Highland County commissioners, Arc of Appalachia reps discuss land acquisition, regional promotion

Representatives from the Arc of Appalachia requested a resolution in support of land acquisition, and discussed a need for increased tourism promotion efforts, during Highland County commissioners’ Wednesday, July 5 meeting.

Arc of Appalachia executive director Nancy Stranahan, land stewardship director Brent Charette and community outreach adviser Tim Koehl met with Highland County commissioners Terry Britton, David Daniels and Brad Roades, as the Arc of Appalachia group is seeking grant funding to purchase two parcels off of Ferneau Road in Highland County.

Prior to that request, however, the group spent close to an hour discussing the background of Arc of Appalachia and Highlands Nature Sanctuary to give Roades, the newest commissioner, an overview of their mission.

The group began with the purchase of 47 acres of the former 7 Caves, which became what is now known as Highlands Nature Sanctuary, and has since grown to include numerous land acquisitions across Appalachian Ohio.  They had 34,695 visitors to the nature sanctuary in 2022, Stranahan said.

“We basically buy and preserve the best of the best, so high biodiversity, gorgeous rock features,” Stranahan said. “We are very dedicated to trail development. We have over 60 miles of hiking trails open to the public with beautiful parking lots and kiosks and trailheads all across Appalachian Ohio, with miles and miles to come, and then we do education.”

Arc of Appalachia properties are removed from the tax base, but Stranahan said her response to criticism on that topic is that the Highlands Nature Sanctuary is the equivalent of a metropolitan park, which would also be tax exempt, and that it is operated free to the public without seeking any tax levies.

Stranahan explained that their land acquisitions have come through bequests and through funding such as endowment funds or through CleanOhio. They also try to guide landowners into making the right decisions for their property, such as pursuing conservation easements instead of adding their property into Arc of Appalachia.

Charette told commissioners that they were asking for a resolution in support of the Arc of Appalachia’s plans to submit a Clean Ohio grant to purchase Pickett Run Wetlands off of Ferneau Road.

“In order to submit a grant application, we have to have the approval of the township trustees of the township where that property is, and we also have to have the approval of the commissioners, because the property will come out of your tax base,” Charette said. “We are not eligible to apply for a grant unless you give us your assent.

“It’s currently owned by a sister nonprofit of ours called Wilderness East, and they're holding the property pending our application for a Clean Ohio grant.”

Charette said the purchase includes “two parcels that make up one property” — a 7.6-acre parcel that brings in $350.60 annually in tax revenues and an 11.52-acre parcel that brings in $1,419.48 per year in taxes. The larger parcel includes a home that is “not salvageable” that will be torn down, Charette said.

Charette said the property includes a “fen that is very unique in that it has a large number of plants.” Their plan is to build two short trails on the property, as well as a parking lot, kiosk and trailhead. In addition to demolishing the home, they need to remove abandoned vehicles and clear up some invasive plant species, he told commissioners.

Owning the Pickett Run parcels will also allow access to another Arc-owned property, Celandine Hill and Sad Song Creek, where Charette said they’ve “always wanted to put a trail but never could because we didn’t have good access.” The parking lot at Pickett Run can serve both properties, he said.

According to Charette, they have already obtained township approval for the purchase, and they are “already working on the grants right now that are due in September.”

Daniels said he did not want to take action on a resolution until they allow an “opportunity for public comment,” but they will “make sure that we get it done in a timely manner” if they choose to move forward.

Throughout the presentation, a topic that the Arc of Appalachia representatives continually revisited was the need to better promote the region’s parks and nature preserves. As has previously been reported, the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks in Ross County have been nominated for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site recognition, which the group said will bring a huge increase in visitors to the area.

Koehl told commissioners that when the Cahokia Mounds in Illinois received a UNESCO designation, the tourism to the area grew from 5,000 to 6,000 visitors a year to over 200,000 people annually. In Chillicothe, learning that the Earthworks was a “potential” UNESCO site has led to increased tourism, he said.

“We’re going to have as high as 400,000 people a year coming, not just from the United States,” Koehl said. “About half those visitors will be from around the world, and there are people that when a world designation is made, they’ve got to go there. This is going to happen. It's happening now.

“I've been talking about this for four or five years now, and it just doesn’t seem to be getting any traction with the people that can benefit from this.”

Koehl made several comments regarding Highland County’s promotion of local tourism, including the fact that the Highland County Chamber of Commerce and its Visitors Bureau are run by a single director.

“I want to implore you to revisit that and try as quickly as we can to separate those functions,” Koehl said. “If you look at what's happening in tourism, we are missing out. There's revenue out there that's going other places that we're just letting go because we have one person trying to to do two different jobs. I'm not saying she's not qualified to do that. I'm just saying, you try and do it.”

Stranahan also spoke about the need to promote what she has dubbed “Ohio’s Appalachian Front” — the hiking trails, historic sites and museums across a five-county region.

Stranahan told commissioners that most of the Arc’s preserves are in Highland, Adams, Pike, Ross and Scioto counties, but she said their growth over the past 28 years has been “so slow” that she feels “the average person” is unaware of the hiking and nature opportunities.

“We have the largest hills in Ohio — not Hocking Hills, us,” she said. “We have the tallest hills, we have the most beautiful rivers, we have the most beautiful landscape in the entire state, and this five-county region doesn't get attention.

“We don't take an integrated view of the region that we live in, and if we did, life would change here.”

Stranahan said that the area is “on the edge of a huge tourism storm that we can ride into the benefit of all of our counties,” with an opportunity to draw in tourists from major cities across Ohio by promoting the earthworks, rock formations, waterfalls and wildflowers found in the five-county region.

“What if we work together?” Stranahan said. “That World Heritage Site designation can help you all, us all. It doesn't have to just help Ross County — in fact, it’s not going to — but we have to think big. We have to think regional.”

Stranahan said she developed a name for the area — Ohio’s Appalachian Front — which she describes as a “five-county region drenched in nature preserves, ancient earthworks, cultural and historical sites, parks and hiking trails. Nowhere else in Ohio is there anything like it.”

“The people in Cincinnati and Dayton, and Youngstown and Cleveland — they don't know, because we've never told them,” Stranahan said. “It’s time we claim what we have. Four state forests conserving 100,000 acres, 150 miles of bridle trails, eight state parks, eight state nature preserves, more Indian mounds and ancient earthworks than anywhere else in the world (soon to become World Heritage Sites) and 120 miles of dedicated hiking trails, half of which are ours [at Arc of Appalachia].

“All of this has been happening over mostly the last eight years, and it's going to get even bigger quick.”

Stranahan said there is a need for Highland County and the other four counties to “belong to something bigger” than themselves.

“The other counties need you just as much as you need them,” she said, adding that they should “push our area as one” region to “benefit from” the tourism for attractions in neighboring areas.

Stranahan suggested that county commissioners and tourism leaders from the five-county area should plan a meeting to discuss how to “promote the Appalachian Front, because it’s going to help everybody.”

“There's going to be 200,000-plus people looking on the internet when they hear about this area and the designation,” Koehl added. “What are they going to see? Are they going to see us, or are they going to see the bigger cities?

“Right now, the massive amounts of money have been spent for the past 10 years by Lebanon, Chillicothe, Newark, getting ready for this. They're getting their websites up, they know these people are coming in and they're ready for it. Folks, I don't think we can say that.”

In response, Daniels asked, “If you brought all these people together, what would be your ask of them?”

Stranahan said she is “looking for ignition” and wanted to know if tourism leaders “are willing to  go under the Appalachian Front in your promotion instead of going under your county, and that's going to take county approval.”

“Right there, you’ve still asked for a segregated response,” Daniels said. “You’ve still asked for ‘the county.’ If you want to do something regionally, you have to bring all these people together and have a regional concept that doesn't involve one county doing one thing.”

For example, Daniels said, if Arc of Appalachia decides to “hire a coordinator” to oversee the “Appalachian Front” region, then they need to come to the counties in that area and outline what they need, what they are going to do and “how it’s going to benefit” each county.

“You can't go to each individual county and ask us to do our piece,” Daniels said. “We can all do our piece, but if you really want this, then you have to know what your ask is going to be.”

Stranahan said she would work with her staff “to see if we have a firm idea that’s realistic and come back to you” but agreed that a regional coordinator would be a good idea.

“Our response can only take you so far,” Daniels said. “We get pulled in 20 different directions all the time. Same way with local tourism people. You can’t ask Highland County's tourism director to manage a regional operation because now, all of a sudden, you're going to have those other interests that they've got saying, ‘Why are you doing this? Why aren’t you out here promoting me?’

“The question is, again, what's your ask?”

Stranahan said before they would need to “see if we can find a grant source” to pay for a coordinator as well as marketing expenses.
 
Right before the group left, Koehl again told commissioners that he doesn’t see promotion efforts for the area “happening” as they should.

“We need to create the infrastructure to get them off the interstates and on the side roads for all of our local merchants and everybody to benefit — not big corporate, our folks working out there every day,” Koehl said. “It’s up to us to get that word out, and right now, it ain’t happening.”

After the group left, however, Daniels pointed out that asking county tourism directors to “ignore everything else that's going on and just do this” is not realistic and that the Arc of Appalachia group needs to “know what you want from us” and communicate accordingly.

In other discussion:

• Work sessions on county departments’ budgets continued Wednesday, with Highland County Job and Family Services as well as the Highland County Auditor’s Office on the agenda after commissioners’ regular session.

Commissioners noted that they will hold a special meeting Thursday, July 6 to conduct more budget discussions, as they were scheduled to meet with the Board of DD, Common Pleas Court, Engineer’s Office and Veterans Service Commission.

A special meeting has also been scheduled for Monday, July 17 at 10 a.m. for both budget meetings as well as a bid opening.

• Britton said that a memorandum of understanding had been overlooked in a previously awarded Ohio Department of Corrections contract for T-CAP (Targeted Community Alternatives to Prison) among commissioners, the Sheriff’s Office and Common Pleas Court.

“There was an MOU that was basically missed,” Britton said. “The contract’s been signed, and we're just going to put this agreement for the MOU. Basically, they they didn't have it in the packet. It was an error.”

Daniels added that the MOU “doesn’t change the intent” of the original contract. Commissioners voted 3-0 to approve the change.

Commissioners also made the following approvals, each by a 3-0 vote:

• A resolution to rescind Resolution No. 23-95, for the Probation Department, which had been approved at the June 28 meeting. The next resolution passed by commissioners Wednesday, resolution No. 23-97, was identical to that resolution: A request from Probation for an advance within the 2170 Community Probation Department SRVC account in the amount of $20,000. Also requested is an additional appropriation within the 2615 account in the amount of $20,000.

• Commissioners authorized an additional appropriation from unanticipated revenue in the amount of $335 to the 1000 County Court Budget fund.

• Commissioners authorized an additional appropriation from unappropriated funds in the amount of $3,000 to the 2000 Dog and Kennel Other Expense fund.

• Commissioners approved an addition to a previous contract among commissioners, Highland County Community Action Organization and Workforce Services Unlimited for a requested extension for a contract with WSU for comprehensive case management and employee programs.