Walsh Preserve

AOA would like to extend our gratitude to Jane and Bruce Walsh for the generous donation of their 77-acre property in Fairfield County.  This property was originally established as an AOA Conservation Easement in 2015 and has been stewarded by the family until it was donated in December 2025.  This gift reflects their commitment to preserving Ohio’s natural heritage by providing open spaces, protecting wildlife habitats and providing clean water resources.

The Walsh Preserve is located east of Pine Lake along Tarkiln Road and Ross Road Southeast in Fairfield County.  The Preserve is drained by Pine Run which is a tributary of the Hocking River and part of AOA’s Hocking River Conservation Corridor.     

The Preserve has a mixed mesophytic forest with Black Hand Sandstone outcrops that is dominated by sugar maples and tulip poplar.  Some of these trees are 50 to 75 years old and up to 2 foot in diameter.  This forest also has dogwood, sourwood, black cherry, pitch pine, numerous sweet birch and some scattered red and white oaks.  Understory vegetation includes spice bush, American holly, maple leaved viburnum and sassafras.

One of the outstanding features of this Preserve is large area of wetlands along Pine Run and Ross Road Southeast that drain east toward the Hocking River.   These wetlands have a dense growth of skunk cabbage and other wetland plants and are home to a large number of amphibians.  The wetlands provide filtration of surface and ground water prior to its discharge to the Hocking River.

The Preserve also has a diverse and dense growth of native wildflowers.  These wildflowers include spring beauties, cut leaf toothwort, blue cohosh, wild geranium, miterwort, Dutchman’s breeches, blue phlox, Jacob’s ladder and Solomon’s seal.  In addition, approximately 15 species of ferns were observed on the property.