Nature Awed

Audubon Islands State Nature Preserve

Lucas County, Ohio

Our take written by Nature Awed

Audubon Islands is made up of Grape and Ewing islands in Lucas County, acquired by the Maumee Valley Audubon Society and given to the Toledo area park district.

It is managed for prairie, floodplain forest and wetlands, and ODNR describes it as a riverine island community and a place for birding.

Our plain-language reading of the ODNR text quoted on this page. It adds no facts of its own.

Verify current visiting hours and access restrictions with ODNR's page for this preserve and ODNR's permit page before relying on this summary.

What ODNR says about it

Audubon Islands State Nature Preserve is comprised of Grape and Ewing islands. It was acquired by the Maumee Valley Audubon Society and donated to the Metropolitan Park District of the Toledo Area in the 1970s.
ODNR: Audubon Islands State Nature Preserve · our check found this text on October 14
It was acquired and dedicated as a nature sanctuary managed for a variety of habitats that include prairie, floodplain forest and wetlands. The preserve provides great birding opportunities. This is the only riverine island community in the Ohio state nature preserve system.
ODNR: Audubon Islands State Nature Preserve · our check found this text on October 14

In ODNR's preserve guide

This preserve has no row in ODNR's printed guide. The guide says: Preserves not listed are either unimproved, or require a written permit to visit. (ODNR: Ohio State Nature Preserves & Natural Areas Guide (PDF)).

Access permit

Audubon Islands State Nature Preserve is not on ODNR's list of preserves that require an access permit, and its ODNR page as quoted here doesn't call for one. ODNR also says: An access permit is required to leave trails within a state nature preserve. (ODNR: State Nature Preserves Access Permit).

The land on ODNR's map

Field values as ODNR's GIS lands layer returns them (one row per mapped feature; our checker found them on October 14).
LANDS_NAMECOUNTYPROP_TYPESUM_CALC_ACRESMANAGING_AGENCY
Audubon Islands State Nature PreserveLUCASDedicated Nature Preserve170.43Metro Parks Toledo Area
Our calculations from those features, re-computed at each check.
Mapped acres170.43 (our sum of the parcels ODNR's GIS layer maps under this name)
Access permitNo whole-preserve permit requirement identified in the sources we check; named-area or activity permits may still apply
Centre of mapped land41.5665, -83.6367 (our calculation; not an entrance or parking lot)

Statewide rules

Ohio Administrative Code chapter 1501:17 sets rules for nature preserves and natural areas under ODNR's supervision or its designated custodian, on pets, drones, picnics, collecting and more. Can I…? quotes them rule by rule, with their exceptions.

Pets are prohibited at all state nature preserves, except Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve where leashed pets are only allowed on the multipurpose paved trail.
ODNR: Ohio State Nature Preserves & Natural Areas Guide page · our check found this text on October 14

Check before you go. Verify current hours, access and trail information on ODNR: Audubon Islands State Nature Preserve and ODNR: State Nature Preserves Access Permit; our checker last found the quoted words there on October 14.

Nearest other preserves

Straight-line miles between the centres of mapped land (our calculation), not driving distance.