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Meltzer Woods photo by Kyle Doles

A Heart for Nature

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In honor of National Make-a-Will Month, we want to honor our Burr Oak Society members. These dedicated individuals have included the land trust in their estate plans. But Central Indiana Land Trust is not the true beneficiary. Indiana’s natural spaces are. Continue reading →

Shawndra Miller

Communications Manager

smiller@conservingindiana.org
317.370.2464
Shawndra is in charge of sharing our story and connecting you to our work. Through our print and online materials, she hopes to inspire your participation in protecting special places for future generations.
Sandstone arch in the Lowe Tract, Hoosier National Forest

CILTI buys inholding of Hoosier National Forest to return to forest

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Purchase prevents housing development from going into middle of national forest

The Central Indiana Land Trust, Inc. (CILTI) has closed on the purchase of 80 acres in Orange County that will eventually be added to the Hoosier National Forest. The property, known as the Lowe tract, was purchased at auction last month from private owners for $541,000. Continue reading →

Jen Schmits Thomas

Media Relations

Jen@jtprinc.com
317-441-2487
An award-winning communicator and recognized leader in Central Indiana’s public relations community, Jen helps us tell our story in the media. She is the founder of JTPR, which she and her husband John Thomas own together.
Callery pear flowering in a field bordering a nature preserve

White blossoms mask the new ‘silent spring’ threat

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by Cliff Chapman
President, Central Indiana Land Trust

Those white-flowering trees you see along the highways and in neighborhoods throughout Central Indiana might seem like a welcome harbinger of spring, but they actually represent a threat similar to one recognized more than 60 years ago in the landmark book Silent Spring. Continue reading →

Cliff Chapman

President and CEO

cchapman@conservingindiana.org
317.525.3329
As CILTI’s President and CEO, Cliff keeps CILTI’s focus on good science and stewardship. He’s mindful that the natural places you love took thousands of years to evolve and could be destroyed in a single day, and that knowledge drives his dedication to their protection.
Burnett Woods photo by Dick Miller

Founder Shares Early Origins of Central Indiana Land Trust

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Ellen Jacquart was CILTI’s founder and first president. Now a board member, she contributed these thoughts on what it was like to pioneer starting a land trust in 1990.

After grad school, I moved to Indiana in 1987 to work as an intern at the Indiana DNR Division of Nature Preserves. That job transformed my life.

Continue reading →

Ellen Jacquart

Board Member

Ellen Jacquart was one of our organization’s founders. She spent her career managing natural areas in Indiana, working for the Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Forest Service, and The Nature Conservancy of Indiana before retiring in 2016.
Toothwort Woods Nature Preserve, DNR Photo – Division of Nature Preserves

With 300th Nature Preserve, We Celebrate Indiana’s Conservation History

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First of a series by board member John Bacone

Note: A version of this series appeared in the Indiana Parks Alliance newsletter and the Indiana Native Plant Society Journal.

A major conservation milestone was reached this past October. The Natural Resources Commission dedicated Toothwort Woods as Indiana’s 300th nature preserve. Continue reading →

John Bacone

Secretary

Board member John Bacone retired in 2019 after 40 years as the Director of the Division of Nature Preserves with Indiana DNR. 
A Tree ID hike at Oliver's Woods led by volunteer White River Docents

Join our White River Docent Team

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Have you ever attended one of CILTI’s guided hikes and thought that you might enjoy leading a hike yourself? Have you been inspired by a guided hike or program that you’ve participated in? You could join our White River Docent team!

Continue reading →

Grace van Kan

White River Steward

gvankan@conservingindiana.org
312.286.2484
Grace grew up roaming the woods, creeks and wetlands around the Chesapeake Bay watershed. From an early trout-raising project to a “gap year” spent restoring coral reefs in Thailand, her interest in aquatic conservation has only grown. Now she cares for several riverine nature preserves as CILTI’s White River Steward.
White River view from Oliver's Woods

A Big Thank You to our Generous Donors

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Our members’ generosity is astounding. When we got word of an ambitious 2023 year-end match challenge last month, we were a bit concerned at first. Raising $250,000 to meet the Efroymson Family Fund’s challenge would be a stretch, especially in such a short time frame. Continue reading →

Shawndra Miller

Communications Manager

smiller@conservingindiana.org
317.370.2464
Shawndra is in charge of sharing our story and connecting you to our work. Through our print and online materials, she hopes to inspire your participation in protecting special places for future generations.
The Milnes at Blossom Hollow

Why We Give

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Guest post by Marc and Leah Milne

In the face of massive habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation on top of the ever-looming threat of climate change and the pervasive persistence of invasive species throughout Indiana, it’s easy to lose hope in a bright future for the natural world. To believe in a future where we all cherish and protect the critically important biodiversity that surrounds us is to be a perpetual optimist in a reality that rarely reflects such dreams. Continue reading →

Marc and Leah Milne

Guest Bloggers

Marc and Leah Milne both teach at the University of Indianapolis.

Gov. Holcomb announces land purchase for new nature preserve

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thanks to a public-private partnership, a 570-acre undisturbed piece of Indiana forestland west of Greencastle in Putnam County will be protected forever to support important wildlife and plants and provide opportunities for outdoor recreation. Continue reading →

Jen Schmits Thomas

Media Relations

Jen@jtprinc.com
317-441-2487
An award-winning communicator and recognized leader in Central Indiana’s public relations community, Jen helps us tell our story in the media. She is the founder of JTPR, which she and her husband John Thomas own together.
Alex Stewart measuring slope grade using clinometer

Trailing Ahead at Betley Woods

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Coming soon to a preserve near you: an incredible hiking experience. Yes, Betley Woods at Glacier’s End is getting topnotch trails! Our partners at the Indiana Wildlife Federation (IWF) received Next Level Trails funding from the state to build sustainable trails through this gorgeous preserve.

Our team helped plot out trail routes, working with IWF staff and premiere trail designer Alex Stewart. Continue reading →

Shawndra Miller

Communications Manager

smiller@conservingindiana.org
317.370.2464
Shawndra is in charge of sharing our story and connecting you to our work. Through our print and online materials, she hopes to inspire your participation in protecting special places for future generations.