Sycamore Land Trust, a regional nonprofit dedicated to conserving land in Southern Indiana, recently acquired two new nature preserves north of Bloomington, according to a press release sent Wednesday.
The land will be protected as a part of the Beanblossom Creek Bicentennial Conservation Area, which has set aside $1 million for the area. That amount will be matched by the Indiana Bicentennial Nature Trust, a program started by former Gov. Mitch Daniels.
In honor of Indiana’s fast-approaching 200th birthday, Daniels created the trust in 2012 to preserve important parts of the state’s environment. The state matches monetary and land donations, and the land acquired becomes a part of a public trust for future generations to enjoy.
“Sycamore Land Trust is spearheading this significant landscape-scale conservation and education effort,” the press release said. “With the support of numerous other community organizations, Sycamore is working with sellers to acquire land for conservation and raise the dollar-for-dollar match required by the Bicentennial Trust.”
The new properties are located along Beanblossom Creek. It stretches from Lake Lemon to the White River and includes the Lake Griffy Nature Preserve as well as many endangered wetlands.
The Oxbow Preserve is one of the new additions. The 31-acre property will house a trail and parking. The preserve was made possible with the help of Skip Van Cel, who sold the land at less than half of its appraised value.
“I love that view of the field coming into Bloomington and always remembered it,” said Van Cel, who spent his summers in Bloomington with his grandmother, in the release. “It’s going to be there forever. I think my grandmother would be
really happy.”
Annie Garau
