STAGE'S POND
STATE NATURE PRESERVE - 178 ACRES

Main Feature:
Waterfowl observation during migraton; woodland bird species; kettle hole lake.

Stage's Pond State Nature Preserve, dedicated August 23, 1974, is nature's own monument to the great ice fields which once covered most of Ohio 17,000 years ago.

Stage's Pond is an example of one of the distinctive features of glaciated areas, a kettle lake.

As the glacier receded from this part of present-day Pickaway County, an immense chunk of ice broke free and remained behind to be covered with accumulating sands, gravels and other glacial debris washing off the melting glacier. When the land-locked ice mass finally melted, it left a great depression in the landscape.

Today, some 30 acres of this 64-acre depression lie under water with two adjacent marshy low areas in the central and southern parts of the depression. These areas, coupled with adjacent field and woodland areas, offer an opportunity to explore a number of habitats, each with its own unique array of species.

In the spring and fall, Stage's Pond is a refuge for a wide variety of waterfowl which stop during migration to rest and feed on the pond and marshy areas. Summer residents include a nesting community of great blue herons and many species of shorebirds. The oak-hickory uplands and open fields support populations of songbirds, quail, pheasant and several hawk species.

Stage's Pond is equally diverse botanically. Aquatic, field, woodland and marsh species abound from April to late October, although the spring season offers the most variety in the form of colorful native wildflowers.

For more information on Stage's Pond, visit http://www.stagespondnaturepreserve.info

Location:
Located in Pickaway County 5 miles north of Circleville on U.S. Route 23; proceed 1.5 miles east on Hagerty Road to the preserve parking lot and trail system.

Abide by Preserve Rules at all times