What makes a nature preserve? And if a nature preserve is not state-dedicated, is it really a nature preserve? It sure is!

Grace van Kan
White River Steward
What makes a nature preserve? And if a nature preserve is not state-dedicated, is it really a nature preserve? It sure is!
White River Steward
Gov. Eric Holcomb gave his 2023 State of the State address this week. In his remarks, he proposed $25 million for land protection, a significant investment. If enacted, this investment will spark the conservation of thousands of acres. The governor specifically named Central Indiana Land Trust as a partner in this work.
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Communications Manager
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 11, 2022
The Indiana Wildlife Federation (IWF) received $239,500 of Next Level Trails funding to bring a cutting-edge project consisting of new trails and a digital interpretive app to Betley Woods at Glacier’s End Nature Preserve, which is owned by the Central Indiana Land Trust, Inc. (CILTI).
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Media Relations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 2022
The Central Indiana Land Trust, Inc. (CILTI) has acquired 109 acres of environmentally significant forest land in southern Johnson County, resulting in a total of more than 1,500 acres in that area that is protected forever.
Media Relations
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.
Media Relations
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.
Guest Blogger
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
Board Member
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
Guest blogger
Part of a series on invasive species by guest blogger Ed Pope
Unlike most other plants that have now become invasive, Japanese stiltgrass was not intentionally imported into North America. It is native to much of Asia and was once used as packing material for fragile items such as porcelain. It is believed to have arrived in America from China this way. The first documented occurrence was in 1919, when it was found in Tennessee. Continue reading
Guest Blogger
Part of a series on CILTI’s conservation targets by guest blogger Ed Pope
Although most of Indiana was wooded when Europeans first arrived, forest interior habitat is very rare today. Most forested land was cleared for farming, and while small woods can be found on many farms, there are very few large unbroken tracts of forest remaining. Continue reading
Guest Blogger