Leaves crunch under Brian Blair’s feet and the sound of conversing birds echoes overhead as he leads a group through the land he has worked for years to protect.
Blair is standing on the remains of an old rail line that extends through Sickles Preserve, a 70-acre parcel of protected land for wildlife conservation that could one day be open for public recreation thanks to the Appalachia Ohio Alliance.
Sickles Preserve, which lies 15 minutes west of Athens, is one of seven parcels of land the nonprofit organization has spent more than 10 years preserving, said Blair, president of the alliance’s board of directors.
The organization works to preserve natural green space and wildlife for the use and enjoyment of future generations, Blair said. The alliance owns more than 1,700 acres in five Appalachian counties.
Though Sickles Preserve is relatively small in size, it is very important for conservation because it links the Zaleski State Forest and the Waterloo Recreation Area, Blair said.
“Preserving areas like Sickles Preserve is really important because forest fragmentation is one of the biggest problems of conserving wildlife in this region,” Blair said. “There are a lot of species, like warblers for instance, that need large blocks of continuous forest to survive.”
In addition to the warbler, a number of amphibian species — including the spotted salamander, black bears and possibly bobcats — migrate through the Sickles Preserve area, said Molly Gurien, a biology instructor at Ohio University.
“(Fragmentation) prevents the movement of wildlife between habitats,” she said, adding that connected parcels provide continuity for the wildlife.
The Appalachia Ohio Alliance purchased the property from Gina Currens, who inherited the land, Blair said.
“This was a very special family property, so she didn’t want to sell it to just anyone,” he said. “But, for a nature preserve, she said, ‘Yeah, that’s a good use.’ ”Currens worked with the alliance for a year while the organization came up with the money to buy the property, Blair said.
Sickles Preserve met the criteria of the Clean Ohio Fund, which is sponsored by the state of Ohio, very well because it connects other protected property and is accessible through the Moonville Rail Trail, he said.
Blair said that the Clean Ohio Fund, which has been crucial to the organization, likes to have some kind of public component to the use of the land.
The preserve will be used for trails but needs two of its bridges rebuilt to reconnect fragmented sections, Blair said, adding that the Clean Ohio Trails Fund grants will be used for the projects.
“Hopefully over the years, as we find more money, we’ll be able to make a better surface for biking and hiking,” Blair said.
ls114509@ohiou.edu
