The north two-thirds of Action Lake is in Preble County. The south third by the dam is in Butler County. If you carefully keep your bird records by county, be sure to use the specific hotspots in this park so that the birds will be assigned to the proper county.

A dam was constructed on Four Mile Creek in the Hueston Woods Park area in 1956. It impounded 590 acres of water named Acton Lake in honor of State Representative Cloyd B. Acton from Eaton, Ohio. Hueston Woods has a fascinating history dating back to the Indian fighting days of Anthony Wayne. Mathew Hueston, an associate of Anthony Wayne, bought land in Preble and Butler counties after the Indian resistance was over. He and his ancestors preserved 200 acres of the forest lands through the years until 1940 when the State of Ohio took it over. The original parcel has been increased to 3,524 acres and is now known as Hueston Woods State Park.

The rich soils of the area are part of the glacial till plains of western Ohio. Early settlers cleared the dense woodlands to farm the fertile soil. Nearly all of Ohio’s original forest has since vanished. However, one unique stand of virgin timber remains at Hueston Woods. Over 200 acres have been protected and provide visitors with a glimpse of Ohio’s primeval forest. Stately beech and sugar maple tower above the abundance of ferns, wildflowers, and other woodland species. In 1967, the 200-acre forest was designated a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.

Hueston Woods State Park located in southwest Ohio has an enormous wealth of natural resources. The limestone bedrock of the area is evidence of an ancient shallow sea that once covered Ohio. Much of the limestone is the magnesium-bearing type called dolomite. Fossilized remains of ancient marine animals are so abundant that people from all over the world come to Hueston Woods to collect them.