Ora E. Anderson Trail

Named after the local poet, nature writer, and conservationist, the Ora E. Anderson Trail is one of the newer additions to the Wayne National Forest’s trail network. Created in 2008, the short trail provides hikers with scenic views of the Rutherford wetland as well as interpretive signage pertaining to the wildlife native to the area. 

The Ora E. Anderson trail is located in the Wayne National Forest (est. 1992). The land itself is owned and maintained by the Forest Service which is a federal agency that manages public lands across the United States. Established in 1905, the Forest Service’s original mission was to “provide quality water and timber for the nation.” Since its beginnings, and due to public influence, the agency has expanded their reach to include “sustained yield of renewable resources such as water, forage, wildlife, wood, and recreation.” 

Before it's conception, the area the now encompasses the Wayne National Forest was in quite an unfortunate environmental state. Essentially, decades of clear cutting and extractive industries was already having a great effect on the land. Timber in particular was being used both for export as a raw material, and also locally to be used in the mines, iron furnaces and charcoal production. By 1911, the Weeks Act was passed by President Taft which allowed for purchase of degradated land in the East for the purpose of turning them into National Forests. By the 1930s, it was clear that there were major environmental issues arising concerning increased erosion and the depletion of nutrients in the soil due to over farming. It was during this time that the Forest Service's goal was to stabilize the erosion, control wildfires, and to rehabilitate the damaged land. in 1951 "the Wayne purchased land units, acquiring 97,000 acres and officially became a National Forest." Unfortunately, by the 1980s, the acquisition money began to dry up, and this is where Anderson comes in...

Throughout his life, Ora E. Anderson (1911-2006) advocated for the creation and protection of natural spaces like Wayne National Forest. Knowing full well the history of destructive logging projects, and the erosion that came as a result, he knew much of the local environment was vulnerable to further degradation. Anderson, as a young journalist for the Jackson Herald (Ohio), understood how many of the issues had come to fruition, and also how they could be ameliorated. Hence, it was through his newfound interest in forest regeneration and restoration that the Wayne finally came to being in 1992, with Anderson taking an active role in the Wayne’s land management. He along with other members of the public managed to save the acres threatened for disposal, and created an increased land acquisition program.

This trail in particular is more accessible than most “hiking” trails. It is an out-and-back built upon the old railway tracks of the Hocking Valley Railroad. It runs through a pine plantation and then overlooks the Rutherford Wetland for about .5 miles. Signs featuring information about Anderson’s life as well as his poetry are displayed along the trail and speak to the vast array of wildlife that exist in the area. Bird species that may be spotted along the trail or in the wetlands include herons, wrens, thrushes, ducks, geese, woodpeckers, flycatchers, wood warblers and vireos and many more. 

Wayne National Forest Website. https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/wayne/learning/history-culture. 2021.

A Forest Returns: The Success Story of Ohio's Only National Forest. Ohio Landscape Productions INC. Documentary. 2005.