O’Shaughnessy Nature Preserve offers 57 acres of forests, different types of wildlife, streams, and open areas of water from the reservoir. The nature preserve is located inside of the O’Shaughnessy Reservoir and is contained within the Twin Lakes Area. A great place to canoe and watch wildlife includes a boat ramp.

The diverse habitat at O’Shaughnessy Nature Preserve includes bottomland elm-ash woods, oak-hickory uplands, open fields, streams, and open water of the reservoir. Two statewide rare plant species, Drummond’s aster, and satin brome grow along the stream banks. O’Shaughnessy supports over 45 species of breeding birds and over 100 species of migrating birds.

O’Shaughnessy Reservoir is located about 9 miles northwest of Columbus in Delaware County. OH-257 parallels the east side of the reservoir. Access is available along OH-257 at designated parking lots and boat ramps in the Twin Lakes area, along OH-257 at Home Road, and in Bellepoint.

O’Shaughnessy Reservoir was built by the city of Columbus in 1925. The reservoir, created by damming the Scioto River, provided a needed water source for the city. The reservoir is 912 acres in size and has 18.4 miles of shoreline. The maximum depth is over 40 feet near the dam, although much of the water is 20 feet or less. The watershed for the reservoir is about 770 square miles and is composed of mostly agricultural land. The bottom composition is made up of rock in the south section and mud and silt in the north.