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Spalding siblings in Melzer Woods

A Legacy of Land Protection

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Thirty-five acres of Shelby County agricultural land came under protection this year, right next to the venerated old growth forest of Meltzer Woods. The Land Trust purchased the property from the Spalding family, descendants of the forest’s original champion, Brady Meltzer. The land had been in the family since 1857. Continue reading →

Shawndra Miller

Communications Director

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.
Meltzer Woods photo by Jordan England

Announcing the Trek Our Trails Challenge

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Are you ready for a nature fix? There’s still plenty of time to participate in a yearlong challenge that you can enjoy on your own. Make your way to a nature preserve to get started in the Trek Our Trails challenge! Continue reading →

Shawndra Miller

Communications Director

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.
Constance Macy as E. Lucy Braun

A Giant in her Field

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Dr. E. Lucy Braun, whose pioneering work in forest ecology paved the way for today’s conservationists, stepped out of history to greet attendees of our Spirit and Place Festival hike. The old growth forest of Meltzer Woods offered a stunning backdrop for her comments as she looked back at the past 100 years. Continue reading →

Shawndra Miller

Communications Director

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.
Photo of Girls, Inc. girls at Blossom Hollow, by Mary Ellen Lennon

Many Hikes and Miles: Educator Grateful for CILTI Places and Programs

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We thank Marion University professor Mary Ellen Lennon for this guest post.

As an educator, I have enjoyed the use of Central Indiana Land Trust resources and properties for student programming. I could not be more pleased to speak of the organization’s mission to students. And as a budding naturalist raising two young conservation ecologists, I eagerly scan my email in search of the next invitation to a public hike or talk sponsored by the land trust. Continue reading →

Mary Ellen Lennon

Guest Blogger

Mary Ellen Lennon is assistant professor of history at Marion University.
Meltzer Woods

Land Trust buys 35 acres, will plant 20,000 trees to expand Meltzer Woods

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 7, 2020

The Central Indiana Land Trust, Inc. (CILTI) is expanding the 60-acre Meltzer Woods Nature Preserve in Shelbyville by buying an adjacent 35-acre agricultural field, where it will plant more than 20,000 trees. The purchase totaled approximately $260,000 and was made possible through CILTI’s Evergreen Fund for Nature and members of the Land Trust. A portion of funds provided came from American Electric Power (AEP), Indiana Michigan Power’s parent company, under a legal settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, eight states, and 13 citizen groups. 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.
Eastern Box Turtle

Declining Eastern Box Turtles Benefit from Tree Plantings

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Creating future habitat for Eastern box turtles and many other species, we kicked off our million tree initiative this year. We’ve pledged to plant one million trees over the coming years in strategic sites, linking up hundreds of acres of fragmented land to benefit sensitive wildlife. Our tree-planting efforts so far buffer Meltzer Woods, Glacier’s End, Mossy Point and Wallace F. Holladay Preserve. Continue reading →

Shawndra Miller

Communications Director

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.
Phil Meltzer

In Tribute: A Conservation Champion

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Indiana lost a great champion of conservation last month when Philip Meltzer of Shelbyville died at age 94. Mr. Meltzer was the driving force behind the protection of one of the state’s last unprotected old growth forests—now a state-dedicated nature preserve. Continue reading →

Shawndra Miller

Communications Director

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.
Meltzer Woods photo by Dick Miller

What is an Old Growth Forest?

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Part of a series on CILTI’s conservation targets by guest blogger Ed Pope

Old growth forests are forests that have not been disturbed for at least 150 years. While they have some exceptionally large trees, there will also be many younger trees. When one of the giants falls, it opens up a hole in the canopy that younger trees will try to fill. Continue reading →

Ed Pope

Guest Blogger

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

Shelby, Johnson county areas benefit from environmental settlement

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2020

A $600,000 grant resulting from a legal settlement equips the Central Indiana Land Trust Inc. (CILTI) to add to the properties it protects in Johnson and Shelby counties. 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.
Shagbark hickory

Happy Earth Day! (Plus: The 9th Iconic Preserve to Visit)

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A letter from our executive director

We hope you’ve enjoyed this series of nine off-the-beaten-path preserves. The final featured place and a recap are below, but we also wanted to step back, this Earth Day, to talk about the big picture of land protection. Continue reading →

Cliff Chapman

President and CEO

cchapman@conservingindiana.org
317.525.3329
As President and CEO, Cliff keeps our 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.