At first glance, Thoreau Wildlife Reserve looks less like a former farm and more like a patchwork of Ohio landscapes. Meadows give way to woodland, wetlands sit alongside prairie, and older sections of forest provide another layer of habitat. Across roughly 250 acres, two miles of walking trails now lead visitors through these different settings. Yet the land did not begin this way. In 1989, the Diehl Family Foundation began a long restoration effort on farmland that had been heavily worked. More than 30 years later, the property includes a pond created by a dam, planted woodland and areas allowed to develop into more natural habitats. The reserve opened to the public in 2020.
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