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News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 26, 2006

OHIO FALL COLOR UPDATE #5
Fall Color Site

REGION CONDITION 10/26/06
PARK/PRESERVE/FOREST COUNTY STATUS

CENTRAL
Alum Creek State Park Delaware Fading
Mount Gilead State Park Morrow Fading
Blackhand Gorge
State Nature Preserve
Licking Fading
Deer Creek State Park Pickaway Fading

NORTHEAST
Cuyahoga Valley
National Park
Cuyahoga
Summit
Fading
Punderson State Park Geauga Fading
Mohican State Park
and State Forest
Ashland Fading
Malabar Farm State Park Richland Fading
Eagle Creek State Nature Preserve Portage Fading

EAST
Guilford Lake State Park Columbiana Fading
Salt Fork State Park Guernsey Peak
Blue Rock State Park
and State Forest
Muskingum Peak
Beaver Creek State Park Columbiana Fading

SOUTHEAST
Lake Hope State Park Vinton Peak
Hocking Hills State Park
and State Forest
Hocking Peak
Jackson Lake State Park Jackson Peak
Burr Oak State Park Morgan Peak
Tar Hollow State Forest Ross Peak
Zaleski State Forest Vinton Peak
Lake Alma State Park Vinton/Jackson Peak

SOUTHWEST
Shawnee State Park
and State Forest
Scioto Peak
Hueston Woods State Park
and State Nature Preserve
Preble Peak
Paint Creek State Park Ross Peak
Caesar Creek State Park
and State Nature Preserve
Warren Peak

WEST
Sycamore State Park Montgomery Peak
J. Bryan State Park/
Clifton Gorge Nature Preserve
Greene Peak
Indian Lake State Park Logan Fading
Buck Creek State Park Clark Fading

NORTHWEST
Van Buren State Park Hancock Fading
Maumee State Forest Fulton Fading
Harrison Lake State Park Fulton Fading

COLOR CONDITION KEY:
CHANGING - Still mostly green with less than 25 percent color showing.
NEAR PEAK - Significant color showing - anywhere from 30 to 60 percent.
PEAK - Peak colors - as much as 85 percent color showing.
FADING - Mostly colored, but colors fading and leaves falling to forest floor.
Note that reported conditions are subject to rapid change with wind or rain.
EDITORS NOTE: This is the fifth in a series of fall color updates, highlighting some of the best places and ways to enjoy autumn in Ohio.

COLUMBUS, OH –Fall Color remains peak throughout the southeast part of the state, despite wind and rain earlier in the week, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

"Color is holding strong along the Muskingum River and throughout Vinton and Hocking counties,” said Casey Munchel, Fall Color specialist with the ODNR Division of Forestry. “With mild weather forecast for Sunday, this might be the very last opportunity this year to get out and enjoy the Fall Colors.”

Punderson State Park in Geauga County reported as much as 6 inches of snow earlier this week – a clear signal that the Fall Color season will soon pass.

Sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 50s are forecast for most of Ohio on Sunday, making it a pleasant time to get outside for a hike, bike ride or leisurely drive through the countryside.

Zaleski State Forest and Lake Hope State Park in Vinton County are reporting peak color for the annual Rural Ohio Appalachia Revisited (ROAR) Day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 28. Local artisans will be in the Hope Dining Lodge to demonstrate woodcarving, basket making and other regional crafts. The Hope Schoolhouse will host other activities.

Who Put the Whoo in Halloween? is the question at Van Buren State Park in Hancock County from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday as naturalists bring together a display of live owls and myths and legends about Halloween.

Great Seal State Park in Ross County will host its fourth annual Great Seal Scream at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday with a professionally sanctioned 18-hole disc golf tournament. Pike Lake State Park in Pike County will be the site of a Buckeye Trail Hike, beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday. Malabar Farm State Park in Richland County will again hold hayrides, tours and a barn dance on Saturday evening.

Updates on the best Fall Color viewing locations across the state are available by calling 1-800-BUCKEYE. Users can also find fall color information on the Internet at ohiodnr.com or discoverohio.com .

Ohio's 74 state parks, 20 state forests and 130 state nature preserves provide excellent locations to sample Fall Color. Here are the most current reports from selected locations:

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For additional news online, check out the ODNR Press Room at Ohiodnr.com

For Further Information Contact:
Jane Beathard, ODNR Media Relations
(614) 265-6860
-or-
Casey Munchel, ODNR Division of Forestry
(513) 932-6836