Highlands Nature Sanctuary Inc

OUR MISSION: TO PROTECT THE RICH DIVERSITY OF LIFE WITHIN NORTH AMERICA'S GREAT EASTERN FOREST. OUR WORK: WE ACQUIRE AND STEWARD WILD LANDS IN THE OHIO REGION. WE CREATE SANCTUARIES WHERE PEOPLE CAN CONNECT WITH THE NATURAL WORLD. WE TEACH ABOUT OUR FOREST HERITAGE TO INSPIRE A GLOBAL CONSERVATION ETHIC. WE HONOR, IN OUR WORK AND OUR TEACHINGS, OUR NATIVE AMERICAN LEGACIES.

LAND ACQUISITION & NATURE PRESERVATION - IN 2021 THE HIGHLAND'S NATURE SANCTUARY, INC. (HNS) (DBA THE ARC OF APPALACHIA) EXPANDED ITS PRESERVE HOLDINGS BY 513 ACRES THUS BRINGING THE TOTAL NATURAL PROJECT AREAS PURCHASED SINCE THE ORGANIZATION'S INCEPTION IN 1995 TO 8,630.08 ACRES; 8,364.10 ACRES OF WHICH ARE ACTIVELY MONITORED AND MANAGED BY HNS. TOTAL NATURAL AREA ACQUISITIONS THROUGH 2021 BY THE ORGANIZATION TOTAL 140 SEPARATE LAND ACQUISITIONS OVER 26 YEARS IN 23 PRESERVE REGIONS. NEW LAND ACQUISITIONS IN 2021 INCLUDED A 39.05-ACRE APPALACHIAN HARDWOOD FOREST IN PIKE COUNTY; A 157.226-ACRE SWAMP IN HOLMES COUNTY ALONG WITH A 0.5-ACRE HOMESITE THAT WILL SERVE AS A PUBLIC TRAILHEAD PARKING LOT FOR THE SWAMP PRESERVE; A 251-ACRE FOREST IN HOCKING COUNTY, OHIO; A 2.18-ACRE PROPERTY IN BROWN COUNTY THAT PROVIDES ROAD ACCESS FOR THE EXISTING HNS OHIO RIVER BLUFFS PRESERVE; A 61-ACRE WETLANDS IN HOCKING COUNTY, OHIO; AND A 2-ACRE HOUSE SITE ADJACENT TO AN EXISTING 618-ACRE HNS PRESERVE IN SCIOTO COUNTY, OHIO. HNS WAS VERY ACTIVE IN 2021 IN PURSUING NEW LAND ACQUISITIONS. HNS NEGOTIATED, RAISED PRIVATE FUNDS, AND PURSUED GRANT FUNDING FOR SEVERAL NEW PROPERTIES, INCLUDING A 99 ACRE FORESTED GORGE IN ADAMS COUNTY; A 6.02-ACRE PROPERTY ADJACENT TO THE HNS KAMAMA PRAIRIE PRESERVE; A 545-ACRE APPALACHIAN FOREST IN SCIOTO COUNTY; A 178-ACRE EXPANSION OF ITS 157.226-ACRE SWAMP IN HOLMES COUNTY; A 513-ACRE CONTIGUOUS, PRIMARILY FORESTED TRACT OF LAND IN HOCKING COUNTY; AND A 16.72-ACRE EXTENSION OF HNS' CLIFF RUN PRESERVE IN ROSS COUNTY, OHIO. HNS CONTINUED IN 2021 TO MONITOR TWO CONSERVATION EASEMENTS TOTALING 286 ACRES. HIKING TRAILS. DURING 2021, 49.90 MILES OF HIKING TRAILS WERE STEWARDED FOR PUBLIC ENJOYMENT IN THE ARC OF APPALACHIA PRESERVE SYSTEM (THE ARC OF APPALACHIA IS THE REGISTERED DBA FOR HNS). A NEW TRAIL SYSTEM (GOD'S COUNTRY) WAS ESTABLISHED IN THE HIGHLANDS NATURE SANCTUARY. LAND STEWARDSHIP. A MAJOR LAND STEWARDSHIP PRIORITY IN 2021 CONTINUED TO BE THE REMOVAL OF INVASIVE PLANTS ON ARC OF APPALACHIA PRESERVES. SELECTIVE MOWING OF A 20-ACRE COMPLEX AT JUNCTION EARTHWORKS CONTINUED DURING 2021, REVEALING TO THE PUBLIC THE LOCATION OF NINE ANCIENT EARTHWORK FOUNDATIONS STILL INTACT BENEATH THE EARTH'S SURFACE. SIGNIFICANT INVASIVE REMOVAL WAS PERFORMED AT GOD'S COUNTRY IN HIGHLAND COUNTY, OHIO IN 2021, AS WELL AS AT KAMAMA PRAIRIE IN ADAMS COUNTY, OHIO. RESEARCH ON ARC PRESERVES. ARC OF APPALACHIA STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS ENGAGED IN SEVERAL RESEARCH STUDIES ACROSS ITS PRESERVES IN 2021. 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; WEEK-LONG ACOUSTIC BAT MONITORING SURVEYS AT THE 545-ACRE FOREST IN SCIOTO COUNTY AND THE 513-ACRE TRACT IN HOCKING COUNTY; AND A TWO-DAY-LONG BIOLOGICAL INVENTORY "BIOBLITZ" AT THE 513-ACRE TRACT IN HOCKING COUNTY. KENT STATE UNIVERSITY ALSO COMPLETED A MULTI-YEAR CEDAR TREE SEED DISBURSEMENT SURVEY AT THE ARC'S KAMAMA PRAIRIE PRESERVE IN 2021

EDUCATION - IN 2021 THE HIGHLANDS NATURE SANCTUARY, INC. (HNS) (DBA THE ARC OF APPALACHIA) WAS COMMITTED TO TEACHING CITIZENS ABOUT THE VALUE OF OHIO'S NATURAL LANDSCAPES THROUGH ITS OUTDOOR EDUCATION COURSES. 188 PEOPLE ATTENDED ITS DAY-LONG TREE LITERACY COURSE, CALLED TREE PEOPLE, AND 65 PEOPLE ATTENDED ITS THREE-DAY-LONG MOTH IDENTIFICATION COURSE, CALLED MOTHAPALOOZA. THE ORGANIZATION'S TRAILS REMAINED OPEN TO THE PUBLIC DURING THIS TIME, ATTRACTING RECORD NUMBERS OF VISITORS WHO WERE ABLE TO SAFELY RECREATE INDEPENDENTLY. OUR OVERNIGHT FACILITIES AT THE HIGHLANDS NATURE SANCTUARY IN HIGHLAND COUNTY ATTRACTED 2,559 GUESTS, AND OUR OVERNIGHT FACILITY IN HOCKING COUNTY ATTRACTED 214 GUESTS, PROVIDING EASY ACCESS TO TRAIL HIKING AND OTHER OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES. A THREE-DAY PERIOD WAS BLOCKED BETWEEN GUEST VISITS TO PROTECT THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF GUESTS AND HOUSEKEEPING STAFF. HNS CONTINUED MANAGEMENT OF ONE OHIO HISTORY CONNECTION SITE: FORT HILL. CAR COUNTER ATTENDANCE AT FORT HILL RECORDED 16,418 VISITORS.