Big Darby Headwaters

Big Darby Headwaters. . , Welcome to The Nature Conservancy's Big Darby Headwaters Nature Preserve. We hope you enjoy your visit., This sign marks the beginning of a short trail (about 2.5 miles, round trip), an easy hike that begins with a ramble through a forest of sugar maple, buckeye, oak and spice bush. From there it passes through open fields and forests, crosses three tributary streams and then terminates at an overlook of the restored headwaters of Big Darby Creek., Why is this place special? , Big Darby Headwaters Nature Preserve protects a mixture of wetlands, old farm fields and streamside forests that help sustain one of Ohio's most important streams. Nearly 17,000 years ago, the Wisconsin Glacier retreated, leaving behind deep layers of rich glacial till (rocks, sand and clay). Look around on the trail and you'll see the occasional boulder, transported south hundreds of miles by the glacier, jutting upward from the earth like a milestone marking the passage of this immense geologic event., Today, humble coldwater springs and streams mark the headwaters of Big Darby Creek. Like tiny capillaries, these waters sustain an impressive larger watershed that is one of Ohio's most valued natural resources. Home to at least 100 species of fish and 44 species of freshwater mussels, the Big Darby is one of the healthiest tributaries to the Scioto River, which provides drinking water for tens of thousands of Ohioans downstream., But this gem faces threats from many quarters, including pollution from farms, factories and city streets, as well as man-made changes to natural stream flows and habitat destruction. To protect the headwaters and the entire watershed, the Conservancy completed in 2011 an ambitious project to restore natural stream channels, floodplains and wetlands and ensure the Big Darby remains healthy for nature and people., The Big Darby Headwaters Nature Preserve and the Joseph Glenn Ebersole Stream Restoration Site were financed in part through a grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, under the provisions of Section 319(h) of the Clean Water Act. Land acquisition was made possible in part through the Ohio EPA's Water Pollution Control Loan Fund - Water Resource Restoration Sponsor Program. We also are grateful for generous support from:, . Dana Corporation . Honda of America Manufacturing, Inc. . Gary J. Jainshig Estate . The Jeffrey Company . Tad and Nancy Jeffrey . Harriet D. Lattimer Estate . Midwest Express Group . Mary Eleanor Morris Fund of The Columbus Foundation . NiSource and NiSource Charitable Foundation . Clifford and Mary Ozias Conservation and Forestry Fund of The Columbus Foundation . The Procter and Gamble Fund . Anne Powell Riley . The Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation . Steve Stephens and Diana Lockwood . James R. and Judith Thomas . Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Tritsch . U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service . Robert W. Wilson Fund, This trail is designed to protect the environment and fresh water. Special features include: pervious trail surface, recycled construction grade plastic lumber in place of pressure-treated wood, fiberglass full creek span bridges and metal screw support piers in place of dug-hole posts or concrete footers.