photo by: Linda Harris

Officials gather Saturday to cut the ribbon, officially opening the Hellbender Preserve and Trail off Jefferson County Road 36 in Bloomingdale.

They’d hoped for a warm, sunny day Saturday to celebrate the opening of Hellbender Preserve and Trail.

What they got was a cold, dreary morning with no sun in sight and more than a little mud, but the crowd came anyway — some for the ceremony, some to soak in the history and natural beauty of the property or test out the new trail and side paths.

Still others made their way to the trailhead on foot or bicycled to the property, including a woman who pedaled to the preserve, located off Jefferson County Road 36 in Bloomingdale, though she the return trip would mean “going up that hill.”

Commissioner Tony Morelli told the crowd, “We’re just so excited that we got this started.”

“You know, we were hoping that this would get approved by the state for an Appalachian grant, (but) we got zero money from the state,” Morelli said. “But that shows you how Jefferson County citizens are — we were going to do it ourselves, and we have. This is just a start.”

Jefferson County and private donors paid for the improvements, which included carving the trail and cutting new paths, enhancing the railroad tunnel and historic features, removing invasive species and protecting the Hellbender habitat.

Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District Projects Director Aaron Dodds said Hellbender Preserve “captures the very essence of the Ohio Valley.”

He said the ability to create a venue in Jefferson County where people can come “is tremendous.”

“The benefit to local restaurants and stores will hopefully ripple out from the preserve,” he said. “People will stop in communities like Toronto and hike their city trails, or stop in East Liverpool, Steubenville, and Mount Pleasant to visit their museums. This is just the beginning.”