Established in memory of Janet Franklin Foster, Blue Heron Preserve is a 116-acre park between Newbury and Burton Townships in Geauga County. The property is located in the Cuyahoga River watershed and the land was used as a sand and gravel mine for 26 years before the Land Conservancy acquired the property and restored the site to a more natural state. The reclamation of the mine not only restored the property’s beauty but also helped provide an inviting environment for a diverse array of important and beautiful native plants and animals. Visitors to the preserve can expect to see plant species such as turtlehead flowers, bur-reed sedge, and great blue lobelia, as well as to watch birds such as seasonal warblers migrating through Northeast Ohio, loons, sandhill cranes, and bald eagles. An overlook provides an incredible view of the ponds, the large wetlands complex to the east, and the West Branch-Cuyahoga River valley to Burton Hill. When improvements are complete, the preserve will offer scenic hiking trails, a shelter area and observation deck, and tremendous fishing opportunities for public access.