Igel Preserve

The Igel Preserve was purchased by AOA in 2019 and protects 99.5 acres of land along Big Darby Creek. The Preserve protects a gravel quarry lake, 1,450 linear feet of Big Darby Creek frontage, 1,800 linear feet of secondary stream channel and 1,400 linear feet of headwater tributary. The bottomland areas on this property are heavily forested with mature sycamore and swamp white oak. The floodplain contains a wide variety of native wildflowers including Michigan lilies and the star-flowered Solomon’s seal.

The Igel Preserve riparian corridor is heavily forested and the stream corridor contains numerous sand and gravel bars and other aquatic habitat features. In 2014, this section of stream was determined to be in full attainment of Exceptional Warm Water Habitat Life Use Status and an Outstanding State Waters.

Approximately 30 acres of the Igel Property is comprised of heavily forested riparian corridor with occasional vernal pool areas. Another approximately 36 acres of the Igel Property is comprised of bottomland floodplain that was cleared and utilized for agricultural purposes. Based on the Ohio Natural Heritage Database, the Igel Property has 15 known state and/or federal listed species either on or in very close proximity to the property.

The Igel floodplain area will be allowed to revert to a bottomland hardwood forest via secondary succession. Recent stewardship work on this property has included planting 34 acres of prairie grasses and wildflowers and 12,000 trees to protect the sensitive riparian corridor of Big Darby Creek.