Ohio River Nature Reserve protects a rich floodplain meadow of grass and sedge and floodplain shrubland, along with adjacent upland forest.

The reserve provides habitat for sensitive plants along 600 m of the Ohio River, as well as for wood turtle, a listed species-at-risk. It also includes a deer wintering area.

Ohio River is a tributary of West River, in Antigonish County. The river flows through a lowland landscape, where much of the land is used for agriculture and most is privately owned.