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32 2O24–2O2 5 GU I D E to Y E L LOW S P R I NG S ▲ The Cascades at Glen Helen is a scenic plunge waterfall on Birch Creek, a tributary of Yellow Springs Creek. Here the icy falls are captured on a frosty winter's morning. tors walk through the Glen each year, Boutis said. THE GLEN, EVER CHANGING, EVER GROWING Now in its 96th year since Hugh Taylor Birch gave Antioch College the initial 700-acre parcel in memory of his daughter, Helen Birch Bartlet, Glen Helen has undergone an apparent metamorphosis since Boutis became director in 2006. Perhaps the most signifi - cant of its changes is the Glen gaining its independence. In September 2020, the preserve’s longtime owner, Antioch College, sold the Glen to the Glen Helen Asso - ciation nonprofit, or GHA, for $2.5 million — an amount to be paid to the college over 10 years, which began with an initial payment of $500,000. As Boutis told the News, the Glen’s sale came at a time of great uncertainty — even beyond the verdant confines of the preserve. “The COVID-19 pandemic was the big, ugly catalyst,” he said. “Because of it, we had to shut down all our school- based and Raptor Center programs, and we couldn’t allow people to come into the Glen. We still had expenses, but there was no revenue.” When the GHA board — a group that had been in place for 60 years as a “friends” organization — took over operations, it was a “leap of faith,” Boutis said. Improve - ments on trails and facilities were desperately needed, and at the time, only two staffers were running the preserve. The rest, including Boutis, were furloughed because of the pandemic-related reduc- tion in operations. “Two-and-a-half million dollars was more than we had ever raised, but if we didn’t proceed with the sale, the Glen might not be here in the way it is today,” Boutis said. “With the goal of continuing to provide the public with access to our nature preserve as a counterbalance to that price tag, we knew damn well to move forward.” Nearly more than three years past that tumultuous time, the Glen is in a good place, Boutis said. The GHA’s budget for 2024 is $1.9 mil- lion — up from the $700,000 allotted for 2021. “It’s a sign of our growth and the continuing success of our programs,” he said. “A lot of the past couple of years has been all about carefully managing growth, rebuilding P H O T O : K A T H L E E N G A L A R Z A Gentle Dentistry “Caring for Your Teeth and Your Feelings” J. Marc Holser, D.D.S. 1153W. Second Street, Xenia Hours by Appointment www.jmarcholserdds.com • New Patients Welcome • Emergency Care • Complete Dental Care Available • 937-376-9464 • KINGS YARD XENIA AVE / RT 68  WanderAndWonderYS.com 937-769-5015 220XeniaAve.Shop3 in Kings Yard, Downtown YS Sustainable & Local Outdoor Lifestyle Clothing & Gear. MILITARY RELOCATION SPECIALIST CHARLOTTE McQUEEN “Service Beyond the Sale” C: 937-971-9200 | W: 937-429-8600 EMAIL: c.mcqueen@kw.com WEB: www.cmcqueen.kw.com Charlotte McQueen Realtor