Photo by Deb Potts

Indy’s Lacywood Estate protected forever

June 6, 2016

30+ wooded acres adjacent to Indy’s Lacywood Estate protected forever

Conservation easement ensures property on city’s northwest side won’t be developed

The wooded grounds surrounding the famous Lacywood Estate in Indianapolis will be protected from development forever thanks to a conservation easement signed by the property’s owner, Debra Potts, and the Central Indiana Land Trust. Continue reading

Jen Schmits Thomas

Media Relations

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.

Burnett Woods reopens with new 1.5-mile trail completed as part of local teen’s Eagle Scout project

Burnett Woods, an Avon-area nature preserve owned and managed by the Central Indiana Land Trust since 1998, reopens to the public on Sept. 13, giving area residents their first opportunity to enjoy the preserve’s recently completed 1.7-mile trail.

The preserve had a half-mile trail until a local Boy Scout, Stephen Schafer of Troop 358 in Zionsville, built a 1.2-mile extension as part of his Eagle Scout project. Now the site has a blue trail that’s .5 miles and a red trail that’s 1.2 miles.

On the 13th, visitors are invited to participate in the re-opening by visiting the preserve anytime between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., when staff will be on hand with maps of the property, refreshments and periodic guided hikes of the new trail, which is ideal for hikers of all ages and skill levels.

The property is open seven days a week from dawn until dusk. Parking is available at the back of the Light and Life Methodist Church, 8264 County Road 100 S, Avon.

The Central Indiana Land Trust conserves and protects natural areas that Hoosiers hold dear. For more information, visit www.conservingindiana.org.

WHAT:                  Grand reopening of Burnett Woods

WHEN:                  Saturday, Sept. 13, 9-11 a.m.

WHERE:                Burnett Woods Nature Preserve, 8264 County Road 100 S, Avon

COST:                    Free

RSVP:                    Contact Stacy at info@conservingindiana.org or 317-631-5263

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MEDIA CONTACT:  Jen Schmits Thomas, 317-441-2487, jen@jtprinc.com

Erosion-plagued White River to benefit from gift of land

Erosion-plagued White River to benefit from gift of land

An Indianapolis-based property management firm has donated a one-acre strip of White River frontage that will aid efforts to undo damage done by riverbank erosion.

Barrett & Stokely closed on the agreement with the Central Indiana Land Trust March 6, and, while the amount of land is not large, the potential for good the gift has created is huge.

The White River delivers drinking water to nearly one million people every day. Parts of it, especially on the north side of Indianapolis, are filling in and negatively affecting water quality. Asian bush honeysuckle has invaded nearby land and caused sediment to slide into the river. The build-up has affected boating and fishing on the river and it negatively affects the aquatic population and food chain. This build-up also limits the movement of such species as bald eagle, mink, double-crested cormorant, wood duck and many freshwater mussel species.

The Central Indiana Land Trust has been working diligently over the last ten years to fight the issue and restore natural systems along the river’s course by restoring the riverbank.

“This strip brings us much closer to linking our Oliver’s Woods property around 465 to our White Owl property, just south of 86th Street,” said Central Indiana Land Trust Interim Director Cliff Chapman. “By protecting this large of a swath of river frontage, we are in a great position to stabilize the banks of the White River and provide better wildlife habitat.”

Last summer, thanks to private donations and funding from a settlement after the 1999 fish kill, the Land Trust began fighting the erosion problem by removing honeysuckle, overseeding with native plants and, where needed, installing erosion-control blankets. The innovative project is designed to naturalize the stream bank holding soil that would otherwise fall into the river and have to be filtered out downstream by drinking water intakes.

Once the restoration measures are completed, the Land Trust will spot treat the stream bank to control new honeysuckle plants for many years to come. Chapman added, “We are excited about this strategic gift from Barrett & Stokely and along with our members, whose support makes all this work possible, we plan to work diligently to see the property restored.

 

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Media contact: Jen Thomas, JTPR, jen@jtprinc.com, 317-441-2487

Explore Indiana: CILTI provides opportunity for nature appreciation

Explore Indiana: CILTI provides opportunity for nature appreciation

By Katelyn Breden

Part of a series of stories on Indiana destinations, including profiles of Sycamore Land Trust, a new eco-tourism business (Natural Bloomington) and an exhaustive list of Indiana land trusts.

The opportunity to get lost in the woods or to navigate the trails or tributaries requires no road trip. Central Indiana Land Trust protects land to preserve Indiana’s natural resources and facilitate connections with nature.

This nonprofit organization has been operating since 1990, with paid staff since 2001. The current executive director, Heather Bacher, has held the position for ten years. When she started working with Central Indiana Land Trust, she was the only paid employee.

Central Indiana Land Trust protects over 4,000 acres of land. While the main focus of the nonprofit’s endeavors is conservation, it also strives to provide resources to help people engage with nature via low-impact activities. These activities include meaningful experiences through photography, exploring, nature study and basic observation. Geocaching, a GPS-driven treasure hunting activity, is also allowed on the protected lands. Dogs are welcome, provided they do not chase after the wildlife.

Visitors must abstain from removing specimens and avoid bringing wood into the preserves. All these guidelines ensure that these lands will remain adequately protected, preserving them for future enjoyment and environmental education.

Central Indiana Land Trust, as a member-supported organization, encourages people to support its mission by becoming members. It never charges entrance fees to its visitors, allowing people to visit from sunrise to sunset. Parking is usually available in a nearby area, and the organization has identified key preserves that will be the focus for increased accessibility through signage, trails and parking.

These key preserves are the protected lands that most often attract families and people seeking relatively easy, casual exploration. For example, Burnett Woods in Hendricks County recently underwent an addition that brought it to a full eighty acres. Central Indiana Land Trust specifically advertises Burnett Woods as a good preserve for young children who will enjoy exploring via marked trails.

For visitors seeking more adventure, Mossy Point is a preserve nearing 200 acres, located in Western Park County on Sugar Creek. This preserve does not have many trails, but does boast beautiful topography of ridges and ravines.

The land preserves are available for more than exploration. Programming and volunteering opportunities are available as well. These areas have been hosts to poetry readings, hot dog roasts, wildflower walks and environmental education. Volunteers can become involved through program organization and leadership, booth staffing, photography facilitating and more. One service project dealt in direct conservation involvement by transplanting wildflowers from the trails to other areas of the preserve.

”One of the things that we really want to get out as part of our mission is that being wise stewards of the land and protecting the best part of our natural areas is a good thing for the community and it’s good for economic development,” says Heather Bacher.

Its website, ConservingIndiana.org, provides a comprehensive list of each nature preserve so visitors can plan their next exploration.

From Indiana Living Green on May 28, 2013: http://www.indianalivinggreen.com/explore-indiana-cilti-provides-opportunity-for-nature-appreciation/

 

One of Indy’s last pockets of nature

From the Indianapolis Star

Marion County was pretty much paved over decades ago, but nestled here and there are still some pockets of the natural life.

The most striking of these is a patch of ground at 8825 River Road that’s owned by the Central Indiana Land Trust.

It’s hemmed in by the six loud, fast lanes of I-465 and the cement jungle that is the Fashion Mall at Keystone. But it’s spectacular and wild. It feels like you’re in the sticks. It’s 53 acres. Trees cover it, wildflowers cover it. The White River meanders through it. Bald eagles pass over it.

The Land Trust calls it Oliver’s Woods for Oliver Daugherty, the man who could have sold it to developers for millions but didn’t because he wanted to preserve the pocket of nature where his family had lived for generations. Again and again, developers knocked on the door of the grand, old (but extremely dilapidated) family manse, and again and again, Daugherty ordered them off the premises.

Daugherty was an unusual combination of social conservative (he listened to Rush Limbaugh on the radio) and environmental conservationist (he hated suburban sprawl). He wore his hair down to his shoulders, did not take daily showers and drove a bright red Mazda Miata. He never married. He died in 2009 (without heirs) at age 73. He left his property to the Land Trust.

Shawndra Miller

Communications Manager

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.

5 Off-the-Beaten-Path Places in Hendricks County

1. Burnett Woods Nature Preserve

Where is it? 8264 E. County Road 100 South in Avon, Indiana.

Who’d love it: Hikers, families and those with a case of wildflower fever.

This 68-acre wooded nature preserve is the state’s only dedicated nature preserve and is managed by the Central Indiana Land Trust. This is a great place to take the kids on a hike and teach them about trees and wildflowers as it is preserved as an example of what once was common in this region and what our ancestors encountered when they arrived in Central Indiana. Afterward, stop for a bite to eat in  Avon. You’ll find a variety of family-friendly establishments, from pasta and pizza to a Japanese steakhouse.

Where can I park?: In back of the Light and Life Methodist Church

To view the complete post on the Hendricks County Blog visit: http://www.tourhendrickscounty.com/blog/?p=9698

My View: Outsdoorwoman, CEO is right choice to head U.S. Interior Department

In recent years, those of us involved in land conservation have seen a subtle but steady shift in attitudes about protecting our natural resources. What used to seem like a fringe movement has become mainstream, and ideas that once seemed controversial are embraced by broad segments of the population. People and organizations that once disagreed have found common ground.

It’s a shift that’s good for our future, and a trend that was brought into sharper focus when President Obama nominated Sally Jewell as secretary of the Interior. The naming of a corporate CEO and avid outdoorswoman to the job sends a signal that it is time to eliminate the divisions that once seemed to define attitudes about conservation. “She knows that there’s no contradiction between being good stewards of the land and our economic progress,” the president said when he announced Jewell’s nomination.

She’s not an elected official or a political insider. She’s not made a lot of headlines, despite the fact that she leads a $1.8 billion outdoor recreation and sporting goods retailer, Recreation Equipment Inc. (REI), which has stores across the nation, including in Indianapolis.

If that were the extent of Jewell’s background, her appointment might not seem like a big deal. After all, someone whose company sells tents, kayaks and other outdoorsy stuff isn’t a far-fetched choice for secretary of the Interior. But what about someone who once worked for a large oil company or who spent time as an executive with big banks’ commercial lending divisions, where, among other things, she managed a $20 billion loan portfolio that included energy companies?

It’s true: Jewell’s resume doesn’t seem to lead to her new role. After earning an engineering degree, she started her career as a petroleum engineer at Mobil – a job that, as she told Forbes magazine, helped her “recognize that there is a cost to consumption.” From the oil fields, she moved to the world of finance. She joined the board of REI in 1996, and a few years later she was named its chief operating officer. In 2005, she took over as CEO.

If you look only at those facts, Jewell’s move from the oil industry and banking to REI might seem like a big leap. But if you look at her personal life, you see that she has a long history with the outdoors and, in fact, with REI. After moving to Washington state from England (where Jewell was born) in 1956, her father decided to try camping. So, according to a 2005 story in the Seattle Times, he “became Recreation Equipment Inc. member No. 17249, purchasing his tent at REI’s original store.”

That camping trip launched Jewell’s father on a love of the outdoors that he passed on to her. She remains an avid outdoorswoman who hikes, camps, climbs mountains, skis, bikes and more. She serves as vice chairman of the National Parks Conservation Association, and makes environmental consciousness a priority at REI.

Meanwhile, she runs a successful company. When she took over as chief operating officer, REI was operating in the red. After she took over, in short order the company was posting all-time-high revenues and profits and distributing record dividends to members. It’s often cited as one of the best companies to work for in America, in part because of its environmental stewardship.

I’ve seen REI’s commitment to conservation first hand. After opening its store in Castleton, the company quickly got involved in Central Indiana Land Trust programs, sponsoring a preserve trail building day and providing employees for volunteer efforts.

With her background, Sally Jewell promises to be a refreshing presence in Washington. Like the Central Indiana Land Trust, it appears she believes that the interests of business are not at odds with conservation. Indeed, strategic conservation is critical to sustainable economic development. We look forward to the discussions during Jewell’s confirmation hearings, and are excited about the common ground that has emerged in the effort to preserve our nation’s natural heritage.

Bacher is executive director of the Central Indiana Land Trust.

To visit the full piece featured in the Indy Star on March 7 visit: www.indystar.com/article/20130307/OPINION10/303070090/My-View-Outsdoorwoman-CEO-right-choice-head-U-S-Interior-Department?gcheck=1

State’s only dedicated nature preserve in Hendricks County will host guided tour on Saturday

Saturday’s sunny forecast means it’s the perfect day to check out the state’s only dedicated nature preserve in Hendricks County.

While Burnett Woods in Avon is open to the public year-round, its only guided interpretive tour of the year is this weekend. The 90-minute tour begins at 2 p.m. Feb. 23 at 8264 County Road 100, Avon.

Burnett Woods is a dedicated Indiana State Nature Preserve protected by the Central Indiana Land Trust, said conservation director Cliff Chapman. It’s the first property purchased by the Land Trust, in 1998, and among 18 nature preserves owned and protected by the Land Trust. Fourteen of the properties are open to public with another three opening by the end of the year.

Burnett Woods is also cool because of its location. The 68-acre woods is in an area of high development of eastern Hendricks County.

Chapman described Burnett Woods as “breathtaking in the spring, birdy in the summer, colorful in the fall, and — with so many spring wildflowers that already have leaves up, making the forest floor as much green as brown — promising in the winter.”

Chapman said during this weekend’s hike, he’ll focus on these things:

• Owl breeding season, which is going on right now. Barred owls are nesting on the property.

• Winter survival for mice, how they interact with plants, and their reproduction.

• What are tip-up mounds, and why they are important for animals like salamanders.

• Wetlands and their value.

• How to identify trees in the winter.

We asked Chapman to talk about the property and here’s what he said:

Q: What’s special about the property?

A: Burnett Woods is one of the best examples anywhere in Central Indiana of a flatwoods plant community. “This type of forest was once the most common type found in Indiana, but is almost entirely gone, as it made for really good farmland.”

Q: What does Burnett Woods offer the community?

A: Burnett Woods has a loop trail that’s open to the public. There are also many wetlands. And it allows people to see what once was such a common part of our landscape, a flat woods full of a wide range of tree, plant, bird and other species.

Q: When is Burnett Woods open to the public?

A: The site is open year round from dawn to dusk. We ask that people not visit on Sunday mornings as we park in the neighboring church parking lot and want to respect their needs.

Q: The property has many wetland areas. What’s the advantage?

A: These wetlands hold water after big rain storms and allow the water to slowly infiltrate and charge the groundwater system. This reduces flooding for the nearby area.

Q: What does it mean to belong to be a Land Trust?

A: The property was protected and is managed by the Central Indiana Land Trust, so it offers a great natural area to explore that is not paid for or maintained by tax dollars, but rather the members of the Trust.

Q: How many times a year does the Land Trust conduct guided tours of its properties?

A: We offer several tours at various nature preserves around Central Indiana. This is our second hike. Visit www.conservingindiana.org to learn about more tours.

Featured in the Indy Star on February 22nd. To read the complete article visit: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013302220058&nclick_check=1.

Call Star reporter Betsy Reason at (317) 444-6049.

Rising Star: Cliff Chapman cares about protecting nature

Rising Star: Cliff Chapman cares about protecting nature

Geology wasn’t Cliff Chapman’s first choice as a college major. He only knew he wanted a career that would let him help the environment.

Chapman found that career by taking a biogeography class taught by Professor Tim Brothers at Indiana University.

“We studied the distributions of plants and animals. Learned the niches of why animals live in some areas, but not others,” Chapman said. “It was all fascinating for me to think about.”

When Chapman told people he wanted to focus his career on conservation, many doubted him. Some told him to pursue a career in toxic cleanup.

“I wasn’t concerned with how much money I could make — just helping the environment, making this a better place to live,” he said.

Chapman was named conservation director at the Central Indiana Land Trust in 2008, where he works on land-protection projects. He was instrumental in the Land Trust’s $1 million purchase of land along the Muscatatuck River, which is inhabited by an endangered species, the Kirtland snake.

Prior to joining the Land Trust, Chapman had worked for The Nature Conservatory in Olympia, Wash., and at the Indiana State Department of Natural Resources, Division of Nature Preserves.

How did you manage to stand out in a crowd and advance quickly in your career?

Ever since I started out of college, I’ve never been concerned with my career or career advancement. I’ve always worked with government or nonprofits. I’ve concerned myself with fulfilling my employer’s mission. Any consequences from my career would be a part of that.

I feel like that has helped me advance my career more than anything else.

What was your first job experience? How did it affect your future?

Mr. D’s food market on the Southside. It was huge working in the grocery stores. I worked my way up to management. It was ever bit as important to me in my career as what I learned in college.

What I learned there is how to work with people — how to read people in different situations.

What’s the toughest mistake you ever made and what did you learn from it?

When I worked for the Division of Natural Resources, we were trying to find partners to support some projects, financially or otherwise.

A mistake I made in that process was that I took a relationship with a colleague, who was also a friend, for granted. I missed an appointment with him so I could meet with an outside group who wanted to partner with us. I put the project in front of my friendship with a co-worker. That was a mistake. If I could do it over again, I would.

How important is it to have a mentor? Did anyone in particular help you advance in your career?

It’s critical to have someone to look up to and ask questions. If you want to work up to the next level, it’s critical to ask questions.

When I think of mentors in my career, I think of John Bacone — director of the division of nature preserves. He is someone who is good at working with people and developing relationships. He sees the big pictures and doesn’t get upset about little things.

Another mentor was Ellen Jacquart of the Nature Conservancy. She is someone who I have tremendous respect for and the way she handles challenging situations.

What advice would you give to other young people trying to get started in conservation?

Remember it’s not about you, but about the mission. To be able to get into conservation, you have to be sacrificial to get the experience.

After seven years of college, I made just over minimum wage, but I learned an incredible amount.

Featured in the Indy Star on December 30th, 2012.  To read the complete article visit: http://www.indystar.com/article/20121229/BUSINESS/212300317/Rising-Star-Cliff-Chapman-cares-about-protecting-nature

Call Star reporter Jill Phillips at (317) 444-6246.

Land trust strategy goes national

Degrees in geology and careers at a six-employee conservation group would seem like far-fetched ways for Heather Bacher and Cliff Chapman to garner national attention.

But a guidebook their organization put together is generating buzz among peers as far away as Alaska and even is working its way into college lesson plans.

Wild hyacinths grow at Indianapolis’ Oliver’s Woods Nature Preserve, owned by the Central Indiana Land Trust.(Photo courtesy of Central Indiana Land Trust)

“At conferences, it’s like she’s a rock star,” Chapman said with a grin as he tipped his head in Bacher’s direction.

The duo work for the Central Indiana Land Trust, a not-for-profit that operates on less than $400,000 a year from the third floor of a turn-of-the-century house at 1500 N. Delaware St.

Bacher, the executive director, started working for the land trust in 2003 as the sole employee.

At the time, the group worked “reactively.”

“The phone would ring and somebody would have a piece of property that they might be interested in protecting,” she said.

“But as our organization grew and matured, we knew that, to better serve the central Indiana region and our mission, we needed to be more thoughtful and proactive and strategic in what we did.”

In 2007, Bacher pitched an idea to her board: Reel in money and develop a strategy that would take a more forward-looking approach to conservation.

She told her board the land trust would continue its original mission of acquiring land and protecting wildlife in central Indiana to guard against future development. As of today, 4,000 acres are under the trust’s protection.

But she wanted to be more aggressive about spreading environmentalism, prodding others to pursue conservation projects the trust can’t handle on its own.

“We are going to manage land that we value and the community values,” she said. “And also, working as a community institution, we will bring our expertise to the rest of the people in this region who affect land use and have a stake and love and care about the land that we do.”

Six donors chipped in $50,000, and an additional $80,000 from a Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust grant kick-started the project. The organization got a second, $200,000 grant in 2011 from the Pulliam trust to keep the project going.

Bacher in early 2008 hired Chapman as conservation director, and the two of them recruited Indianapolis architect Chris Boardman from Ratio Architects to guide the project as a volunteer.

By 2009, the trust released “Greening the Crossroads.”

The 60-page strategy identifies more than 300,000 acres that have conservation potential throughout the 3.1 million acres in Marion County and its eight surrounding counties.

The map highlighting those areas includes many waterways, nearly all of them privately owned, as well as a mass of undeveloped land in Morgan and Johnson counties.

The scope of the plan—covering farmland, wetlands, forests, waterways and cityscapes—is broader than that of similar organizations around the country, said Erin Heskett, national services director for the Washington, D.C.-based Land Trust Alliance.

“What’s cool about the ‘Crossroads’ project [is], it created a vision where there was no vision,” Heskett said.

A separate, 30-page report details how the trust worked with scientists, planners, government officers and other experts to identify the 300,000 acres.

That information helped Kim Sollien of the Great Land Trust in Palmer, Alaska, more than the Indianapolis group’s actual strategy.

Sollien, a project manager for the land trust in southern Alaska, was charged with developing a conservation plan for Matanuska-Susitna Borough, where Palmer is the seat.

“I quickly got on the Internet to figure out who else in the country is doing this,” she said. “It was incredibly helpful to me to read about their process in terms of working with different stakeholder groups to identify these resources. It really helped me paint the picture of what we could do here.”

A third, 30-page report explains how community groups can carry out a gamut of conservation and restoration work.

Land trust representatives travel community to community to present their reports to residents as a way to ignite conversations that might spur them to start their own projects.

It was that kind of community visit that persuaded Tom Johnson and his wife to sell to the trust 109 acres that they owned next to Lamb Lake in southwestern Johnson County.

His father-in-law, Russell Lamb, built the body of water after buying the property and the surrounding land. Johnson, his wife and his brother-in-law had known for years they wanted to keep nature intact, but lacked the financial resources to do so.

In 2008, just months before inheriting the land, Johnson met Chapman and learned about “Greening the Crossroads” and about his property’s wildlife.

Chapman visited the wooded site, which is in the town of Trafalgar. He won over Johnson after he started to play recordings of birds.

“He was able to bring in a couple types of warblers that hadn’t been seen in the state in years,” Johnson said. “That to me, helped seal the deal, that we could preserve that.”

Confident in the land trust’s ability to protect the land, the Johnsons sold the lakefront, wooded property to the organization for $4,000 an acre, well below the assessed value. The trust then set up a nature preserve.

While the land trust will set up preserves on land it owns, as it did in Johnson County, the organization typically doesn’t do the actual conservation work, such as cleaning up waterways. Most of the land “Greening the Crossroads” identifies is privately owned.

In their most hands-on roles, employees serve on committees and advise government offices, private businesses and landowners.

The trust will offer its input on matters as basic as rezoning so that ecology is being considered in local infrastructure projects.

Ashlee Mras, a project manager in Indianapolis’ Office of Sustainability, said the city started thinking greener in 2008 or 2009—coincidentally, around the same time “Greening the Crossroads” published—about environmentally friendly approaches in lieu of traditional, “gray infrastructure,” such as roads and storm drains.

The city office is one of several that has consulted “Greening the Crossroads” for projects like the Reconnecting to Our Waterways initiative to improve the city’s creeks and rivers.

Mras, the city’s liaison for the project, said the initiative decided to remove invasive plants from along Fall Creek, under the land trust’s advisement. That will allow the natural flora to grow there, filtering the water and lowering pollution.

The ability of “Greening the Crossroads” to connect a private land trust with government offices in order to accomplish region-wide goals caught Aaron Thompson’s attention at the University of Wisconsin’s Stevens Point campus.

Thompson, an assistant professor of natural resource planning, learned about the plan when he was working on his doctorate at Purdue University.

The guidelines—with their regional scope and deep community involvement—impressed him enough that he now uses the plan for a unit in his classes.

“I think the nine-county, regional focus was a big part of what’s been successful,” he said. “Planning is usually done at the county or city—municipality—levels.”

Article by: Dan Human. Featured in the IBJ on December 22, 2012. To view the complete article online visit:

http://www.ibj.com/article/shared?userId=25836&key1=AGHvgggukrL%2FI6PeR48spE%2BhHJsrnv55&key2=UaqX%2B1t0DZQ%3D