2023-09-27T13:59:45-07:00 2022-12-31 990 2022-01-01 311434730 HIGHLANDS NATURE SANCTUARY INC HIGH 9373651935 7660 Cave Road Bainbridge OH 456129501 Nancy Stranahan Director 9373651489 2023-09-27 1 1 11 1 AAL2 X X 2022 2023-04-26 12:10:37Z ARC OF APPALACHIA Nancy Stranahan 7660 Cave Rd Bainbridge OH 456129501 7210769 0 X www.arcofappalachia.org X 1995 OH Our Mission: To protect the rich diversity of life within North America's Great Eastern Forest. Our Work: We acquire and steward wild lands in the Ohio region. We create sanctuaries where people can connect with the natural world. We teach about our forest heritage to inspire a global conservation ethic. We honor, in our work and our teachings, our Native American legacies. 14 14 15 350 0 0 4128582 6859725 233245 308852 26057 42192 707 0 4388591 7210769 408 7793 0 0 471838 549960 0 0 44165 596619 654071 1068865 1211824 3319726 5998945 25541103 33120314 141235 170654 25399868 32949660 Our Mission: To protect the rich diversity of life within North America's Great Eastern Forest. Our Work: We acquire and steward wild lands in the Ohio region. We create sanctuaries where people can connect with the natural world. We teach about our forest heritage to inspire a global conservation ethic. We honor, in our work and our teachings, our Native American legacies. 0 0 566677 4125 3583 Land Acquisition & Nature Preservation - In 2022 The Highland's Nature Sanctuary, Inc. (HNS) (dba the Arc of Appalachia) expanded its preserve holdings by 1685 acres thus bringing the total natural project areas acquired by fee simple or conservation easement since the organization's inception in 1995 to 10,272 acres to further the mission of wildlands preservation; most of which remain actively monitored and managed by HNS. Total natural area acquisitions through 2022 by the organization total 158 separate land acquisitions over 28 years in 28 preserve regions. New land acquisitions that were purchased in 2022 with the aid of private donations and grants included 513 acres in Hocking Hills called Resilience Woods, the 99-acre Quiverheart Preserve in Adams County, the 6-acre entrance to Kamama Prairie Preserve in Adams County, the 194-acre Killbuck Swamp (Crane Lake Tract)in Holmes County, the 568-acre Simon Farm Preserve in Scioto County, the 19-acre Old Oaks Grove in Scioto County, and the 17-acre expansion of Cliff Run Preserve (Crystal Springs tract) in Ross County. Four properties were donated to HNS: the 10-acre Walworth Pond in Highland County near Fort Hill, the 6-acre historic farmstead at Simon Farm in Scioto County with retained life estate, the 62-acre Turtlehead Swamp in Knox County, and the 87-acre Elf Ear Barrens in Adams County (by Dayton Power & Light Co.). In addition, HNS accepted three conservation easements on adjacent lands in Hocking County on Buena Vista Road totaling 101 acres. Land Stewardship & Hiking Trails. A significant priority for the staff of HNS's Land Stewardship Team in 2022 was the development of hiking trails that was in a large part funded by the Clean Ohio grant program. These included development of trails at Ohio Hanging Rock, Kamama Prairie, Quiverheart, Cliff Run, and Cline Farm/Honeycomb Rocks, which will add a total of over 11 miles of new hiking opportunities for our visitors when they are complete. Non-native invasive plant control is a year-round task across the preserve system, focusing primarily on bush honeysuckle, multiflora rose, autumn olive, and Chinese lespedeza. HNS staff continue to track and treat the hemlock woolly adelgid, a non-native invasive insect in five of our preserve with stands of Canadian hemlock. Tree removal at Plum Run Prairie was undertaken to release and expand the native prairie areas in 2022. HNS continues management of an Ohio History Connection-owned site, Fort Hill, in Highland County. Research: Arc of Appalachia staff and volunteers continued to engage in several research studies across its preserves. These included an annual week-long bird survey at the Highlands Nature Sanctuary; an on-going timber rattlesnake habitat study at its Tobacco Barn Hollow preserve; and a three-day-long acoustic bat monitoring survey at its Tobacco Barn Hollow preserve. Researchers from University of Cincinnati also completed a two-week long survey monitoring a population of tri-colored bats at the Highlands Nature Sanctuary in 2022. 515899 3668 1643 Education - In 2022 The Highlands Nature Sanctuary, Inc. (HNS) (dba the Arc of Appalachia) was committed to teaching citizens about the value of Ohio's natural landscapes through its outdoor education courses, through displays and staff contact at the Appalachian Forest Museum, and via nature immersion opportunities presented to visitors on HNS's 50-plus miles of hiking trails. Calculated through head counts, registration data, and car counters, HNS attracted 89,948 visitors in 2022. Notable attendance includes: 9239 visitors to the Appalachian Forest Museum, 16,081 visitors to Fort Hill Preserve, 24,220 visitors to Junction Earthworks, and 17,214 hikers at the Highlands Nature Sanctuary. In addition to the nonprofit's usual large annual events: Wildflower Pilgrimage, Mothapalooza, and Tree People, a new major event was sponsored in 2022 - the Simon Farm Sorghum Festival which was held the first full weekend of October and is expected to become an annual event. 0 0 0 1082576 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 23 0 1 15 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 14 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 OH X X X Kathleen Bruns 9373651935 7660 Cave Road Bainbridge OH 456129501 Nancy J Stranahan Director 50 X 80080 0 0 David Baker Trustee 1 X 0 0 0 Brian Blair Trustee 2.00 X 0 0 0 Randy Carmel Trustee 1 X 0 0 0 Jean Farkas Trustee 1 X 0 0 0 Martha Fikes Trustee 1 X 0 0 0 Hazel Morrow Jones Trustee 1 X 0 0 0 Michael Rigsby Trustee 1 X 0 0 0 Jenny Sadler Trustee 1 X 0 0 0 Jim Silver Trustee 1.00 X 0 0 0 Lewis Ulman Trustee 1 X 0 0 0 Rick Perkins President 4.00 X X 0 0 0 Marilyn Welker Vice President 1 X X 0 0 0 Dave Todt Secretary 1 X X 0 0 0 Kathleen Bruns Treasurer/Finance Director 8 X X 0 0 0 80080 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4863834 1995891 537655 6859725 Education 813312 308852 308852 0 0 0 0 0 0 308852 42192 42192 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7210769 351044 0 0 7793 7793 0 0 0 0 0 0 80080 44044 24024 12012 0 0 0 0 420939 370416 36596 13927 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 48941 40139 6230 2572 0 0 0 0 395 395 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5290 0 5290 0 9229 6932 2297 0 1800 0 0 1800 30572 16708 1015 12849 7715 5142 2398 175 0 0 0 0 140272 140114 158 0 17965 17011 763 191 0 0 0 0 2645 1639 367 639 1911 1911 0 0 0 0 0 0 110391 110391 0 0 27942 21997 5945 0 Events and workshops supplies 17176 17176 0 0 Non-capital special projects 245768 245768 0 0 Pledges to township support funds 35000 35000 0 0 1211824 1082576 85083 44165 159944 88456 982603 1180070 0 64240 0 0 0 0 0 0 312423 133024 0 2528 17850 31021730 1450300 24083605 29571430 36971 2028273 25541103 33120314 73079 109376 0 0 25203 28751 0 0 0 0 0 0 42953 32527 0 0 0 141235 170654 X 25399868 30921386 0 2028274 25399868 32949660 25541103 33120314 X 5998945 0 0 0 -159102 1709949 X 0 0 0 X 2440741 1205845 3770447 4112543 6859725 18389301 427583 503621 372772 233952 308852 1846780 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2868324 1709466 4143219 4346495 7168577 20236081 8558 8750 17685 14921 15160 65074 51147 65286 51442 11739 644860 824474 59705 74036 69127 26660 660020 889548 19346533 14947 16424 22587 26057 42192 122207 2076 519 0 0 0 2595 17023 16943 22587 26057 42192 124802 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2885347 1726409 4165806 4372552 7210769 20360883 0.95018 0.97153 0.00613 0.00756 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED X 5 394 0 0 0 1 1 14 225 0 0 27046986 27046986 0 3769274 1397095 2372179 0 0 0 0 0 66488 4987 61501 0 138982 48218 90764 29571430 Beneficial interest in endowment funds 2028273 2028273 Schedule D, Part II, Line 5 The Board approved a Conservation Easement policy of 5/27/2020 which states that monitoring should occur no less than annually by a staff member, Board member or trained volunteer. The policy also provides enforcement and notification procedures should a violation be detected. Schedule D, Part II, Line 9 Conservation easements are carried in the Balance Sheet at a nominal value of $1.00. The costs associated with acquiring, maintaining, and/or modifying easements are generally expenses as incurred. Nancy J Stranahan Director 12336 See Part V 0 Schedule L, Part I, Line 1 On July 26, 2010, The Highlands Nature Sanctuary, Inc (HNS) entered into a purchase agreement with Nancy J Stranahan, Director of HNS, for a house located at 6636 SR 753, Hillsboro, Ohio. The house is situated next to an existing preserve and is secured with a mortgage note. The 15 year 5% note had an initial balance of $130,000 with annual principal and interest payments of $12,336. The liability balance on the note as of 12/31/22 was $32,527. X 1 36872 FMV X 4 496745 FMV X Supplies and furnishings for preserve lodges 1 4038 donor's cost 5 0 0 0 Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 11b The Form 990 was prepared by the Finance Director and reviewed by the Executive Director. A draft copy was then made available to all Board members for review. Board comments or edits were communicated back to either the Executive Director or Finance Director and if appropriate incorporated into the final document. The Board voted to accept the completed document during a regularly scheduled meeting. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 12c During the first Board meeting of each calendar year and after a verbal discussion of the purpose and intent of the Conflict of Interest Policy, each Board member is asked to complete and sign the written Conflict of Interest form listing any possible past, current, or future business dealings with the organization. The Executive Director avoids doing business with any Board member. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 15 The organization's Executive Director and other employees are modestly compensated and enjoy no fringe benefits other than those mandated by law. Full time staff are awarded holiday, sick, and vacation leave according to the employment policy set by the Board. During 2022, the Executive Director's salary was determined by Board action after a Board personnel evaluation and after a comparative review of salaries for similar positions. All other staff member salaries were set by the Executive Director and approved by the Board via the submission of the annual budget. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 19 All governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements are made readily available to anyone requesting such documentation. State registration documents are available on the Ohio Secretary of State public website. Form 990, Part XI, Line 9 Highlands Nature Sanctuary ("HNS") has transferred assets to The Columbus Foundation (the "Foundation") which is holding them as endowed component funds ("Funds") for the benefit of HNS. HNS has granted the Foundation variance power which gives the Foundation's Board of Trustees the power to use the Funds for other purposes in certain circumstances. The Funds are subject to the Foundation's investment and spending policies which currently result in a distribution to HNS of approximately 5% of the average quarterly value over the previous 12 quarters. HNS reports the fair value of the Funds as Beneficial Interest in Assets Held at The Columbus Foundation in the statement of financial position (Balance Sheet) and reports distributions received as grant income. Changes in the value of the Funds are reported as gains or losses in the statement of activities. 2022 is the first year that HNS has reported these Beneficial Interests on the Balance Sheet. The amount in Part XI, Line 9 for 2022 reflects the beginning of year balance in these funds as well as all activity (additional amounts invested, distributions received, and share of unrealized gains/losses in the funds.)