The Glen Helen Nature Preserve (the Glen) is a nature reserve

Nature reserve

A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...

 immediately east of Yellow Springs

Yellow Springs, Ohio

Yellow Springs is a village in Greene County, Ohio, United States, and is the location of Antioch College and Antioch University Midwest. The population was 3,487 at the 2010 census...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The land area was given to Antioch College

Antioch College

Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...

 by Hugh Taylor Birch in memory of his daughter Helen in 1929. The Glen stretches in land area for approximately 1000 acres (4 km²). It is managed by the Glen Helen Ecology Institute.

The Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center (OEC) can be found in the northeast corner of the Glen Helen Nature Preserve. The wooded glen was donated by Hugh Taylor Birch in 1929 to Antioch College, which later granted the Glen Helen Ecology Institute stewardship of "The Glen." The OEC hosts school and other organizational groups and has developed programs to develop their appreciation of the natural world and an awareness of environmental problems along with the ecological principles that influence them.