Late Spring Migration at Grailville

Theme: Late Spring Migration & New Nature Preserve Visit

Location: Cardinal Nature Preserve at Grailville

Date & Time: Sunday, May 19th, 2024, 8:00 AM

Meet: We will meet at Cardinal’s new nature preserve at Grailville, located on the south side of O’Bannonville Rd. outside of Loveland

Leader:  Ann Oliver, (513) 307-0929, annieobirder@yahoo.com

Grailville is an excellent and under-birded area within the city limits of Loveland. Cardinal Land Conservancy, The Grail in the US, and Clermont County Parks, collectively protect approximately 280 acres of greenspace that includes forest, old fields, meadows, ponds, and riparian areas. The plan for this field trip is to take a leisurely walk through all three properties to explore the diversity of habitats at Grailville. Most of the trails will be mown grass paths and we expect the trip to end around 11:00.

Grailville is a site rich in history. The women of the Grail have been stewarding the property since 1944. In 2017 and 2018, Clermont County Park district acquired 112 acres from the Grail and plans to open their property to the public in the near future. This April, Cardinal Land Conservancy acquired 89 acres from the Grail and will open it to the public in 2024. The Grail still owns approximately 76 acres that are open to the public. The three organizations intend to connect the three properties with hiking trails and protect the natural value of the land. A Cardinal staff member will be present to share Cardinal’s plans for restoring the area which will be beginning this summer.

More information on Cardinal Land Conservancy: https://www.cardinallandconservancy.org/2023/10/18/cardinal-secures-grailville/

More information about Grail in the US:

https://www.grail-us.org/

More information about Clermont County Park District Property:

https://www.clermontparks.org/

Location: Cardinal’s nature preserve at Grailville is located within Loveland on the south side of O’Bannonville Rd. Be aware that O’Bannonville Rd. is currently closed between Loveland and Grailville so the property must be approached from the east.

The coordinates of Cardinal’s driveway is 39.265638, -84.242567, which can be placed directly into a mapping app such as Google Maps. The gravel drive extends south off of O’Bannonville Rd. approximately 70 yards east of the entrance to The Grail’s property, which is on the northside of the road. Follow the gravel road to the parking area.

Please see the aerial map below for reference. The Cardinal driveway is red and the meeting parking lot is the yellow dot. The area will be signed.

(Contributed by Jay Stenger)