If you’ve ever wandered the rolling hills of southeast Ohio, you know how special that landscape feels. Quiet hardwood forests, sandstone cliffs, little streams winding toward the Ohio River. Now, nearly 3,000 acres of that beauty have been permanently protected.
The land, which stretches across Athens and Morgan counties, has been in the same family for more than a century. This year, landowner Betty Lowe donated it to the Athens Conservancy, with The Nature Conservancy adding a permanent conservation easement.
Together, that means this forest will not be mined, developed, or cleared. Instead, it will be cared for and opened to the public as the Joy Valley Nature Preserve.
A Living, Breathing Preserve
The new preserve is a patchwork of Appalachian hardwoods, sandstone outcroppings, vernal pools, caves, and ridge tops. It is home to everything from rare wildflowers and threatened ferns to songbirds like the cerulean warbler and even endangered bats. Walking here, you would feel the forest alive around you.
“Athens Conservancy commends Betty’s vision to preserve this precious forested property, and we fully embrace a partnership with The Nature Conservancy to protect it forever,” said Brian Blair, Athens Conservancy board member. “This remarkable land is abundant in natural beauty, rugged history, and environmental treasures. Its vast hardwood forests have significant impact locally, regionally, and globally today and for the future.”
Betty Lowe, whose family has cared for this land for more than a century, was at the heart of making Joy Valley Nature Preserve a reality. For her, the decision was about honoring the past while protecting the future. “I am donating my farm to Athens Conservancy and a conservation easement to The Nature Conservancy so as to conserve the property from future development, prevent mining and major disturbance of the land, preserve native biodiversity, allow the public to walk and enjoy nature, and encourage appreciation and protection of the natural world,” she explained.
By putting the land in trusted hands, Lowe hopes her gift inspires other landowners across Ohio to think about conservation in a similar way — not just as preservation, but as a way of inviting people to connect more deeply with the landscapes that define this region.
What’s Next
Joy Valley Nature Preserve is still in its early days. There are not yet trails or signs, and cell service is limited, but the conservancy plans to add visitor amenities and eventually host a community opening celebration. For now, it is enough to know that this corner of Ohio’s foothills has been protected forever, a gift for wildlife today and for people who will walk these woods generations from now.
Want to learn more? Head over to athensconservancy.org.
