Sycamore Land Trust

  • Home
  • Sycamore Land Trust
Call Directions Website Contact the organization

Sycamore Land Trust Stay up to date by subscribing to our e-news! Visit https://sycamorelandtrust.org/subscribe to join.

Protecting and restoring southern Indiana’s natural landscapes, fostering outdoor learning for all ages, and welcoming hikers to explore over 30 miles of hiking trails on our public nature preserves Sycamore protects 121 properties totaling 10,319 acres in southern Indiana. We preserve land by owning and caring for nature preserves and by holding conservation easements that protect privately owned properties. Our protected land is acquired through donations, purchases, and bargain sales (partial donations). Stewardship of our nature preserves includes restoration projects to improve natural habitat and building and maintaining trails for free public use. We operate an Environmental Education Program that connects people of all ages to nature.

Call for Artists! Sycamore Land Trust is commissioning two original murals for our Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education C...
03/11/2026

Call for Artists! Sycamore Land Trust is commissioning two original murals for our Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center in Bloomington, which is currently under construction with an anticipated opening in May 2027.

One mural will span the Center’s exterior garage doors. The other will welcome visitors in our reception space. Both will celebrate the native plants and animals of the wetlands surrounding the center.

Muralists, public artists, and natural history and botanical illustrators are encouraged to apply, solo or as a team. Learn more about our future Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center at sycamorelandtrust.org/ziegler.

Proposals are due January 4, 2027. Download the RFPs and learn more at https://sycamorelandtrust.org/2026/10/sycamore-seeks-artists-to-create-murals-celebrating-indianas-wetlands/.

Thank you, Bloomingfoods! 💚
02/11/2026

Thank you, Bloomingfoods! 💚

Sycamore Land Trust is honored to be Bloomingfoods' Positive Change recipient for the month of November. Every time you ...
01/11/2026

Sycamore Land Trust is honored to be Bloomingfoods' Positive Change recipient for the month of November.

Every time you shop at Bloomingfoods Co-op Market in Bloomington, you can round up your purchase to the nearest dollar (or donate more!) to support our work. Your spare change will help us protect more land, restore native habitats, and inspire people of all ages to connect with nature.

We're grateful to Bloomingfoods for this opportunity and to everyone who chooses to make a positive change for conservation!

Learn more at https://bloomingfoods.coop/positive-change

📸 Old-growth forest at Hoot Woods protected by Sycamore Land Trust

Help us install our green infrastructure native landscaping at the Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center. Thanks to...
01/11/2026

Help us install our green infrastructure native landscaping at the Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center. Thanks to a grant from the Lilly Endowment and Monroe County - Identify and Reduce Invasive Species (MC-IRIS), our parking lot and grounds will feature native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants. 🌱

Together, we’ll wrap up planting and mulching. Bring gloves and water, hand tools will be provided.

Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center Green Infrastructure Installation
Thursday, November 12, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Registration is required
Sign up at sycamorelandtrust.org/events

Our Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center is currently under construction, with a planned opening in May 2027. Join us for this special opportunity to take a sneak peek at the new Center and explore the incredible habitat surrounding it.

Lead Forward Community Grants are provided by the Lilly Scholars Network, guided by Indiana Humanities (IH) and generously supported by Lilly Endowment Inc.

This event is free for Sycamore members and a suggested donation of $5 per person or $10 per family for non-members. Start or renew your annual membership by donating $40 or more at sycamorelandtrust.org/donate 🌳

This Halloween, we're celebrating the bats flying through southern Indiana's nighttime skies and the forests that help s...
30/10/2026

This Halloween, we're celebrating the bats flying through southern Indiana's nighttime skies and the forests that help sustain them.

We've discovered some exciting evidence of endangered bats using one of Sycamore's newest nature preserves. Sycamore enlisted biologists from Western EcoSystems Technology (WEST) to investigate bat activity at our Young Woods Preserve, a 120-acre property protected in 2025 along Beanblossom Creek.

Using specialized equipment to record the ultrasonic calls bats make while navigating and hunting insects, the biologists discovered evidence of three species of serious conservation concern: the federally endangered Indiana bat and the state-endangered tricolored bat and state endangered little brown bat.

All three species have suffered devastating population declines, particularly from white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has killed millions of bats across North America. Protecting the forests where these bats roost, forage, and travel is an important part of their conservation. As voracious consumers of night-flying insects, bats play an important role in maintaining healthy ecosystems.

With more than 2,600 acres protected in our Beanblossom Creek Conservation Area, Sycamore is helping conserve the connected forests, wetlands, and waterways these remarkable animals depend on.

We're thrilled to have another reason to celebrate the conservation value of the Beanblossom Creek watershed.

Happy Halloween from Sycamore Land Trust!

📸 In 2025, our Environmental Education program invited program participants to witness mist netting and acoustic monitoring at Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve, confirming the presence of the federally endangered Indiana bat and other threatened bat species on the preserve.

Become a tree detective at Porter West Preserve! 🍂As oak and hickory leaves blanket the forest floor, Little Hikers will...
30/10/2026

Become a tree detective at Porter West Preserve! 🍂

As oak and hickory leaves blanket the forest floor, Little Hikers will learn how to identify trees using their leaves, bark, and buds. We’ll collect fallen leaves along the trail and create beautiful leaf rubbings to take home while discovering the many trees that call southern Indiana forests home. All ages welcome!

Little Hikers: Tree Journaling
Friday, November 13, 9-10:30 a.m.
Porter West Preserve (Monroe County)
Registration is required
Sign up at sycamorelandtrust.org/events

This event is free for Sycamore members and a suggested donation of $5 per person or $10 per family for non-members. Start or renew your annual membership by donating $40 or more at sycamorelandtrust.org/donate 🌳

Wow! We can't get enough of these incredible aerial photos of our Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center, generously...
27/10/2026

Wow! We can't get enough of these incredible aerial photos of our Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center, generously captured by local photographer Robert Stoffer. What a spectacular perspective on the wetlands we're working to restore and protect!

Look closely to spot a great blue heron in the wetlands and our coverboards, a project in partnership with the Indiana DNR that create micro habitats where reptiles and amphibians can shelter. When we lift them up, we record who we find to monitor the health of this recovering wetland habitat.

Located along Beanblossom Creek near Dolan, this 113-acre nature preserve is home to a remarkable diversity of wildlife, with more than 150 bird species documented in its wetlands and surrounding habitats. We're continuing to restore and enhance this landscape while building our Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center, opening in May 2027 for environmental education programs and public hiking.

We're so grateful to Robert, who is generously donating his professional photography services to help Sycamore capture and share the beauty of our nature preserves. There's more to come!

Robert's family has deep roots in Nashville, Indiana, dating back to the late 1800s, with a fascinating connection to Brown County's artistic heritage. His ancestor I. W. Merideth, born in 1878, was a painter whose artwork has been displayed at Grasshopper Flats Jewelers, Robert's family business in downtown Nashville. Learn more about him here: https://ourbrowncounty.com/2004-december/iw-merideth-early-artist/ .tab=0

In addition to running this longstanding local jewelry shop, Robert operates Robert Stoffer Photography, bringing his artistic talents to everything from commercial photography to the natural landscapes of southern Indiana. Robert also photographs for Blueline in Bloomington, including the Little 500 bike race.

We're grateful to Robert for sharing his time and creativity with us! Please show some love to Robert Stoffer Photography and Grasshopper Flats Jewelers, two local businesses with deep connections to our beautiful southern Indiana heritage.

What can wildlife sightings tell us about the natural areas we're working to protect? Our Land Stewardship Director Chri...
25/10/2026

What can wildlife sightings tell us about the natural areas we're working to protect?

Our Land Stewardship Director Chris Fox joined Juliana Dailey of WFHB's Eco Report in September for a radio interview about our encounters with river otters, beavers, bobcats, and many others on Sycamore's nature preserves, including Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve in Monroe County.

Chris shared stories from the field and the importance of protecting healthy habitats where wildlife can thrive. The interview originally aired September 18 and is now available to listen to online.

We're grateful for the opportunity to share the many exciting things happening on the land in our care!

Listen to the Eco Report at https://wfhb.org/eco-report-september-18th-2026

📸 Just a few decades ago, river otters had completely disappeared from Indiana’s waterways. Today, they’re regularly captured on our motion-triggered wildlife cameras and spotted in the waterways along our trails, including this one at our Columbia Mine Preserve. Photo by Steve Gifford

Sycamore has permanently protected another 16 acres of forest within the Hoot Woods–Sandlick Creek protected landscape i...
23/10/2026

Sycamore has permanently protected another 16 acres of forest within the Hoot Woods–Sandlick Creek protected landscape in Owen County. This latest addition brings the total protected area to 284 acres, including one of Indiana's few remaining old-growth forests at Hoot Woods.

The forested hills at Sandlick Preserve are part of the great connected hardwood forests of southern Indiana. They provide important habitat for migratory birds, including the cerulean warbler, and for all kinds of forest life, from wildflowers and trees to mammals, insects, salamanders, fungi, and the countless small organisms living in the soil and leaf litter.

Large, intact forests also help protect our water. Forest soils and vegetation hold rainfall, slow runoff, and filter water before it reaches streams such as Sandlick Creek, which eventually flows into the West Fork White River.

As southern Indiana faces continued pressure from development, new roads, and forest fragmentation, Sycamore is working to keep larger areas of forest connected and intact. Every strategic addition helps strengthen that landscape and protect more of the life that depends on it.

📸 A trout lily blooming at Sandlick Preserve in March. Photos by Land Preservation Director Tom Swinford

What a gift for our Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center! We're thrilled to share that MC-IRIS has donated more th...
21/10/2026

What a gift for our Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center! We're thrilled to share that MC-IRIS has donated more than $4,000 worth of native plants to help establish native landscaping in front of our new education center in Monroe County! 🌼

These plants were grown by MC-IRIS volunteers from seeds collected locally, primarily from protected natural areas and native gardens in Monroe County and surrounding counties. Because the seeds come from plants growing in our region, they carry genetic traits adapted to local conditions, making them especially valuable for habitat restoration. We'll be planting them in early November with help from volunteers with the Lilly Scholars Network.

If you're not familiar with MC-IRIS (Monroe County - Identify and Reduce Invasive Species), they're an incredible group of volunteers working to protect our native biodiversity by helping people identify and remove invasive plants and replace them with native species. Their work reaches across Monroe County, including nature preserves, neighborhoods, and school grounds.

And they have some excellent resources for local residents! MC-IRIS offers free invasive plant surveys to help you identify problem species on your property, loans toolkits with equipment for removing invasive plants, and provides assistance with invasive tree removal. They've also supported native landscaping and invasive species removal at local schools, like Templeton Elementary School in Bloomington.

We have so much appreciation for these dedicated volunteers, who are putting their knowledge, time, energy, and love into making Monroe County a healthier place for native plants and wildlife. Their generous donation will help create a welcoming and educational landscape around our Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center, where students of all ages will learn about the importance of protecting our natural world.

Thank you, MC-IRIS, for all you do for our community and for your generous support of our Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center! 💚

Learn more about their programs, volunteer opportunities, and invasive plant removal resources at mc-iris.org.

📸 Donated plants include: Prairie Blazing Star, Wild Petunia, Few-Leaf Sunflower, New England Aster, Illinois Bundleflower, Northern Sea Oats, Bicknell's Sedge, Golden Alexander, Prairie Coneflower, Ohio Spiderwort, Butterfly Milkweed, Prairie Cinquefoil, Blue Vervain, Cup Plant, False Blue Indigo, Tall Coreopsis, Rattlesnake Master, Common Boneset, Wild Quinine, Wild Bergamot, Smooth Beardtongue, Switchgrass, Chokeberry, Hazelnut. Photos by Education Director Saige Sentell

Address

IN

Telephone

+18123365382

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Sycamore Land Trust posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Sycamore Land Trust:

Shortcuts

  • Want your organization to be the top-listed non profit organization?

Share