LOGAN, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources joined the Appalachia Ohio Alliance to officially declare Bison Hollow as a state nature preserve. The 375 acres of land in Hocking and Vinton counties is now permanently protected. Bison Hollow is the first nature preserve to be dedicated in Vinton County.
Located just a few miles away from the Hocking Hills region, including Ash Cave and Old Man’s Cave, Bison Hollow harbors some of the most undisturbed land and water in the region.
The preserve’s gorge and hollow feature sheer sandstone cliffs and rock faces, steep hemlock-dominated slopes and ravines, impressive rock formations and numerous natural waterfalls. Wooded areas of the preserve showcase white oak, red oak, chestnut, oak, beech, tuliptree, sugar maple and other hardwoods. The site is home to rarities such as long beech fern, Sullivantia and round-leaf catchfly.
Bison Hollow is comprised of 20 tracts of land totaling more than 1,000 acres in Hocking and Vinton counties. One of the best features of the new preserve is the lack of human disturbance across the property. High-quality habitats include the cold water habitat stream of the South Branch of the East Fork of Queer Creek and the lack of invasive plants in the northern reaches of Bison Hollow’s gorge.
The preserve will continue to be owned and managed by Appalachia Ohio Alliance; visitation to the preserve is limited to safeguard its fragile natural features.
