This year has been challenging for the many protected areas across the U.S. At the beginning of 2025, the Trump Administration approved federal cuts that affected and continue to negatively influence national parks across the country.
With just over half its seasonal employees, the National Park System is struggling. Crater Lake National Park is now operating with way fewer employees than usual, and visitors reported empty desks and unchecked passes at some U.S. national parks.
However, in the middle of this crisis, a few good news stories sometimes give people hope. For example, nearly 3,000 acres of land have been donated to the local land bank and have recently become a new nature preserve in Ohio.
New Nature Preserve Protects 3,000 Acres In Ohio
Back in July, U.S. representatives announced plans to reintroduce a bill that would designate Ocmulgee Mounds as Georgia's first National Park and Preserve. However, while Americans still have to wait to get a 64th national park, citizens in Ohio now have the opportunity to visit a brand-new nature preserve.
It all started when Betty Lowe's family decided to donate nearly 3,000 acres of land to the local land bank. The area is located in the Appalachian foothills in northern Athens and southern Morgan counties. This is one of Ohio's largest private land protection initiatives and will ensure the 2,973-acre, renamed Joy Valley Nature Preserve, is open to the public for generations. The land was donated to the Athens Conservancy, which has agreed to manage it as a nature preserve. This includes a commitment to protect its wildlife, marking trails for hikers, and facilitating public access, such as building parking areas.
What Did Users Say?
Athens Conservancy announced the news in a Facebook post that received quite a few comments. For instance, user Alaina Friedrich wrote, "Amazing!!!! Congratulations!", adding that this was an amazing gift from the Lowe family.
User Barbie Chatter also shared their joy for the project, adding that with the push for development in the area, they were afraid Ohio would soon lose its forests. But is Joy Valley Nature Preserve already open to the public?
Is The Joy Valley Nature Preserve Open?
The Joy Valley Nature Preserve is already open to the public. However, those working on it suggest people wait a bit longer before visiting since cell phone reception is still limited and trails aren't well-marked yet. In a post shared on its official Facebook page, Athens Conservancy stated:
We know many of you are excited about the new Joy Valley Nature Preserve, and rightly so! It's a vast, beautiful, and rugged 3,000 acres of forested land. We will have an opening event later. For now, just please note that there are no marked trails or parking areas, and cell phone service is very limited. Read the full announcement on our website.
Athens Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust whose main goals are to preserve wild and scenic places, protect ecosystems and water quality, and support biodiversity to help counteract the causes of climate change.
Ohio Lacks Public Lands Compared To Other U.S. States
In an interview with the Ohio Newsroom, Athens Conservancy's board member Brian Blair discussed the importance of nature preserves in Ohio. According to Brian Blair, this state has a limited number of public lands compared to others. He said:
Ohio, in general, is only about 4.2% public land (...). So even though we have some beautiful state parks and wildlife areas in Ohio, and especially southeast Ohio, we don't have a huge amount of public land compared to some other states. And that's where nature preserves like this come in.ath
According to Blair, Joy Valley may soon become the home of a variety of local animals, including salamanders and bobcats. These new nature preserves may also help redistribute tourism fluxes so that sites such as Hocking Hills won't have to deal with massive crowds.
The nonprofit is now working on adding signage and trail markers. Hopefully, visitors will soon be able to enjoy this new nature preserve and all its beauty.