The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

Scenic 5K Hellbender Hustle in O'Bannon Woods State Park © TNC

The 10th annual Hellbender Hustle in O'Bannon Woods State Park is on Saturday, May 4. Part road, part trail, this race is ALL fun for the entire family. Learn more about hellbenders, which at 24 inches is the largest salamander in North America and how they are faring in nearby Blue River. Register HERE.

 Why are we conserving the Blue River?

The Blue River is special because it is teeming with life--from dazzling darters to lethargic hellbenders to the silent sentries of the river, freshwater mussels.

Blue River’s cool, spring-fed waters drop in elevation from the western slope of the Knobs in Floyd and Clark Counties to its confluence with the Ohio River in Crawford County. The Blue’s watershed encompasses portions of seven southern Indiana counties and is defined by the abundant limestone here. This limestone not only forms the caves that feed Blue River, but also supports the diversity of plant life found in the Blue River basin.

Rare species such as Short’s goldenrod, French’s shooting star, Appalachian bugbane and crested coralroot orchids are just a few of the special plants that this landscape supports.

The Blue River Project was established in Corydon, Indiana in 1994. Allen Pursell has served as Blue River Project Director from the beginning. In the process of working to identify and conserve habitat for rare species in the Blue River basin, many other natural treasures were discovered. These discoveries led the project to expand its scope of conservation in the broader Interior Low Plateau ecoregion of southern Indiana. An area of concentration within the Interior Low Plateau is the Harrison County Glades, where the Blue River office is located. 

What are we doing to conserve the Blue River?

What can I do to help the Blue River?