COLUMBUS, Ohio - Several environmental groups have filed a notice that they intend to appeal a state commission’s approval of gas and oil well drilling on Ohio park property, including land in Columbiana County.

Attorneys for Save Ohio Parks, the Ohio Environmental Council, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, and the Buckeye Environmental Network filed the notice of appeal last week in the Franklin County Common Pleas Court.

The groups are challenging the Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission’s vote to accept bids on leases to more than 20,000 acres of public land for hydraulic fracturing.

The environmentalists argue that nominations for oil and gas leasing are not supported by reliable and substantial evidence, do not follow the law, and that the commission failed to provide a proper hearing.

Parks and wildlife areas approved for bidding in January include all 20,000 acres of Salt Fork State Park in Guernsey County, more than 300 acres of Valley Run Wildlife Area in Carroll County, and 66 acres of the Zepernick Wildlife Area in Columbiana County.

 The Zepernick Wildlife Area is a 521-acre property in West Township, offering hunting and fishing opportunities.

Land that will be let for bids on gas and oil exploration in Columbiana County is the 66-acre panhandle of the wildlife area next to Hanover Township, just northeast of the 39-acre Zepernick Lake, and four miles northwest of Hanoverton.

The Ohio Environmental Council claims that unconventional oil and gas production is associated with dangerous levels of hazardous air pollutants, including carcinogenic and endocrine disrupting chemicals; childhood leukemia; increased mortality in elderly populations; more heart attacks; low birth weight and extremely premature births; asthma attacks; and headaches and fatigue.

In its recommendation for approval of the oil and gas lease, ODNR is asking for additional terms to protect water resources, as well as limitations on some drilling activities during spring and fall hunting seasons.