by the John Howard, who along with his wife and two sons, owned and lived on the land.
Heady Plant Diversity. John soon proved to be a remarkable naturalist and able earth steward. Under his care, the farm’s prairies were not only maintaining, but were rapidly growing and spreading. A self-taught botanist, he had managed to complete a long and extremely accurate inventory of the plants growing on the farm and was this list ever impressive. According to his records, the property boasted no less than 503 vascular plants, 43 of which were officially listed in Ohio as imperiled; and dozens more that were only recently removed from state watch-lists (species that are therefore still quite rare and of special interest). We were soon off on the trails, with John leading the way.
Prairie Openings. A fascinating botanical landscape unfolded before our eyes. We saw prairie plants sprouting up everywhere we looked – under the canopy in the young forests, along the dirt farm roads, and even in the pastures that were previously sown in non-native grasses. It was obvious that prairie plants didn’t have to be coaxed and coddled here. This was true prairie country and John showed us how with the slightest human assistance, the wealth of prairie seeds lying dormant in the soils could come alive and thrive on their own accord. Of particular interest were the pristine natural prairie openings found among the oak-hickory forests, each opening ringed by sturdy spires of Red Cedar trees.
Botanist Allison soon verified the accuracy of John’s botanical survey, and even
added a few more species. It didn’t take long to
compute that this little
80-acre prairie had twice the number of special-interest vascular plant
species than did the entire acreage of the Highlands Nature Sanctuary
(and if you know anything about the
Sanctuary’s bio-diversity, you know this is really saying something)!!
Even on this cold and rainy November day we could see evidence of the prairie’s
botanical acclaim. For instance, still in bloom and defying the season’s frosts
was an abundance of the remarkable and unusual Stiff Gentian, Gentainella
quinquefolia. Though mature, their flowers remain distinctively closed.
Growing from the eroded and aging mineral soils common to all Cedar Barren
Prairies were colonies of the tall Prairie Dock – a giant sunflower-like
composite with large stiff basal leaves. Wands of blazing stars – long past
bloom – rose among the tawny leaves of native Big Bluestem and Indian Grasses.
Plant-Count Rivals or Surpasses Existing Cedar-Barren Preserves. Guy, a life-long “prairie-hound” who restores native prairies as a hobby and who has bought and established several prairie-preserves during his tenure as Chief of Ohio’s Natural Areas, marveled over the prairie’s botanical wealth. He felt certain that the property sheltered more prairie species than any other single Cedar-Barren Prairie in the region. To say he was excited was an understatement.
Entomologist Eric Metzler was similarly impressed with the list of butterflies
recorded in such small acreage, numbering 56
species, and probably many more
since most of the skippers are hard for the average naturalist to identify. The
entire state has only 144 butterflies in total. Of course, moths, being his
personal specialty, were even of greater interest to Eric than the butterflies.
We caught a ‘hallmark’ photo of Eric in motion, just as his eyes lit on a
little brown moth among the grasses. He was quite certain it was a new
species for the state, but, despite his determined pursuit, this one got away!!
piece of property. As the
conversation unfolded, it turned out that the family was in a dilemma. To
preserve this property had long been their greatest devotion, but a situation
was emerging that was threatening to make their dream an impossibility. Having a
child with special needs, John and his wife both felt it necessary to find a
region that could provide the necessary care and educational opportunities they
believed their child deserved.…and that meant moving from their present location
and putting their farm for sale. Both John and his wife felt that to sell this
precious botanical gem to the Highlands Nature Sanctuary could turn their
greatest nightmare – that of losing the land -- into their greatest dream of
preserving it beyond their own lives. It took a property this
special to awaken the sleeping seed…..
The thought of preserving this botanical
paradise was a jolt to our self-image. Our work up to this time had been focused
upon the hypnotizing beauty of the Rocky Fork Gorge, and the successes in
preservation that we had been able to achieve here. Yet, as we looked at the
prospect of this prairie, we saw the larger dream of a network of Appalachian
preserves take hold of our imaginations.
We knew we would always be dedicated to the botanically and zoologically rich
Rocky Fork Gorge region -- known as the Highlands.
But could we not simultaneously seed nature preserves in the larger bio-region?
Seeds, which, like the Highlands, could each slowly grow and spread in their
respective locations?
We decided we had to try, and so we approached the Howards with an offer to purchase their prairie if they could give us a bit of time to raise the funds. The Howards were elated with our interest. Both John and his wife felt that to sell this precious botanical gem to the Highlands Nature Sanctuary could turn their greatest nightmare – that of losing the land -- into their greatest dream of enduringly preserving it. And so it happened that just a few weeks after our tour we signed a purchase contract to buy the prairie and thus seeded the idea of a larger reserve region -- known today as the Arc of Appalachia.
Birth of the Arc of Appalachia. Since the early days of Ka-ma-ma, the Arc of Appalachia Bio-reserve has grown from the two sites mentioned here (Highlands and Ka-ma-ma) to an entire network of significant botanical and zoological preserves. For more information, see The Arc.
As of this writing, we still need to raise $80,000 to complete our $165,000 purchase of Ka-ma-ma Prairie.
To make a donation, click here
Our.Story
Donations
Natural.History
Land.Stewards
Link.up!
Directions
Volunteering
List.of.Preserves
The.Arc
Lodging
Calendar.of.Events
Wilderness.Hiking
Visitors.Guide
Weekly.Nature.Notes