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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 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.
Controlled Burn at Blossom Hollow

Controlled Burn to Provide Data for Natural Area Management

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The sight of fire in the woods might feel a bit jarring in the wake of so much wildfire destruction in other parts of the world. But fire has always been a factor in shaping the landscape. In conservation work, we can use it strategically to help restore the land. That was the plan for a recent controlled burn at The Laura Hare Preserve at Blossom Hollow. 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.
Rough green snake

A Rare Find at Glacier’s End

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By Stewardship Specialist Phillip Weldy

One October day last year, our stewardship crew was out at Glacier’s End Nature Preserve treating invasive species. It was a sunny, warm fall day in the woods. I was moving through a relatively invasive-free section of the preserve when I heard a rustle nearby among the briar and leaves.

Continue reading →

Phillip Weldy

Stewardship Specialist

pweldy@conservingindiana.org
574.286.9344
Phillip enjoys nature’s wonders from an up-close-and-personal perspective as he works to restore the natural places you love. He came to his stewardship role at CILTI after undertaking invasive species control and trail maintenance for Little Traverse Conservancy in Harbor Springs, MI.
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 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.
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 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.
Oliver's Woods

Meeting with a View

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Sunshine on the river, leaves turning golden, and strategic thinking. The board of the Indiana Land Protection Alliance, of which our executive director Cliff Chapman is the treasurer, met recently at Oliver’s Woods for a planning retreat. 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.
Photo by Greg Hess

Your Gift Goes Twice as Far

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We are honored that a generous donor has offered a matching challenge grant to close out 2020. All contributions will be doubled during this season’s giving campaign, as the Efroymson Family Fund will match all gifts received by December 28, 2020, up to $75,000. 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.
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.
American badger

Saving Habitat for Endangered and Threatened Species

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

Some of Central Indiana’s core conservation areas contain plant or animal species that are endangered or threatened, either statewide or nationally: Continue reading →

Ed Pope

Guest Blogger

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