DNR interested in Tulip Trace land

The threat of bankruptcy forced the members of the Girl Scouts of Tulip Trace Council to sell Camp Belmont, a 282-acre plot of land on which girls had been hiking, camping and earning Try-It Badges since the 1960s.

A purchase by The Nature Conservancy provides a glimmer of hope that the land might be maintained for people to use in the future.

The Nature Conservancy ranked the Tulip Trace land among one of the top five pieces of land on their priority list for acquisition and protection, said Chad Bladow, the fire manager at The Nature Conservancy.

Camp Belmont connects several other patches of forest, including Yellowwood State Forest and the T.C. Steele State Historic Site, Bladow said.

“Lots of birds need that solid inner forest to nest in,” he said.

When birds try to nest in or near open spaces, reproduction decreases, Bladow said. He also said the conservancy uses Geographic Information Systems that analyze land based on aerial photos.

According to the GIS information, the Tulip Trace land is now part of one of the largest continuous blocks of woods in the Midwest – the perfect place for Cerulean Warblers, Ovenbirds and Yellow-Billed Cuckoos to nest, Bladow said.

Deborah Hern Smith, chief executive officer of the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana, said financial need forced the sale.

In 2009, faced with almost one million dollars in debt, the Girl Scouts of Tulip Trace were faced with a decision – either declare bankruptcy or sell assets. 

The shock hit at a time of reorganization for the Girl Scouts.

Girl Scouts downsized from about 300 councils nationwide to only about 100, Hern Smith said. Although not all councils were in a financial crisis equal to that of Tulip Trace, the realignment of troops came because it made more financial sense, Hern Smith said.

“It brings down the administration costs so we can use our resources to focus on our girls,” she said.

Bladow said the Girl Scouts sold the Tulip Trace land to the conservancy for the approximate fair market value.

John Seifert, director of the DNR Division of Forestry, said the DNR hopes to purchase the land from the conservancy as soon as possible.

As more state budget cuts loom, Seifert said that purchase may be on a parcel-by-parcel basis over a number of years.

He said he’s got his eyes set on a 25-acre area for the division’s first purchase.

“As soon as we get the revenue, we’ll buy it,” Seifert said, referring to an area of the Tulip Trace property containing several cabins, a ropes course and an education center.

Seifert said the department is already in discussions to create a business model that would help them staff and maintain those areas.

“We knew the public wanted it to be in public hands,” Seifert said, “so we’re working to acquire it.”

The DNR will allot some profits from timber sales toward the land’s purchase.