Building on a Family Legacy

Guest post by Vanessa Armstrong, founder of the free library nonprofit Hoosier Landmarks for Learning and granddaughter of Philip Meltzer The story of Meltzer Woods begins with John Frederick Meltzer, a German immigrant who purchased the initial 160 acres of Shelby County farmland in 1857. While most 19th-century settlers [...]

By |2026-10-07T19:14:05+00:00October 6, 2026|Bonus Content, Meltzer Woods, Newsroom|Comments Off on Building on a Family Legacy

Trees “Ring” with Historical and Ecological Data

Have you ever been walking through woods and thought to yourself, “How old are these trees?” Me too! […]

By |2026-09-22T18:23:50+00:00September 17, 2026|Bonus Content, Meltzer Woods, Newsroom, Properties, Stewardship|Comments Off on Trees “Ring” with Historical and Ecological Data

A Conservation Hero: Stacy Cachules

A great thought partner. A trusted colleague. A joyful spirit. These are some of the ways people describe Stacy Cachules, former COO of Central Indiana Land Trust. This spring, Stacy left our team after 15 years to assume leadership of the River Network, a national nonprofit. […]

By |2026-10-01T20:53:44+00:00September 15, 2026|Bonus Content, Newsroom|Comments Off on A Conservation Hero: Stacy Cachules

Michael Spalding’s Family Legacy: A Love of Trees

Fifth in a series about CILTI’s early supporters, in honor of our 35th anniversary As a kid, Michael Spalding would explore his family’s 100-acre property and look up at the “awe-inspiring, gigantic trees” just a mile east of what would become Meltzer Woods. He also often ventured into that forest, [...]

By |2026-10-07T20:28:44+00:00July 22, 2025|A Million Trees, Bonus Content, Meltzer Woods, Properties|Comments Off on Michael Spalding’s Family Legacy: A Love of Trees

Meltzer Woods: A Wintercreeper Success Story

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. […]

By |2026-10-07T20:29:09+00:00April 11, 2022|Bonus Content, Meltzer Woods, Newsroom, Properties, Stewardship|Comments Off on Meltzer Woods: A Wintercreeper Success Story

Road Trip: Meltzer Woods and Beyond

We asked Jordan England of Blue River Community Foundation to recommend some attractions near Meltzer Woods. The foundation has provided funding for Meltzer Woods stewardship for many years. Jordan serves as Grants and Nonprofit Relations Director at the foundation. She offered this guest post. This fall, when you plan [...]

By |2026-10-07T20:29:22+00:00October 14, 2021|Bonus Content, Meltzer Woods, Newsroom, Properties|Comments Off on Road Trip: Meltzer Woods and Beyond

Finding Home in Meltzer Woods

First in a series on the Trek our Trails Challenge by guest blogger Ben Valentine “The word ecology is derived from the Greek oikos, the word for home.” ― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants “Nature is not a place to [...]

By |2026-10-07T20:29:33+00:00April 7, 2021|A Million Trees, Bonus Content, Hikes and Events, Meltzer Woods, Newsroom, Properties|Comments Off on Finding Home in Meltzer Woods

A Legacy of Land Protection

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 [...]

By |2026-10-07T20:27:06+00:00December 14, 2020|A Million Trees, Bonus Content, Homepage, Meltzer Woods, Newsroom, Properties|Comments Off on A Legacy of Land Protection

Land Trust buys 35 acres, will plant 20,000 trees to expand Meltzer Woods

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 [...]

By |2026-10-07T20:29:44+00:00October 7, 2020|A Million Trees, Bonus Content, Meltzer Woods, Newsroom, Press Releases, Properties|Comments Off on Land Trust buys 35 acres, will plant 20,000 trees to expand Meltzer Woods
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