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Category: Stewardship

Trillium now flourishes at Meltzer Woods

Meltzer Woods: A Wintercreeper Success Story

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In less than ten years, Meltzer Woods‘ wintercreeper problem has come under control.

What is wintercreeper? If you spend any time in a residential area, you will see this evergreen vine in gardens and/or climbing trees. For years, nurseries sold it as a groundcover, like English ivy. Continue reading →

Jamison Hutchins

Stewardship Director

jhutchins@conservingindiana.org
406.546.7244
Jamison leads our stewardship team in caring for the land that is so important to you. He brings not only a love of nature, but an ability to create meaningful partnerships that advance crucial work.
Phillip carrying his 25-pound pack, with sandhill cranes overhead

A Burn for the Prairie

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Members of our stewardship team completed their annual “pack test” recently as part of fire training. This time their task was to carry a 25-pound backpack for 2 miles in less than 30 minutes. 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.
Wintercreeper smothers native wildflowers

Wintercreeper: From Ornament to Threat

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Part of a series on invasive species by guest blogger Ed Pope

Wintercreeper is an invasive evergreen plant that can overrun native vegetation. It is capable of vining up to 50 feet in height on trees, shading them out. It can also be a ground cover, where it forms a dense mat that prevents native wildflowers from growing on forest floors. Continue reading →

Ed Pope

Guest Blogger

ed@circlecitybicycles.com
Ed Pope is a retired engineer from Rolls-Royce and a CILTI member since 2002.
Birds and poetry at Oliver's Woods

A Year in Nature

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In 2021, we offered a variety of ways to get out in nature throughout the year. From guided hikes to volunteer days to special events, it was a great year to get outdoors.

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.
Bundles of saplings ready to be planted

Indiana trees and the world’s climate challenge

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By Cliff Chapman
Executive Director, Central Indiana Land Trust

As world leaders gather in Glasgow for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (Oct. 31-Nov. 12), it can feel as though the Earth’s fate rests in the hands of a few politicians. At the same time, it might seem like the areas where meaningful change can happen are far from home: rainforests, massive urban areas, the oceans, and so on. 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.
Bush honeysuckle

Invasive Bush Honeysuckle: Bad for Birds, Wildflowers and Water

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(This piece was originally published in the October issue of Urban Times)

Bush honeysuckle is ubiquitous in our urban neighborhoods, especially along creeks and the White River. To the untrained eye, it can look like a fine use of untended corridors—something green is growing, and it smells nice and produces pretty red berries.

Continue reading →

Jamison Hutchins

Stewardship Director

jhutchins@conservingindiana.org
406.546.7244
Jamison leads our stewardship team in caring for the land that is so important to you. He brings not only a love of nature, but an ability to create meaningful partnerships that advance crucial work.
Jamison Hutchins

Behind the Scenes with Stewardship Manager Jamison Hutchins

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Our stewardship manager, Jamison Hutchins, recently took a walk through Nonie Werbe Krauss Nature Preserve while speaking with Freya Berntson. Freya’s podcast, Midwestoration, profiles people working in the conservation field.

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.
Black-eyed susan

Take Part in Citizen Science through this Scavenger Hunt

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Do you love spending time outdoors and looking at the plants around you? Your observations could help add to scientific knowledge of Indiana’s native flora!

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.
Planting trees in Parke County

Monitoring Land Protection with “Kermit” the Drone

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If you are a CILTI member and received this summer’s newsletter, you probably noticed the unique vantage point of our cover photo. Seen from the sky, our cover shot showed the stewardship team hard at work, planting young trees on the edge of a lush forest in Parke County. To capture this photo, we used a relatively new tool (or some might say toy): a drone. 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.
Grace completing the pack test.

Fired Up and Ready to Go

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They came, they saw, they carried.

Members of our stewardship team completed a “pack test” recently as part of fire training. Their task? Carry a 50-pound backpack for 3 miles in less than 45 minutes.

Everyone passed, taking the team one step closer to being able to lead controlled burns on our properties. 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.