What Is Recreation Land

What Is Recreation Land. . Today, Recreation Land is the best known symbol of American Electric Power's (AEP) environmental stewardship., Recreation Land grew out of increasing demand for outdoor public recreation areas. This demand presented the perfect opportunity to show that reclaimed surface mined land is a valuable resource for people to enjoy., These vast areas of natural woodlands and open meadows, as well as the rolling grasslands, tree plantations and numerous lakes created by surface mining operations, were an ideal environment for recreational activities. AEP began establishing campsites in this area in 1961. At this same time, AEP and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) formed a partnership that opened the land for public recreation, with the ODNR Division of Wildlife providing wildlife expertise and protection and stocking ponds for fishing., Jesse Owens State Park and Wildlife Area and AEP's Recreation Land encompasses more than 50,000 acres in parts of Morgan, Noble, Muskingum and Guernsey counties and has become the largest public recreation area in Ohio., Today. Jesse Owens State Park and Wildlife Area and AEP's Recreation Land offer several campgrounds with latrines, drinking water, picnic shelters and other associated amenities. There also are more than 300 stocked lakes and ponds in these areas., Increasing numbers of visitors are enjoying Recreation Land's wide variety of free recreational features and opportunities, which include picturesque roadways, hiking rails, bird watching areas, horse trails, stargazing, boating, fishing, hunting, camping and mountain biking., More than 100.000 people from Ohio and surrounding states visit here each year, providing an estimated social and economic benefit of more than $3 million, We hope you enjoy your visit.