On a beautiful snowy winter day representatives of AOA hiked into the deep woods of Bison Hollow for a special event. ODNR Division of Natural Areas and Preserves held a signing ceremony with Director Mertz for the recently announced designation of core portions of AOA’s Bison Hollow Preserve as Ohio’s newest State Nature Preserve (SNP). Bison Hollow joins Kleinmaier SNP as AOA’s currently designated State Preserves.

Bison Hollow is one of the jewels of the distinctive Hocking Hills landscapes. It is covered in deep older growth hardwood forests with large stands of hemlock that provide homes for many native species that are becoming increasingly threatened or rare. The high Blackhand sandstone bluffs, gorges, rock shelters and caves, numerous waterfalls and relatively rare high-quality Coldwater habitat streams, are very worthy of conservation and protection from degradation.