Tax donations help support Ohio’s outdoors

OHIO — As tax season approaches, Ohioans have an opportunity to help protect their state’s endangered animals, healthy streams and unique ecosystems. 

Donations are administered by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and can be made by checking the Wildlife Diversity or Nature Preserves and Scenic Rivers funds on their state income tax form. Funds go into the Wildlife Diversity Fund, which primarily relies on these donations to support Ohio’s wildlife. 

In the past, funds went toward restoring freshwater mussel, eastern hellbender, monarch butterfly and lake sturgeon populations. 

Funds also help benefit the bald eagle, which was restored through partnerships with zoos, universities and other conservation organizations to bring the eagle back from just four nesting pairs in 1979 to 964 active nests in 2025.

Meanwhile, donations to the Nature Preserves and Scenic Rivers Fund have helped support conservation work to protect habitats ranging from forests, prairies, wetlands and streamside habitats. 

Through donations, the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves added seven new state nature preserves in 2025. The new areas protect a range of rare habitats such as sand dunes, wetlands, sandstone cliffs, and cascading waterfalls. 

The division also uses donations to enhance public facilities, such as a new pedestrian bridge at Eagle Creek State Nature Preserve in northeast Ohio which helped open an area of the preserve that was closed for nearly 10 years and a new staircase in southern Ohio top open access to Shoemaker State Nature Preserve.

A new trail project recently broke ground at Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve in west-central Ohio to make a portion of the Rim Trail fully accessible, which is supported by funds. 

Those looking to make an impact can donate all or part of their state income tax refund by putting a dollar amount for Nature Preserves/Scenic Rivers on line 25a or Wildlife species on 25d of the 2025 IT-1049 tax form. Contributions on the 2025 tax form filed in 2026 are deductible donations made in 2026.