"Appalachia Ohio Alliance" Saves Wild and Cultural Places

The Chillicothe-Ross League of Women Voters heard from a land conservancy a week ago, to commemorate Earth Day. Kevin Coleman was there.

Steve Fleegal is the director of the Appalachia Ohio Alliance. He explained the 21-year-old land conservancy buys properties in the Scioto and Hocking watersheds to protect habitat and clean water, especially for migrating bird flyways, especially around urbanizing central Ohio.

They also save earthworks, canals, old quarries, and conserve farms with easements. He says AOA bought a Hocking Canal lock for the price of its sandstone blocks plus the land, to save it from being dismantled and sold. They also bought an abandoned historical quarry. A wooded property was bought by the man hired to estimate the timber to be logged from it because he was impressed by its character, then he sold it to AOA.

The Alliance has more than 15,000 acres in 19 counties, and they also work with other conservancies.

But the land is not just locked away. Fleegal says they have various events about 25 times a year, plus almost weekly workdays to clean sites - mosty in the spring and summer.

So far they have just one site in Ross County, a buffer property at the Seip Mound park near Bainbridge.

Kevin Coleman covers local government and culture for iHeart Media Southern Ohio. For stories or questions, contact the iHeart Southern Ohio Newsroom or Kevin Coleman

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    The Chillicothe-Ross League of Women Voters recently heard from a land conservancy to commemorate Earth Day. The Appalachia Ohio Alliance, a 21-year-old land conservancy that buys properties in the Scioto and Hocking watersheds.

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    The Chillicothe-Ross League of Women Voters recently heard from a land conservancy to commemorate Earth Day. Steve Fleegal, the director of the Appalachia Ohio Alliance, a 21-year-old land conservancy that buys properties in the Scioto and Hocking watersheds.

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    Fleegal explains how the Ivory Billed Woodpecker was lost because no one could save their last refuge from being clearcut.

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    The Appalachia Ohio Alliance also fights aggressive weeds on their properties.

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