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Last updated on Tuesday, June 2, 2015
(MONROE CO.) - Sycamore Land Trust is working on an ambitious land conservation project in northern Monroe County that could create a huge swath of land improving water quality, provide a home for wildlife, and create new public recreation opportunities.
The project is part of the state's Bicentennial Nature Trust, which has a total of $30 million available for land purchases before Indiana's bicentennial celebration in 2016.
The Monroe County project, known as the Beanblossom Creek Bicentennial Conservation Area, includes land from the east side of the county near Lake Lemon to the edge of Owen County near Gosport. The project area covers roughly 20,000 acres.
In honor of Indiana's 200th anniversary, the Bicentennial Nature Trust--a state program started by then-Governor Mitch Daniels--has allocated $1 million to save land for conservation and public recreation in the Beanblossom Creek area of northern Monroe County.
The area is dotted with protected natural areas: Sycamore Land Trust's Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve, the City of Bloomington's Lake Griffy Nature Preserve, and part of Morgan-Monroe state forest. Connecting these natural areas will improve water quality, provide a home for wildlife, and create new public recreation opportunities.
Sycamore Land Trust is spearheading this landscape-scale conservation and education effort. With the support of numerous other community organizations, Sycamore will work with willing sellers and donors to acquire land for conservation and raise the 1:1 match required by the Bicentennial trust.
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