state parks

Ohio’s ‘Frackgate’ controversy predicted backlash to drilling under state parks

BY: - December 15, 2022

Barkcamp State Park is among the few places where visitors can experience Ohio’s forests as they existed before European settlement. Once the site of a historic logging camp, today it’s a destination for camping, fishing, and other outdoor recreation. It’s also a place that could see new pressure for oil and gas development after Ohio […]

COMMENTARY
The waterfall at Ash Cave in Ohio's Hocking Hills State Park. Getty Images.

DeWine should veto drilling threat to state parks falsely labeled ‘green energy’

BY: - December 13, 2022

Ohioans love their state parks. I’ve been to seven this year. Had lots of company. The log of daily visitors is surging at the parks. Overnight stays jumped 26.5% from 2017 to 2021. Try booking a campsite or cabin in the summer — or fall. Everybody wants one. The lure of solitude and escape in […]

Improvements coming to Ohio’s state parks in 2020

BY: - December 6, 2019

Better customer service, improved signage and more frequent naturalist programming.  Those are among the numerous suggestions on how to reform Ohio’s state parks system. These ideas were developed by a task force of nature experts and educators. They spent the summer of 2019 traveling to many of the 75 state parks to evaluate them for […]