Muscatatuck Bottoms

Map of Muscatatuck Bottoms

Key Terms and Information

Nicknamed "the little Appalachian Trail," the Knobstone Trail meanders for 58 miles through southern Indiana from Deam Lake State Recreation Area north to Delaney Park in Jackson-Washington State Forest. For more information, please contact: IN Department of Nature Resources Division of Outdoor Recreation (317) 232-4070

A "conservation easement" is a restriction placed on a piece of property to protect its associated resources. The easement is either voluntarily donated or sold by the landowner and constitutes a legally binding agreement that limits certain types of uses or prevents development from taking place on the land in perpetuity while the land remains in private hands.

Muscatatuck is an native American word meaning "land of winding waters."

Many of us have watched the Discovery Channel’s recent “Planet Earth” series with awe. Planet Earth took us to some of the most remote places on our planet, celebrating the wonder of nature from the deepest oceans to the highest mountain peaks. Many Hoosiers may not realize this, but there's ample beauty and places worth saving in our own backyard. Indiana’s natural diversity is quite impressive and equally important.

Interstate 65, between Columbus and Scottsburg, crosses through the Muscatatuck River Bottoms. Not too far west of I-65 is land known to Conservancy staff as the Muscatatuck Bottoms Conservation Area. In the past year the Conservancy was presented with several opportunities to protect the diversity of this unique area.

History of Muscatatuck Bottoms
The bottomland forests in this area were originally very poorly drained and subject to flooding with the rise and fall of the Muscatatuck River. Records indicate that much of the forest in this area was truly swamp, with standing water or saturated soil occurring throughout the year. Gaps in the forest canopy were likely frequent as a result of wind throw and beaver activity. This area remains one of the most extensive floodplain forest ecosystems in the Midwest.

Recent Protection Activity
Working hand-in-hand with partners from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the National Wildlife Refuge System, the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and the private sector, over 1,800 acres of key habitat has been permanently protected in the Muscatatuck Bottoms Conservation Area in just the past 12 months.

The Nature Conservancy in Indiana played a significant role in these willing seller acquisitions that will ultimately help protect major habitat types, including lowland swamps and bottomland and upland forests. These habitat types have been identified as critical to support populations of neotropical migrant songbirds, migratory waterfowl and several species of upland and lowland snakes (including the threatened Kirtland’s snake).

In mid-March the Conservancy purchased 1,492 acres of bottomland forest and restored wetlands from SouthWest Acceptance Corporation. This significant opportunity forms the platform of the Conservancy’s planned role at this site: to develop a core reserve within the broader project area.
Two additional acquisitions followed in April. Early in the month, private landowners sold 160 acres of bottomland forest near the river. Later in the month, OFS Brands, Inc., a subsidiary of Styline Industries of Huntingburg, also sold 160 acres of upland forest just south of the Muscatatuck River, in a rugged area commonly known as Tator Knobs. This second 160-acre tract is adjacent to Jackson-Washington State Forest, and plans are to transfer the tract to the DNR's Division of Forestry. Those familiar with the Knobstone Trail are quite familiar with the steep sloped terrain of this area.

The NRCS—through its Wetland Reserve Program—was instrumental in getting the ball rolling. The NRCS worked with many landowners, especially farmers, to reduce pressure to farm flood-prone areas. They purchased Conservation Easements from 65 local landowners on over 4,000 acres. This protected acreage spans a 15-mile stretch of the Muscatatuck River that is becoming known as the “corridor of restorations."
These projects were possible through the cooperation and patience of all the landowners who worked with us to bring their lands into permanent conservation.