According to Whole Foods website, the Nickels for Nonprofits program is intended to “reward environmental consciousness! For every recyclable bag a customer uses during their shopping trip, they have the option to redeem .5 cents toward their grocery bill or donate it to a local non-profit.”

Whether you are a regular Whole Foods customer – or if you have not shopped at Whole Foods Dublin store location previously – now would be a good time to visit. Be sure and take your recyclable bags and donate your nickels to AOA! Just request wooden nickels for each recyclable shopping bag and place them in the Nickels for Nonprofits donation box designated for AOA (look for our sign) by the exit door.

Whole Food is also donating the proceeds from their “spiral coin drop funnel”. Children (and adults) enjoy propelling spare coins around the funnel where they are collected and donated to nonprofit causes. AOA has been designated as the beneficiary of Whole Foods Dublin store coin drop for the holiday period and has placed a promotional sign over the coin drop apparatus. Feel free to drop in your spare change and support AOA after shopping!

All proceeds donated will support AOA’s mission to conserve and steward our land and water as sustainable natural resources that are an asset and a legacy for our community.

Whole Foods Market is a leading food retailer whose motto is “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet”. For more on Whole Foods core organizational values and vision for a sustainable future – see wholefoodsmarket.com/mission-values/core-values.

The Dublin Whole Foods Market store is located at 3670 W. Dublin-Granville Road, approximately one mile south of I-270 at the intersection with Sawmill Road. It is open from 8am-10pm seven days a week. Call 614.760.5556 or visit Whole Foods website (wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/columbus) for information and a map of the Dublin store location.
AOA is very grateful to Whole Foods for being a strong community partner and friend of conservation.

Remember to take your recyclable shopping bags and leave your wooden nickels and spare change to benefit AOA’s conservation mission.

Posted: Tuesday, November 20, 2012 12:15 am | Updated: 6:12 pm, Mon Nov 19, 2012.

Commissioners to support Clean Ohio land acquisition
By MICHAEL O’BRIEN Courier staff journalist

Vinton County Commissioners agreed Monday to support a request by Appalachia Ohio Alliance to acquire a small tract of land in what the group calls Bison Hollow in northern Vinton County. The acquisition would be funded through a grant from the Clean Ohio Green Space Conservation Program.

Commissioners voted unanimously to provide a letter of support to the grant application. Commission President Mike Bledsoe said he did not see a problem with supporting acquisition. “I think it’s a good use of the property and is good for the county and the community,” Bledsoe said.

AOA President Brian Blair informed the commission of the group’s plans to purchase land in Jackson Twp. that would expand a conservation area known as Bison Hollow. The group currently owns 80 acres of native forest south of Ash Cave. “The hollow is thought to be the last reported location of wood bison once native to Ohio,” Blair said.

Blair said the last of the bison was killed in 1799. A wood bison is a subspecies of bison of the North American bison or buffalo and once ranged over a large area of Canada and the Northwest Territories.

“The area is known for its rock formations, waterfalls and parts of the Buckeye and North Country trails goes through the hollow,” Blair said. “This land conservation project provides habitat to a variety of plants and animal species.”

The purchase price of the land would not exceed the appraised value. Grants from the Clean Ohio Fund have been used in the past to acquire and preserve other areas of Vinton County. Clean Ohio funding was used in the Moonville Railway Open Space Acquisition which consists of 145 acres along the nine miles of the Moonville Railway corridor.

The fund was also used to purchase 80 acres of land in Elk Township. The acquisition to preserved forested land that buffers tributaries to a branch of Elk Fork Creek which flows into Raccoon Creek.

The Clean Ohio Fund provides assistance to a variety of projects including clean up and restoration of brownfields, farmland preservation and for the development and maintenance of recreational trail areas

http://www.vintondaily.com/news/commissioners-to-support-clean-ohio-land-acquisition/article_4c951046-b0cb-5685-9779-0d7a6d522648.html

The Hocking Hills is a big, beautiful region of the state. But many travelers know the area only through stops at a few popular destinations.

“Visitors who come to the Hocking Hills are often getting their primary experience of the area at the Old Man’s Cave parking lot on a busy holiday,” said Jim Stratton, founder of Hocking Hills Adventure Trek.

“But we have so much more to share.”

Stratton’s new company offers to acquaint visitors with lesser-known sites and experiences through guided hikes and nature and cultural programs.

“There are 100 miles of trails here that are largely unused,” Stratton said. “When they come with us, even on the busiest day of the year, they’ll probably be alone in the forest, which is fantastic.”

A special event on Oct. 20 will offer a good opportunity to experience an Adventure Trek program, although probably not in solitude. The company and the nonprofit Appalachia Ohio Alliance conservancy will host “The Circle of Life,” a hike and program incorporating archaeology, natural history and Shawnee Indian mythology, storytelling and music.

Participants will take a moderately strenuous hike from the parking lot to the Davis Group ancient earthworks near Laurelville. The event offers a rare opportunity to visit the 2,000-year-old earthworks, which are surrounded by private property.

During the hike, naturalists will discuss the flora, fauna and geology.

An archaeologist will also be on hand to discuss the latest theories about the earthworks and the people who built them.

Finally, two professional storytellers of Shawnee Indian descent will talk about their heritage and share stories passed down to them from their ancestors. One of the storytellers will also play a traditional Indian flute.

Fred Shaw, who is also known by his Indian name Neeake, has been telling stories professionally for more than 40 years and is especially gifted, Stratton said.
“When he tells a story called ‘Turtle Island,’ he even looks like a muskrat, beaver or turtle.”

Shaw has spent decades gathering traditional stories that had been scattered along with the Shawnee tribe and elders with the coming of white settlers.

“The stories are for every age level,” Shaw said.

“I did an experiment once. I had a group of preschoolers in the morning and a group of retired professors in the evening. I told exactly the same stories, and both groups were completely content. The stories are like blossoms that keep unfolding and unfolding until, when you have reached maturity, you can finally see the full beauty.”

Hocking Hills Adventure Trek offers individually designed guided hikes as well as regularly scheduled nature hikes and Shawnee storytelling hikes.

“We do eight or nine different treks in all four seasons of the year, so you could do 30 hikes with us and never see the same thing twice,” Stratton said.

The Circle of Life program begins at the parking lot of Wayne’s Building Supply, 17873 Butler Rd. just south of Laurelville. Participants must arrive by 10 a.m. for the program, which will end about 1 p.m.

Tickets cost $25, or $50 for two adults and up to two children, with additional children $10 each. Reservations are required. Call 740-777-2579 or visit www.hockinghillsadventure trek.com.

Steve Stephens is the travel writer. He can be reached at 614-461-5201 or by email.
sstephens@dispatch.com@SteveStephens

http://us.mg6.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.rand=18sqer2es8jn7

See AOA Events for more information

By Laura Scheer
The Post / Athens Ohio

Publication Date: October 5, 2012 – 3:42am
Updated: October 5, 2012 – 4:36am

Brian Blair, president of the Appalachia Ohio Alliance, counts the various types of trees on the Sickles Preserve. Blair takes pride in the wide variety of trees species and other natural plants in Appalachia. (Olivia Wallace | For The Post)

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.

Laura Scheer

ls114509@ohiou.edu

http://thepost.ohiou.edu/content/group-preserves-appalachia%E2%80%99s-wildlife

The Hocking Hills is a big, beautiful region of the state. But many travelers know the area only through stops at a few popular destinations.

“Visitors who come to the Hocking Hills are often getting their primary experience of the area at the Old Man’s Cave parking lot on a busy holiday,” said Jim Stratton, founder of Hocking Hills Adventure Trek.

“But we have so much more to share.”

Stratton’s new company offers to acquaint visitors with lesser-known sites and experiences through guided hikes and nature and cultural programs.

“There are 100 miles of trails here that are largely unused,” Stratton said. “When they come with us, even on the busiest day of the year, they’ll probably be alone in the forest, which is fantastic.”

A special event on Oct. 20 will offer a good opportunity to experience an Adventure Trek program, although probably not in solitude. The company and the nonprofit Appalachia Ohio Alliance conservancy will host “The Circle of Life,” a hike and program incorporating archaeology, natural history and Shawnee Indian mythology, storytelling and music.

Participants will take a moderately strenuous hike from the parking lot to the Davis Group ancient earthworks near Laurelville. The event offers a rare opportunity to visit the 2,000-year-old earthworks, which are surrounded by private property.

During the hike, naturalists will discuss the flora, fauna and geology.

An archaeologist will also be on hand to discuss the latest theories about the earthworks and the people who built them.

Finally, two professional storytellers of Shawnee Indian descent will talk about their heritage and share stories passed down to them from their ancestors. One of the storytellers will also play a traditional Indian flute.

Fred Shaw, who is also known by his Indian name Neeake, has been telling stories professionally for more than 40 years and is especially gifted, Stratton said.
“When he tells a story called ‘Turtle Island,’ he even looks like a muskrat, beaver or turtle.”

Shaw has spent decades gathering traditional stories that had been scattered along with the Shawnee tribe and elders with the coming of white settlers.

“The stories are for every age level,” Shaw said.

“I did an experiment once. I had a group of preschoolers in the morning and a group of retired professors in the evening. I told exactly the same stories, and both groups were completely content. The stories are like blossoms that keep unfolding and unfolding until, when you have reached maturity, you can finally see the full beauty.”

Hocking Hills Adventure Trek offers individually designed guided hikes as well as regularly scheduled nature hikes and Shawnee storytelling hikes.

“We do eight or nine different treks in all four seasons of the year, so you could do 30 hikes with us and never see the same thing twice,” Stratton said.

The Circle of Life program begins at the parking lot of Wayne’s Building Supply, 17873 Butler Rd. just south of Laurelville. Participants must arrive by 10 a.m. for the program, which will end about 1 p.m.

Tickets cost $25, or $50 for two adults and up to two children, with additional children $10 each. Reservations are required. Call 740-777-2579 or visit www.hockinghillsadventure trek.com.

Steve Stephens is the travel writer. He can be reached at 614-461-5201 or by email.
sstephens@dispatch.com@SteveStephens

http://us.mg6.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.rand=18sqer2es8jn7

By Jeff Barron The Eagle-Gazette Staff

Angie Tornes said there are times in life when a person knows he or she is making the right decision and feels overwhelmingly good about it.

Donating 31 acres of family land on Pump Station Road near Sugar Grove in 2009 to Appalachia Ohio Alliance was one of them.

“It was the right thing for us to do,” Tornes said. “There are no regrets, only total satisfaction and pleasure in knowing we did the right thing.”

Jo and Bert Kleinmaier originally owned the land, before giving it to their 10 grandchildren about 25 years ago. Tornes is one of the grandchildren who decided to donate the land to AOA, which is a land trust involved in conservation and land preservation. The property now is known as the Kleinmaier Preserve and offers visitors a place to enjoy nature.

“It feels wonderful knowing it is protected and knowing how much my grandparents loved it,” Tornes said. “This land gave us so many great experiences.”

Her grandfather died in 1988, followed by her grandmother in 2003. Neither was aware of their grandchildren’s plans.

“I think they would be very appreciative, pleased and satisfied,” Tornes said. “It was a great way for us to give back with what they gave us.”

Tornes is a Columbus native who now lives in Wisconsin. She said her family had to weigh the financial loss of donating the land versus the feeling of community and preservation the donation would bring.

“We decided to honor all the happiness that occurred on that land and wanted it to be around for others to enjoy,” Tornes said.

The Kleinmaier Preserve is one of four properties the AOA either owns or has agreements with in Fairfield County. Two others are near Sugar Grove and another is farmland by the U.S. 33 bypass, close to a Hocking River tributary in the northwest part of the county.

AOA Executive Director Steve Fleegal said the organization hopes to develop a conservation corridor along the river from Lancaster to Logan and talks with property owners are ongoing to do that, but nothing has been finalized.

What is the Appalachia Ohio Alliance? According to its website, the AOA is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) land conservancy that is dedicated to the conservation and stewardship of land and water as sustainable natural resources. The alliance achieves its mission through several principal activities, like land and water protection, stewardship, community outreach, outdoor recreation, nature-based education and mission advocacy. It strives to build community awareness, support engagement in land and water conservation, as well as promote healthier communities and greener, more sustainable lifestyles.

“This is where people can make a difference,” Fleegal said. “People that are concerned about their land or are concerned about habitat or farming, or various other reasons, can protect their land.”

The AOA was formed in 2002 with support from singer/songwriter Carole King’s White Cloud Council. It focuses on Franklin, Fairfield, Pickaway, Hocking, Vinton and Athens counties. AOA is also active is 10 other southeastern Ohio counties and owns seven properties and has conservation agreements with 38 others. That comes out to 1,700 acres owned and 5,000 acres in conservation agreements.

“Each agreement we have and each property is different. There are different values,” Fleegal said. “You look at what is called conservation values, and that’s what we protect

Those values can be defined in several ways, including waterway corridors for clean, healthy streams, farmland, natural areas, tree farms and forests and crop lands.

On the AOA-owned property, the organization owns all of the land rights. With the agreements, there are certain conservation values it will protect through deed restrictions.

“Let’s say someone owns 100 acres,” Fleegal said. “They say, ‘We want to protect this 100 acres but we want to have a house here and we want to build a house over there.’ So we’ll work out an agreement that they’re allowed to do this and do this, but they would not develop the rest of the property.

“However, the property owner still would own the land with an agreement but would be restricted on how it could be developed.

Lyn Hargreave owns a farm near Buckeye Troxel Road, close to Sugar Grove. Most of the property lies in Hocking County, but 25 acres are in Fairfield County.

The Michigan resident’s father, Elbert Mercer, signed a conservation agreement with the AOA about 10 years ago for about 116 acres. Mercer died in 2005 at age 96 and bought the farm in 1972. He was a glass designer who worked at Anchor Hocking, among other places.

“His agreement was that the land could not be divided,” Hargreave said. “There could be no subdivision there, except for one three-acre piece. There also cannot be any trees timbered. No living tree can be cut down. If a tree falls, it can be taken out, but that’s it.”

Her son now lives on the land.

“The agreement put my father’s mind at ease,” Hargreave said. “He was really concerned because it was his first love.”

She said although the land cannot be developed or used for any commercial reasons, there is no break on the property tax.

“I still love the property, and it’s beautiful,” Hargreave said. “I’m glad it’s protected, but the state doesn’t see it the way we do. If someone thinks they are going to get a tax break with a conservation agreement, they’re not. If I couldn’t have afforded the taxes, I would probably have donated the land to a conservation organization.”

Tornes said the process took a while to complete after the family decided to donate its land. She said one of the grandchildren was hesitant at first before finally coming through.

“Everybody is happy with it,” Tornes said. “I didn’t know it meant so much for my mother to do this until we signed the title over to AOA.”

Her mother, Jodo Tornes, said she thought the donation was fabulous.

“I love knowing the land is preserved,” she said. “Everyone is happy they did it.”

Angie Tornes, a former Ohio Department of Development employee, said like most legal transactions, this one took a little while to complete. She said all donations to AOA are tax deductible.

Now that it is complete, she visits the land once per year and said she enjoys it as much as ever.

“I’ve seen buzzards, or turkey vultures, out there before,” Tornes said. “They call the nooks and crannies out there home like the Native Americans once did. You never know what you’re going to find on that property.” Hargreave also visits her property occasionally.

“My father grew up in the hills and loved it,” she said. “He said he didn’t care where you could go, even the Smoky Mountains, you won’t find anything better than this. It was important to him, and it’s important to me.”

jbarron@lancastereagle gazette.com; 740-681-4340
Twitter: @JeffDBarron

http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/article/20120923/NEWS01/209230306/Group

By DEBRA TOBIN Logan Daily News Reporter dtobin@logandaily.com

SUGAR GROVE – The Appalachia Ohio Alliance (AOA) celebrated its 10th anniversary Saturday at the Geneva Hills Lodge near Sugar Grove.

“It all started back in 1997 when a group of conservationists were on a river trip in the Grand Canyon,” said Brock Evans, an AOA founding sponsor. “Carole King, the singer, was on the same river trip and everyone started talking to her about ways of preserving this beautiful land of ours.

Well, the rest is history. She invited the group to her ranch in Idaho to discuss this further and after a few years of meetings and further discussions, the organization was formed in 2002 with startup support from Carole King’s White Cloud Council,” Evans said of the group’s early origins. “She is truly the godmother of AOA.”

Evans was raised in Columbus and explored the Hocking Hills area with his family when he was a child. “I remember coming to the Hocking Hills, and even as a child, I thought this land was beautiful. I was just blown away by the beauty of the countryside,” he said.

A life-long environmental activist and friend to Southeastern Ohio, Evans was instrumental in the organization of AOA. His goal is to preserve and save the land not only in Ohio, but throughout the country.

“There are many of these groups just like AOA throughout the states, each working towards a common goal – to preserve and protect this beautiful land,” he said.

Evans is the president of the Endangered Species Coalition, which represents more than 400 scientific societies, environmental and sportsmen’s associations, religious groups and others, all dedicated to protecting imperiled wildlife.

AOA covers 16 counties in southern Ohio, protecting the conservation values on more than 6,700 acres. Presently, the non-profit land conservancy group has 45 conservation properties, 40 conservation donors, and hundreds of supporters and volunteers.

Geographically, the group works in much of Central and Southeastern Ohio with a focus on the Columbus metro area and the Hocking Hills corridor and surrounding areas where the majority of AOA’s conserved properties are located.

Brian Blair, president of AOA, said the organization has historically received broad community support for their conservation efforts in this region, especially from the City of Logan.

“We value collaboration and have partnered with private landowners as well as a variety of public and non-profit organizations including (the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Department of Transportation), Columbus Metro Parks, Wayne National Forest, soil and water conservation districts, Buckeye Trail Association, Capital University, and Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Central Ohio to protect and conserve valuable land and water resources,” Blair stated. “And the City of Logan has been on board with us and has given us great support in this area as well.”

“There are just so many great things AOA is doing to help preserve and protect our beautiful land,” he continued. “And each and every one of you has helped us achieve our dreams. It’s with your help, love and dedication to the land that AOA has been successful. Each and every one of you here tonight has played a part in the success of AOA and for this we thank you.”

The volunteer of the year award was presented to Phil Cartmille, and Clyde Gosnell was presented the Conservation Award.

AOA is dedicated to the conservation and stewardship of Appalachian Ohio’s land and water as sustainable natural resources.

The organization concentrates on multiple initiatives to achieve conservation outcomes. These include the conservation of valuable and unique natural areas and habitats; riparian zones including riparian-based greenway corridors; working farms and farm lands; community forests; buffer lands surrounding local, state and federal parks and forests; connective corridors; and larger, landscape-scale assemblages of conservation lands.

According to executive director Steve Fleegal, AOA’s conservation model is based on voluntary conservation with an emphasis on private and institutional properties, and the success of the organization is built on generous donations from people who want to make a difference in the community.

For more information about AOA visit their website at www.AppalachiaOhioAlliance.org.

http://www.logandaily.com/news/appalachian-ohio-alliance-celebrates-th-anniversary/article_e85e4f88-05d4-11e2-9f81-0019bb2963f4.html

The new site is operational but still “under construction”. We will be updating and adding new content over the next several months as we work to enhance our online presence. Take a look around and let us know what you think.

John Husted will be serving as the AOA webmaster going forward. All comments, corrections and questions regarding the website format, content or operation should be directed to John at jfhustedaoa@yahoo.com.

AOA is seeking to provide improved access to our numerous conservation properties for our friends and the public to experience. This event will help to raise funds needed for the long term stewardship and protection of this valuable conservation and historic property. We are grateful to property owner Bob Etchison for his conservation donation, his support for AOA and cooperation with this exciting event.

View the 2011 Year in Review