Source: Dearborn County Register

Green Umbrella, Greater Cincinnati’s environmental sustainability alliance, has selected five new “Greenspace Gems” as part of an initiative celebrating the region’s expansive acreage of protected greenspace.

The announcement is part of the organization’s celebration of the 25th anniversary of Public Lands Day, Sept. 22, which recognizes the connections between people and greenspace and promotes environmental stewardship.

Greenspace Gems – selected by a team of conservation experts from Green Umbrella’s Greenspace Action Team – highlights natural areas in the Tri-State for their outstanding scenic value, biological diversity, scientific importance, or historic interest.  This set of Gems follows the inaugural set of five released earlier this year.

The sites selected as part of the second round of Greenspace Gems are:

• Oxbow (Dearborn County)
  
• St. Anne Woods and Wetlands (Campbell County)
  
• Fernald Preserve (Hamilton County)
  
• Gilmore MetroPark (Butler County)
  
• Sharon Woods Gorge (Hamilton County)
  

Each of the sites represents the ecological diversity of Green Umbrella’s 10-county region and tells a story of public action to protect natural resources.

“We hope this series will raise awareness of our greatest places and the strategies being used to protect them,” says Bob Temple, a founding member and current board member of Green Umbrella. “Expanding urbanization threatens our quality of life and the essential services that greenspaces provide. With public support and smart planning, we can keep our metro area sustainable, healthy and equitable.”

Several of the Gems will host events during the 15th annual Great Outdoor Weekend, September 29 to 30.

At the Oxbow, an Oxbow West Hike will be held Saturday, Sept. 29. Oxbow sunsets bring animals and birds galore. See it yourself during an Oxbow West 1.25 mile flat hike from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. No restrooms. Herons, beavers, egrets, otters and eagles are possible. Trips start at the upper Oxbow parking lot located off U.S. 50 in Lawrenceburg near Shell/Subway. You can also use Google Maps and search for “Oxbow Nature Conservancy.”

An Oxbow East Hike will be held Sunday, Sept. 30. Oxbow East 1.5 mile flat hike will take place from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. No restrooms. Heron, Diving Ducks and Eagles are possible. Meet in the Oxbow West parking lot  and carpool to the hike location.

The largest outdoor recreation sampler event in the region, the weekend offers nearly 100 free, family-friendly outdoor events in nine counties including at several Gem sites.

“Great Outdoor Weekend offers everyone from outdoor enthusiasts to those curious about the great outdoors opportunities to explore natural spaces throughout our region,” says Green Umbrella Outdoor Action Team Co-Chair and Director of Imago, Chris Clements.

This year, Public Lands Day, the nation’s largest single-day volunteer event, will focus on restoration and resilience of public lands with beautification and clean-up events as well as free admission to federal lands. Green Umbrella has worked towards that mission since 1998 when it was launched to conserve greenspace and unite citizens and groups concerned about preserving and restoring the region’s wildlife and plants.

Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, Green Umbrella’s work highlights the region’s great achievement in having protected over 116,000 acres of greenspace to date.