A Pine Romance

Glen Helen Nature Preserve is located in rural Southwestern Ohio near the village of Yellow Springs in Greene County.  It is one of the oldest nature preserves in the region, having been protected continuously since 1929.   The eastern edge of the reserve abuts John Bryan State Park and Clifton Gorge Nature Preserve. To the west is the village of Yellow Springs and elsewhere it is surrounded primarily by  row crop agricultural fields.  The primary habitat in Glen Helen is mixed mesophytic hardwood forest.  The reserve is drained in the northern portions by Birch and Yellow Springs Creeks, and in the southern portions by the Little Miami River.  While most of the reserve is forested, there are some open areas associated with educational facilities as well as a few old fields, spring-fed wetlands, and a small restored tall grass prairie.¹ 

The Pine Forest in Glen Helen Preserve was originally planted by the Ohio State Forestry dept.  The first plantings of Scotch Pines began in 1926 when the land was still part of John  Bryan State Park (it became Glen land in the late 1930s).  It had previously been farmland, so the first purpose was simply reforestation.  It became known as the School Forest starting in the late 1940s with six principles in mind:

1, Lab facility

2, Outdoor recreation

3, As a source of income

4. As a source of Christmas trees

5. As a model for tree growing

6. For leadership training in conservation and maintenance.

Additionally the area is populated with Red and White Pines and Spruce. 

While one cannot conclusively say what the average age of the forest is, given that 1926 date, it is obviously a fairly young growth.²

Hurricane Ike was the third costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States.  On September 14, 2008, after becoming extra-tropical and enhanced by an upper level shortwave trough, a major wind event took place across the lower and middle Ohio Valley and lower Great Lakes.  Hurricane-force wind gusts were reported to the east of the center across parts of Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania with significant wind damage including structural damage to buildings and trees.³ 

Hurricane Ike's after-effects resulted in a considerable amount of damage evidenced by a number of toppled trees in Glen Helen's popular Pine Forest.  The Pine Forest's cathedral like canopy has long been a favorite destination at the 1,000-acre nature preserve.   The Pine Forest at Glen Helen is a popular venue for weddings and can be rented by couples wishing to have outdoor weddings.  Because of the forest's popularity among hikers, naturalists, and romantics, efforts are underway to ensure this fragile ecosystem is protected to that it can be enjoyed by future generations.

RULES TO ABIDE BY WHILE AT GLEN HELEN 

While at Glen Helen, please respect the rules and guidelines http://antiochcollege.org/glen_helen/visiting_the_glen.html of the preserve and follow the "Leave No Trace" outdoor ethic.  Please stay on-trail at all times.  No specimen-collecting is permitted, and no swimming or wading is allowed.  Well behaved, leashed geodogs (and cats!) are welcome with their responsible human friends.

LOGGING REQUIREMENTS: 

In order to claim the find, you must perform an educational task. So, we ask that you do the following: 

Requirement 1: Answer the following questions.  All the answers can be found in the above information.

1. What was the first purpose of creating the Glen Helen Pine Forest? 

2. In what year were the first trees planted in the forest? 

3. Name at least three of the six principles the School Forest of the 1940s 

4. What species of evergreen trees are found in the Glen Helen Pine Forest?

5. Name one of the more recent popular uses of the Glen Helen Pine Forest? 

6. In what year did Hurricane Ike cause significant damage to the Glen Helen Pine Forest? 

Requirement 2:  Email

Send us an email at djcreekcachers@gmail.com that provides the answers to the questions above.

Requirement 3: Post two photos with your log. One photo should include a unique aspect of the Pine Forest and your GPS.  The second photo can be of any other geological features in Glen Helen Preserve that is interesting to you.

Post your photos with your online log, and email us with your answers. 

References: 

1. Bradley, Richard A.; Hickman, William L., Article from: The Ohio Journal of Science, "Spiders (Araneae) of the Glen Helen Nature Preserve, Greene County, OH. (Report)," dated 1 April 2009, posted on HighBeam Research Website, under Articles > Journals > Applied Sciences  journals > The Ohio Journal of Science articles > April 2009, retrieved 20 October 2010, http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-233408460.html 

2.  Scott Sanders, Antioch College, e-mail message to Erin Crawford, 19 October 2010 

3. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, "Hurricane Ike," last modified on 20 October 2010, retrieved 20 October 2010 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ike

 The Geocache was given it's name because our daughter's fiancee proposed to her in the Pine Forest at Glen Helen Preserve.  The name was chosen because of it's similarity to the song "A Fine Romance" written by Jerome Kern and performed by Frank Sinatra.