FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monument Circle deal conserves seasonal wonder in perpetuity
Toy and overnight delivery conglomerate Claus Industries Ltd. has placed Monument Circle, home of the World’s Tallest Christmas Tree, into a conservation easement with the Central Indiana Land Trust, Inc. (CILTI). Under the agreement, the land will remain open to the public and available for exploration and wide-eyed delight.
“I’ve not seen any organization more dedicated to and adept at protecting Indiana’s rare flora and fauna,” said Claus Industries’ jolly founder and CEO, Sandy Claus. “And nothing is rarer than a giant tree that emerges just once a year, from Thanksgiving to New Year’s.”
With its multicolored night-blooming flowers, Pinus monumentum is unique to this single tract of land and the holiday season.
“Smaller replicas of this tree are so pervasive in homes around the globe that you might call them the most wonderful invasive species on Earth,” said CILTI CEO Cliff Chapman. “But there’s only one place where you can see the real thing and its magnificent display of holiday magic.”
In an unusual agreement forged in 1962, the City of Indianapolis turns over ownership of Monument Circle to Claus Industries every year on the day after Thanksgiving, with the deed in effect through the holiday season. Claus himself has been known to make appearances there, and a mailbox installed under the tree’s glowing boughs ensures correspondence is delivered directly to his North Pole headquarters.
Chapman credited CILTI’s supporters with putting his organization into a position to care for this and other important properties around Indiana.
“We earn opportunities like this only through the incredible passion and generosity of our donors,” Chapman said. “Their dedication to preserving the best of natural Indiana has allowed us to extend our reach and protect more and more of our state’s truly special places.”
“The Monument Circle Nature Preserve will ensure that the magic and wonder created by the World’s Tallest Christmas Tree will be available to good Hoosier boys and girls forever and ever,” Claus said.
We wish everyone a jolly holiday! Many thanks for the continued support.
Jen Schmits Thomas
Media Relations