• Current News

    Finding Refuge in the Natural World

    May 15, 2025

    May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to reflect on the importance of mental wellbeing and the many ways we can nurture it. One powerful yet often overlooked source of healing is nature.

  • Step Back in Time: Preserving History and Nature in Shelby County

    You may have seen a one-room schoolhouse building on your way to Meltzer Woods. But did you know that it houses a Little Free Library?

  • Smith Cemetery Nature Preserve: A Prairie Remnant

    In presettlement times, much of northwest and west-central Indiana was covered by prairie vegetation. The vast prairie was soon converted to agricultural fields. The only remaining prairie can be found in some railroad rights-of-way and occasionally in old pioneer cemeteries that were set aside prior to the agricultural conversion.

  • Nature-Inspired Poetry by Board Member John Bacone

    April is National Poetry Month, and when we saw this poem in a recent Indiana Parks Alliance e-newsletter, we knew we had to share it.

  • Women’s History Month Spotlight: Wild Girls, by Tiya Miles

    March is Women’s History Month—a time to celebrate the resilience, leadership, and impact of women throughout history.

  • Cliff’s Book Rec: Kingbird Highway

    Part 9 of our winter “Staff Picks” series I decided to revisit one of my favorite books for this series. I first read Kingbird Highway in 1998, when I was just starting my career and getting interested in birds. The book describes a young man’s passion for birds, but [...]

  • Jamison’s Book Rec: Playground

    Part 8 of our winter “Staff Picks” series Full disclosure. I did not read Playground, Richard Powers’ new novel. I listened to it (twice) in audiobook format. I find myself listening to a lot of books these days, being on the road going from preserve to preserve. The second [...]

  • Black History Month Book Recs

    In honor of Black History Month, here are some great reads that braid the Black experience and the natural world. The Home Place, by J. Drew Lanham Subtitled “Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature,” this work masterfully intertwines the personal, historical, and environmental. Lanham, an ornithologist, [...]

  • Shawndra’s Book Rec: Lessons from Plants

    Part 7 of our winter “Staff Picks” series Plants make choices. They network and communicate, compete and collaborate. They assess risks and allocate their energies accordingly. They alter their behavior and morphology according to environmental cues. They even spread the word about threats to kin and non-kin alike.

  • Max’s Book Rec: The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World

    Part 6 of our winter “Staff Picks” series When I was asked to write a book review, I had to pause and take a moment to think about which book would be good for me to read right now. I tend to choose informational, textbook-like screeds that are always [...]

  • Grace’s Book Rec: North Woods

    Part 5 of our winter “Staff Picks” series  North Woods is a novel written by Pulitzer Prize finalist Daniel Mason. It was easily my favorite read of 2024. The story begins on a plot of land in northern Massachusetts, and remains in the exact same spot for hundreds of [...]

  • “Is It Invasive?”

    “Should I get rid of it?” “What’s the best way to eradicate it?” “What should I put there instead?” Our stewardship team gets a lot of great questions about invasive species!

  • Phillip’s Book Rec: Chesapeake

    Part 4 of our “Staff Picks” series for National Book Blitz Month I was solving a jigsaw puzzle the other day—one with the Chicago skyline where the entire top was a bright blue sky. There was one piece of that sky that was eluding me. Annoying! But after a [...]

  • Traci’s Book Recs: Children’s Literature

    Part 3 of our “Staff Picks” series for National Book Blitz Month Monarch and Milkweed, by Helen Frost and Leonid Gore Helen Frost’s Monarch and Milkweed is a captivating book that explores the extraordinary connection between monarch butterflies and the milkweed plant. Frost’s lyrical prose pairs perfectly with Leonid [...]

  • David’s Book Rec: An Immense World

    Part 2 of our “Staff Picks” series for National Book Blitz Month An Immense World, by Ed Yong, is a rare book with the potential to change how you perceive the world around you, especially the natural world. This might seem like a bold claim, but I think it’s [...]

  • Shawndra’s Book Rec: The Backyard Bird Chronicles

    Part 1 of our “Staff Picks” series for National Book Blitz Month We’re kicking off the year with a series on our favorite nature books. I chose The Backyard Bird Chronicles, by novelist Amy Tan. This gorgeous book features pages from Tan’s nature journal from 2017 through 2022, with [...]

  • Claus Industries taps CILTI to protect World’s Tallest Christmas Tree

    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 [...]

  • Innovation, Flexibility, and Speed Bring Conservation Victories

    We asked our board secretary, John Bacone, to reflect on some of our most significant land protection wins of 2024. It is always fun to look back on the valuable work CILTI has accomplished in the past year. It is especially gratifying this year, for several reasons. CILTI again [...]

  • Habitat protected for one of North America’s rarest butterflies, other endangered species

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Indiana’s only site for Mitchell’s satyr, a species on the brink of extinction, safe from development The purchase of a 13-acre property containing a high-quality wetland in northern Indiana will help to protect one of the rarest species in the U.S.

  • Exploring Deer Hunting in Urban Nature Preserves

    Guest post by DJ Connors Urban nature preserves are essential green spaces that provide an oasis for wildlife and people alike. These preserves are not only places of beauty and recreation. They also play a crucial role in wildlife management, particularly when it comes to controlling deer populations. Let’s [...]

  • Creating local carbon credits delivers local benefits

    An Indianapolis Business Journal opinion piece by our President/CEO, Cliff Chapman You’re probably aware that trees are growing in the Amazon rainforest to offset American corporations’ carbon footprints. You might also know that timber in the Pacific Northwest offers similar carbon credits.

  • Why I Donate to CILTI

    Guest post by James Todd I support the Central Indiana Land Trust, Inc. (CILTI) because it is a local agency that does the important work of protecting and preserving what remains of our natural environment. Because CILTI is local to Central Indiana, I believe that my donations have a [...]

  • “Just imagine the vastness of our state’s natural heritage”

    Guest post by Karen Wade As a mostly-native plant gardener, I can often be found in my backyard on hands and knees tending pots of pawpaw seedlings, tucking soil around newly planted native spicebushes, or just hanging out on the back step marveling at how the bumblebees manage to [...]

  • Collect Native Seeds to Speed Winter Along

    As the days shorten and temperatures dip, nature-lovers might get a little restless, dreading the long winter months ahead. But there’s an easy and fun way to ward off seasonal blahs.

  • Why I support CILTI: Indiana’s natural sanctuaries need our protection

    Guest post by Julie Dart I first fell in love with nature in suburban Los Angeles, where I grew up. The landscape was brown most of the year, but there was always something new to see. I loved to hike in the mountains behind our house alone or with [...]

  • Double Down for Nature!

    Get ready to double your impact! We’re pleased to share that the Efroymson Family Fund is bringing us another generous year-end challenge. Every donation up to $250,000 will be matched dollar for dollar! Your gift can go twice as far for nature in Central Indiana—but only if it’s made [...]

  • Bats Provide More than Halloween Fright

    by Grace van Kan, White River Steward Halloween is nearly upon us, and if you visit the hardware store as often as I do, you know Halloween decorations have been out since July. Among the giant skeletons and ghoulish snow-globes you will find another cute creature ubiquitous with Halloween: [...]

  • Rare plant discovered at Fern Station in Putnam County

    A team of natural scientists recently discovered a rare plant at Fern Station, the new nature preserve that the Central Indiana Land Trust (CILTI) purchased last year. Weft fern is a state-endangered species that grows on rocks, caves, and sheltered crevices.

  • Nature as Self-Care

    It will come as no surprise to CILTI members and supporters: Nature—and forests in particular—can heal us. Physicians and mental health professionals the world over recognize this. Many have begun to prescribe nature walks to their patients.

  • Land Trust buys 14 acres to expand Baseline Barrens Nature Preserve in Washington County

    The Central Indiana Land Trust, Inc. (CILTI) has closed on the purchase of a 14-acre parcel adjacent to Baseline Barrens Nature Preserve near Fredericksburg in Washington County.

  • “Why I Support CILTI”: The Rescuer

    Phil Schaefer not only has supported CILTI in the past as our Special Projects Coordinator, he also is a longtime volunteer—and a member of the Burr Oak Society.

  • “A Chance to Grow”

    Our Make-a-Will-Month series continues with longtime member Reta Rutledge sharing why she and her husband, Robert, decided to name our organization in their wills.

  • A Heart for Nature

    In honor of National Make-a-Will Month, we want to honor our Burr Oak Society members. These dedicated individuals have included the land trust in their estate plans. But Central Indiana Land Trust is not the true beneficiary. Indiana’s natural spaces are.

  • Protecting Forests for Clean Water

    Water Quality Month spurs us to take a look at the health of our most precious resource. We often focus on the importance of wetlands in filtering drinking water. But here’s a surprising partner in protecting a clean water supply: Forests.

  • From “Sapling No. 1” to Today

    In May of 2020, our stewardship crew placed a small red flag in the ground. The bare sticklike plant next to it was marked sapling #1.

  • What’s in a Name?

    Today is Juneteenth. The federal holiday celebrates the day in 1865 when Union troops told the remaining enslaved people they were emancipated. As we mark this day in our nation’s past, it’s a good time to consider an aspect of history reflected in our conservation work. The common names [...]

  • Double your Impact this Summer!

    We have some exciting news. The Herbert Simon Family Foundation has generously offered a matching grant to support our mission. Every dollar you donate by September 1, 2024, will be matched up to $50,000.

  • CILTI buys inholding of Hoosier National Forest to return to forest

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Purchase prevents housing development from going into middle of national forest The Central Indiana Land Trust, Inc. (CILTI) has closed on the purchase of 80 acres in Orange County that will eventually be added to the Hoosier National Forest. The property, known as the Lowe tract, [...]

  • Protected Forest Expands with Addition to Callon Hollow

    We recently closed on a six-acre addition to Callon Hollow, a nature preserve in Johnson County. Located in one of the most biodiverse forested areas in the state, this nature preserve offers habitat for species like broad-winged hawks, hooded warblers, and Eastern box turtles.

  • Land Trust Accreditation Commission Grants Reaccreditation

    Did you know that CILTI goes through a rigorous process to ensure we are operating at the highest possible conservation standards? The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, the national accrediting body for land trusts, has renewed our accredited status!

  • White blossoms mask the new ‘silent spring’ threat

    by Cliff Chapman President, Central Indiana Land Trust Those white-flowering trees you see along the highways and in neighborhoods throughout Central Indiana might seem like a welcome harbinger of spring, but they actually represent a threat similar to one recognized more than 60 years ago in the landmark book [...]

  • Supporting a Prairie Preserve with Fire

    With a high plant diversity and stable plant populations, a prairie can provide habitat for a plethora of insects and birds. That’s one thing that makes our Nonie Werbe Krauss Nature Preserve so special. Almost 90 species of birds have been found on CILTI’s only prairie habitat nature preserve.

  • Founder Shares Early Origins of Central Indiana Land Trust

    Ellen Jacquart was CILTI’s founder and first president. Now a board member, she contributed these thoughts on what it was like to pioneer starting a land trust in 1990. After grad school, I moved to Indiana in 1987 to work as an intern at the Indiana DNR Division of [...]

  • Savannas, Prairies, and their “Cousins”

    Final in a series by board member John Bacone Note: A version of this series appeared in the Indiana Parks Alliance newsletter and the Indiana Native Plant Society Journal. Savannas, which are natural communities comprised of widely spaced oak trees in a matrix of prairie forbs, once were common in Indiana, especially in [...]

  • A Look at Indiana’s Wetland Preserves

    Fourth in a series by board member John Bacone Note: A version of this series appeared in the Indiana Parks Alliance newsletter and the Indiana Native Plant Society Journal. Indiana has been blessed with numerous types of wetlands, and excellent examples of many of them are included within nature preserves.

  • Explore Indiana’s Geologic Wonders and Majestic Forests

    Third in a series by board member John Bacone Note: A version of this series appeared in the Indiana Parks Alliance newsletter and the Indiana Native Plant Society Journal. Indiana is a place of varied terrain and stunning geologic wonders. Many of our most popular nature preserves are beloved for their geologic [...]

  • Indiana’s Nature Preserves Offer Glimpses of the Past

    Second in a series by board member John Bacone Note: A version of this series appeared in the Indiana Parks Alliance newsletter and the Indiana Native Plant Society Journal. Indiana’s state-dedicated nature preserves are not only places of natural beauty. They also showcase what our state looked like in a bygone era.

  • With 300th Nature Preserve, We Celebrate Indiana’s Conservation History

    First of a series by board member John Bacone Note: A version of this series appeared in the Indiana Parks Alliance newsletter and the Indiana Native Plant Society Journal. A major conservation milestone was reached this past October. The Natural Resources Commission dedicated Toothwort Woods as Indiana’s 300th nature [...]

  • Swamps and the Underground Railroad

    Two former wetlands (also known as swamps, bogs, or sloughs) had a significant part in Indianapolis history—serving as key stops on the Underground Railroad.

  • The Little Things That Run the World

    By Lee Casebere The well-known scientist E.O. Wilson wrote in 2006, “More respect is due the little things that run the world.” I want to further explore why it matters that many species of plants and animals around the world are disappearing due to human actions. 

  • Road Trip: Hendricks County

    We asked Megan Rhodehamel, a supporter who lives in Hendricks County, to recommend some attractions near Burnett Woods. She offered this guest post. A visit to Burnett Woods on a crisp morning is a perfect way to start the day. Approaching the nature preserve from Dan Jones Road, pull [...]