Photo by Janell Hunter Hook Lake at ReCreation Campground A is located in the heart of 60,000 acres of reclaimed strip-mined land that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is in negotiations to purchase from AEP.

CUMBERLAND, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is now in negotiations with American Electric Power to acquire 60,000 acres of reclaimed strip-mined land at the intersection of Guernsey, Morgan, Muskingum and Noble counties in southeastern Ohio.

ODNR Director James Zehringer said his department and AEP signed a memorandum of understanding on Aug. 9 to open the negotiations.

The property, known as ReCreation Land, is already being managed through a partnership between AEP and ODNR and is used by the public for hunting, fishing, hiking and camping, boating, dog training, picnicking and horseback riding.

“Our department and AEP have worked in a longstanding partnership to promote public access to AEP ReCreation Land,” Zehringer said in a release. “Now we continue as partners to ensure these unmatched outdoor recreation opportunities are preserved for generations of Ohioans to come.”

Gov. John Kasich praised the agreement, saying, “An opportunity to acquire and protect such a large, open expanse of land for public recreation is rare. Ohioans and out-of-state visitors who are drawn to our great state parks, forests, nature preserves and wildlife areas will potentially have even greater opportunities to explore and enjoy the outdoors.”

Photo by Janell Hunter Jeff Duvall, owner of Hilltop Hunting Supplies in Cumberland, Ohio, said his business has benefited from AEP ReCreation Land, which is reclaimed strip-mined land used for outdoor recreational activities.

Jeff and Teresa Duvall own Hilltop Hunting Supplies in the village of Cumberland on the edge of the ReCreation land in Guernsey County. The couple started their business six years ago, and has been successful in catering to the needs of ReCreation land users.

Jeff Duvall said he “thinks it’s great” that ODNR is in negotiations to purchase the land because it will likely be turned into a state park, and will be preserved for future outdoor recreation.

“If I lose AEP (ReCreation land), I lose my business. It is that simple. AEP is one of the highest-trafficked public recreation areas in the state of Ohio,” Duvall said. “It gets more traffic than any state park in the state of Ohio. Ohio ranks 48th in public recreation areas in the United States. If we lose 60,000 more acres, where do we hunt and fish? Where do we take our kids?”

Duvall is concerned that if the state of Ohio does not buy the property, it will be leased or purchased by different individual entities and will no longer be available for public use.

“When it’s gone, it’s gone. I am just tickled to death that they are buying it. It is the difference between me staying and me leaving,” Duvall said.

Photo by Janell Hunter There are many picnic sites under the pines at Sawmill Campground located within AEP ReCreation Land, which is being negotiated for purchase by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

There are more than 600 lakes and fishing ponds, seven campgrounds with more than 350 campsites, three picnic areas, several equine trails, three large dog training areas and playgrounds throughout the AEP land. Many lakes are stocked with fish by AEP, and all campsites are for use to the public at no charge.

Several miles of the Buckeye Trail run through the eastern part of the acreage. The Buckeye Trail is the only long-distance hiking trail located entirely in Ohio. The trail follows old canal towpaths, abandoned railroad rights-of-way, rivers, lake shores and farmland. The trail runs through more than 40 counties and makes a loop of more than 1,200 miles.

AEP bills the land as one of their “best known symbols of environmental stewardship.” The land was previously surface-mined for coal, and has been reclaimed through the planting of more than 60 million trees.

This is not the first time AEP and ODNR have been in negotiations for the property, but negotiations were halted in early 2017. AEP has auctioned off or sold other large tracts of land in the past, and donated 10,000 acres to The Wilds conservation center in 1984. Published reports indicate that in 2014, 1,966 acres of AEP land in 41 tracts were reportedly sold for almost $3.6 million.

Zehringer noted that land acquisitions would likely be made in separate parcels over a number of years, and that much work needs to be done before the first purchase is made.

“ODNR will now work with AEP to finalize titling and obtain the necessary appraisals, but (this) agreement is a positive step toward preserving this invaluable recreational resource,” Zehringer said.