Bender Mountain Nature Preserve — Public Lands Institute

Geological age: ~450 million years ago (Ordovician bedrock); ridge morphology shaped by Illinoian glaciation ~400,000 years ago
Epoch: Ordovician period (Cincinnatian); Ohio River rerouted during Illinoian glaciation created oversteepened valley walls; Pleistocene colluvium mantles bedrock slopes
Native lands: Shawnee (Shawanwaki) · earlier Adena and Hopewell peoples; Ohio River ridge a known travel and hunting corridor; Shawnee ceded Hamilton County lands via Treaty of Greene Ville 1795
Ecology: Mixed mesophytic forest; steep south-facing Ohio River bluff; 390+ vascular plant species; described as best site in Hamilton County for native wildflowers; invasive honeysuckle removal ongoing since 2003
Hydrology: Rapid Run Creek drainage to the north; Ohio River corridor to the south; steep slope hydrology with seasonal seeps
Acreage: 130+ acres
Conservation: Private nature preserve (Western Wildlife Corridor / Delhi Township)
Endangered species: none documented
GPS: 39.1100° N, 84.6200° W