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Betley Woods at Glacier's End

 $1 Million Gift from the Betley Family will Enhance Protected Lands

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dec. 21, 2021

Newly renamed preserve now called Betley Woods at Glacier’s End

The Central Indiana Land Trust Inc. (CILTI) has received a $1 million gift from Leonard and Kathryn Betley and their family to support reforestation and land protection, as well as to establish an endowment for the Hills of Gold Conservation Area.

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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.
Worm-eating Warbler

The Misnamed Bird: Worm-Eating Warbler

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Our spring newsmagazine featured Cliff’s top ten hidden gems of birding. Here is the final post in a blog series on these birds, by guest blogger Ed Pope.

Despite its name, the worm-eating warbler prefer insects, spiders, other arthropods and especially caterpillars over earthworms. It is a small songbird, approximately the size of a goldfinch. The upper plumage is brown, while the underside is lighter. It has black stripes on its head, including two that appear to go through its eyes.

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Ed Pope

Guest Blogger

ed@circlecitybicycles.com
Ed Pope is a retired engineer from Rolls-Royce and a CILTI member since 2002.
Blossom Hollow, by Karen Wade

Road Trip: Southern Johnson County

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We asked Karen Wade, one of our board members who lives in Johnson County, to recommend some attractions near the Laura Hare Preserve at Blossom Hollow. She offered this guest post.

Did you know that Johnson County is known as Festival Country Indiana? And you bet we’ve got festivals and events aplenty; just take a peek here. There’s literally something happening all year long, from craft fairs to car shows to fundraising galas. We have theater, movies, and comedy shows, wine and beer tastings, yoga (with and without goats), and the list goes on. Continue reading →

Karen Wade

Board Member

Before retiring in 2017, CILTI board member Karen Wade worked for Eli Lilly & Co. In retirement she volunteers for a number of environmental and equine pursuits including Indiana Master Naturalist Certification and Meadowstone Therapeutic Riding Center.
Northern parula warbler

Northern Parula Builds Nests of Moss

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Our spring newsmagazine featured Cliff’s top ten hidden gems of birding. Here is the eighth of a blog series on these birds, by guest blogger Ed Pope.

The northern parula is a small warbler, roughly half the weight of a goldfinch. Its body looks slightly chubby, and its bill is thin and tail is short. White crescents line the eyes, and the plumage is bright yellow on the throat and chest. Males have a brown patch between the throat and chest. Most of the remainder of their feathers are a bluish-gray.

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Ed Pope

Guest Blogger

ed@circlecitybicycles.com
Ed Pope is a retired engineer from Rolls-Royce and a CILTI member since 2002.
Purple coneflower at Nonie Krauss

Exploring Nonie Werbe Krauss Nature Preserve in High Summer

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Third in a series on the Trek our Trails Challenge by guest blogger Ben Valentine

I drove up to Nonie Werbe Krauss Nature Preserve with my son one early morning in a failed effort to avoid the heat. It’s late summer now, and wildflowers and pollinators are my new joy, as the migratory birds have largely moved north and stopped their mating melodies. Binoculars in our hands, we set off into this preserve for the first time, not knowing what we’d find. Continue reading →

Ben Valentine

Guest blogger

Ben Valentine is a founding member of the Friends of Marott Woods Nature Preserve and is active in several other conservation organizations. He leads a series of NUVO interviews with Indiana's environmental leaders, and he cherishes showing his son all the wonders of nature he grew up loving.
Dr. Elizabeth Barnes explains the difference between Brood X cicadas and other insects

Fact and Fiction: An Entomologist Talks Brood X

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The arrival of Brood X periodical cicadas—while patchy in Central Indiana—has given us all something to talk about. Love them or leave them, hate them or taste them, their 17-year emergence is a memorable one.

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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.
Yellow-Billed Cuckoo

“Knocking” Bird: Yellow-Billed Cuckoo

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Our spring newsmagazine featured Cliff’s top ten hidden gems of birding. Here is the fourth of a blog series on these birds, by guest blogger Ed Pope.

This bird is slightly larger than a cardinal. Its long tail is brown on top, while the underside is black and white. The top of its head and back are brown, while the belly and lower part of the head are white. The lower bill is a bright yellow. Continue reading →

Ed Pope

Guest Blogger

ed@circlecitybicycles.com
Ed Pope is a retired engineer from Rolls-Royce and a CILTI member since 2002.
Ovenbird

Ovenbirds: Nesting Low, Migrating Far

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Our spring newsmagazine featured Cliff’s top ten hidden gems of birding. Here is the second of a blog series on these birds, by guest blogger Ed Pope.

The ovenbird gets its name from its dome-shaped nest, which looks like an old style oven. It is slightly larger than a goldfinch. The males and females look similar, with brown feathers on top and black streaks amidst white on the bottom. Ovenbirds breed in the northeast and Midwestern portions of the United States and into Canada, and as far west as Montana and western Canada. In winter, they migrate to Mexico, Central America, Florida and islands in the Caribbean. Continue reading →

Ed Pope

Guest Blogger

ed@circlecitybicycles.com
Ed Pope is a retired engineer from Rolls-Royce and a CILTI member since 2002.
Scarlet Tanager

Bright Bird: Scarlet Tanagers Favor Forest Interior

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Our spring newsmagazine featured Cliff’s top ten hidden gems of birding. Here is the first of a blog series on these birds, by guest blogger Ed Pope.

The male scarlet tanager is one of the most brightly colored birds you will ever see, if you can find one. Their preferred habitat is interior forest, and they spend much of their time up in the canopy. During the breeding season, the males have bright red plumage with black wings and tails. The females are more drab, with yellow-green plumage. The winter plumage for the males is similar to the female’s. Continue reading →

Ed Pope

Guest Blogger

ed@circlecitybicycles.com
Ed Pope is a retired engineer from Rolls-Royce and a CILTI member since 2002.
Yellow-rumped warbler

Celebrating the Forever Promise

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Second in a series on the Trek our Trails Challenge by guest blogger Ben Valentine

It’s finally spring and I feel the need to get away from the city and cornfields to celebrate winter’s end. The Laura Hare Preserve at Blossom Hollow—brimming with wildflowers and more red-headed woodpeckers than I’ve ever seen in one day—seems like the perfect spot to do so. Continue reading →

Ben Valentine

Guest blogger

Ben Valentine is a founding member of the Friends of Marott Woods Nature Preserve and is active in several other conservation organizations. He leads a series of NUVO interviews with Indiana's environmental leaders, and he cherishes showing his son all the wonders of nature he grew up loving.