The Nature Conservancy in Indiana

Sugar Creek

Sugar Creek is a clear running stream which cuts across west-central Indiana. Its entire river length to the Wabash confluence is approximately 90 miles. The forested lands along Sugar Creek are a collection of managed areas and private lands that represent the largest contiguous forest block remaining in the Indiana Portion of the North-Central Tillplain ecoregion. The entrenched valleys that surround Sugar Creek create a diverse assemble of forest types. Mesic tillplain forest once dominated the gently rolling uplands, and still persist although much of this forest type has been converted to pasture and row crop. Ridge lines and bluffs support dry oak forests with pine and hemlock in ravines. Bottomland forests once lined the lower floodplain but are now impacted heavily by agriculture. Scattered throughout the region are the deep ravines, canyons, and cliff faces that characterize the landscape.

The forest remnants are small isolated patches in an otherwise human dominated landscape. But within the entrenched valleys associated with Sugar Creek and its tributaries, a relatively large block of forest remains, as well as an opportunity to preserve a healthy expanse of tillplain forest. The forest supports a full complement of wildlife, and the vast majority of these species should be adequately protected if strategies to conserve the greater forested landscape are successful. For example, Indiana bats should benefit from increased forest protection, restoration and ecological health.

One component, interior breeding birds, require special consideration as a conservation target, and will require some fine-tuning of conservation strategies to maximize our impact on this group. The following description is extracted from Indiana’s Important Bird Areas website maintained by the Audubon Society.

The greatest portion of the entrenched Sugar Creek valley is composed of floodplain forest and upland deciduous forest habitats. These areas support critical populations of several vulnerable species of breeding birds - the Sugar Creek corridor most likely contains the largest populations of Wood Thrush, Cerulean Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, and Kentucky Warbler comparatively to any other area in the northern half of the state; all of these are WatchList species. In addition, relic stands of eastern hemlock, white pine, and Canada yew can be found in various spots throughout the valley (including Shades State Park and Pine Hills Nature Preserve). These smaller habitats have provided breeding evidence for several typical northern or boreal birds over the past few years - Magnolia Warbler (first state record), Black-throated Green Warbler, and Blackburnian Warbler have all been either suspected or confirmed as breeding birds within Shades State Park.

The history of land protection in along Sugar Creek has been somewhat random over the years. Early recognition of the unique geologic features resulted in the creation of Turkey Run State Park (Indiana’s second state park) in 1916. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, local ecologists and naturalists documented the importance of the area, and in 1947 Shades was dedicated as Indiana’s 15th State Park.

In 1957 the heirs of Dr. Warder Allee, an eminent ecologist and author, donated 180 acres of heavily forested land along Sugar Creek to Wabash College for the purpose of teaching and research. This tract is referenced in the 1969 Natural Areas in Indiana and their Preservation, by Dr. Alton A. Lindsey and his colleagues, Fr. Damian Schmelz and Mr. Stanley Nichols.

The Nature Conservancy in Indiana initially became involved with Sugar Creek in 1961, acquiring the 600 acre Hasselman property that became known as Pine Hills Nature Preserve. Pine Hills was the very first project of the Conservancy in Indiana. It was later transferred to the State of Indiana and was Indiana's first dedicated state nature preserve, becoming part of Shades State Park.

Not much happened under the heading of “resource protection” until 2004 when the Conservancy, in partnership with the Central Indiana Land Trust (CILTI), the Indiana Heritage Trust, the Division of Nature Preserves and Eli Lilly (Clinton Laboratories), acquired a 104-acre parcel along Sugar Creek. In 2005, a second piece of land (81 acres) was acquired by many of the same partners. Together, these two parcels are now known as the Mossy Point Nature Preserve. It was dedicated by the Division of Nature Preserves and permanently protects about 3/4 of a mile of Sugar Creek frontage in the southern portion of the area now referred to as the Sugar Creek Corridor. Mossy Point is managed by the Central Indiana Land Trust.

There was an energy spike again towards the end of 2006 when the first of two significant protection projects began to take shape, led by The Nature Conservancy. By the end of 2007, almost 1,300 acres will have been added as permanently protected in the Sugar Creek Corridor.

The first to close, a 300 acre acquisition from the Gehlhausen family, was finalized in late August. This adds to the protected areas north of Mossy Point and Allee Woods. Then, in early October, an additional 980 acres was acquired from the Lindley family that adds an important base for protection along the northwest boundary of the site. Both of these acquisitions were accomplished as collaborative projects with the Indiana DNR's Divisions of Forestry and Nature Preserves and the Indiana Heritage Trust, and will ultimately be managed by the DNR.

Thank You!

We must thank the Gehlhausen family for listening to us “just before midnight”. The Nature Conservancy was in the right place at the right time with the Gehlhausen opportunity when we learned that the family was moving west to “follow the kids”.It was just about to hit the market when we knocked on the door.

We thank Walter and Judith Lindley for having the vision to piece together their property over the last 50 years, and we're grateful to the entire Lindley family for their passion for this land and their willingness to work with us. It should be noted that a significant area of interest on this property, Coal Creek Hollow, was also inventoried during Lindsey’s inventory in 1968. This “gem” is important in that it has been “hidden” all of these years under the Lindley watch.