Winter Wonder Hike showcases Yellowwood Farm

Sycamore Land Trust led its Winter Wonder Hike, a 1-mile hike through Herb Hoover’s Yellowwood Farm, on Saturday.

Through the land trust, Hoover put together an easement to protect 80 out of 120 acres of his land. This contract protects his prairie and his “virgin forest” for years to come – even the years when the property passes to the next owner. This can only change by a court of law.

“Once it’s developed, it’s developed,” Hoover said. “It’s irritating when they tear down trees, build three-story houses, then come out and plant new trees.”

Through the easement, the woods through which 16 hikers tramped this weekend will now exist “forever.” Sycamore Land Trust works with owners such as Hoover to protect the nature of Southern Indiana, including prairies, forests and other landscapes.

“This valley is here into perpetuity,” Hoover said. “It’s here forever.”

Through hikes, Carroll Ritter, environmental education coordinator, said he hopes to expose more people to the outdoors and to educate the next generation so it will have an appreciation for the woodlands and help preserve nature by preventing future development.

On Saturday, children and parents learned about the beauty of nature.

“This time of year is especially gorgeous,” Ritter said.

Because only the beech trees had leaves, the group could see through the forest with a golden shimmer here and there.

Ritter led the hike through Yellowwood Farm, educating the hikers about the common components of nature. He pointed out the beauty one can find in a piece of preserved property and showed the hikers different species of trees, including oak, maple, wood sedge and sassafras.

Hoover shared the “archeological discoveries” he had made on his property, such as turkey feathers, cemeteries and furnaces.

“It’s so nice to see pieces of property in their natural state,” hiker Cindy Benson said. “I live in this area, so I’ve hiked this area for 30 years. So it’s very interesting to me to see the people who are interested in conserving their property.”

Benson owns four acres of land, and while it is not enough to be protected by the land trust, she keeps it in its natural state.

“I think Bloomington is overbuilt,” hiker Bob Flynn, who brought his fifth grade daughter, said. “It’s great to see more and more people working with Sycamore Land Trust to preserve the land in its natural state.”

Sycamore Land Trust will continue with about half a dozen hikes each year. In addition, it will begin Just for Kids, a spring photography workshop. Through this workshop, the organization will continue to educate the next generation by bringing kids out to Yellowwood Farm and enhancing their photography skills using nature.

Land trust members said they hope to continue to preserve the nature of Southern Indiana by saving it from development.

“I want to buy it all,” Ritter said, “because you know that development is going to come.”