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ACRES acquires land appraised at $3 million, reaches 1,000…

ACRES Land Trust recently completely acquisition of 193 acres of Cedar Creek land appraised at $3 million, leveraging a matching award from Indiana’s Bicentennial Nature Trust. With the latest acquisitions, ACRES now permanently protects over 1,000 acres of the  largest natural feature extending through Allen and DeKalb Counties. In total, the local nonprofit recently reached 7,000 acres protected and managed.

ACRES acquired its newest land in the Cedar Creek corridor on four properties, primarily farmland adjacent to existing preserves. ACRES will continue to farm the land for a few years, using the income to protect and manage its holdings. The nonprofit will then restore the properties, planting native hardwood trees and shrubs, thus expanding the forested corridor.

Cedar Creek is one of only three rivers in Indiana designated under the Indiana Natural, Scenic, and Recreational Rivers Act, a designation ACRES Land Trust helped the waterway earn in 1976. ACRES began acquiring Cedar Creek land for permanent protection in 1984. Today, the nonprofit protects 32 properties, including additions to 17 total preserves within the twenty-mile stretch of the creek from Auburn to its terminus into the St. Joseph River in Leo-Cedarville.

For the recent project, ACRES leveraged a unique $1 million matching award from Indiana’s Bicentennial Nature Trust (BNT) for landscape-based conservation. BNT awarded only a handful of such awards beyond the fund’s typical matching support for land acquisition of up to $300,000. Larger-scale landscape-based conservation projects increase protection for land, plants and animals, including rare, threatened and endangered species.

Photo by Joanna Stebing

Former Hoosier governor, Mitch Daniels created BNT in honor of the state’s 200th Anniversary in 2016, allocating $20 million, matched by $10 million in support from Lilly Endowment, Inc. The Trust paid homage to the state’s 1916 Centennial celebration that saw the creation of the State Park System. BNT supported more than 200 projects statewide, celebrating and protecting Hoosier’s love for the land.

The North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), a bargain sale discount on one of the properties and an 84-acre Cedar Creek land donation by Joan Garman of Leo-Cedarville honoring her late husband’s family’s legacy provided a portion of the match. The Cairn Foundation, The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, ME Raker Foundation, and many individual donors invested additional funding to help ACRES protect this land.

About the Cedar Creek Corridor

The Cedar Creek Corridor’s unique topography features a tunnel valley—a sudden, surprisingly deep, gorge-like canyon cut by glacial meltwater into an otherwise relatively flat Indiana landscape. This area is so unusual it was considered for a state park site in the early 1900s.

In 1976, with help from ACRES Land Trust, Cedar Creek became one of only three rivers in the state designated under the Indiana Natural, Scenic, and Recreational Rivers Act.

The corridor is home to vegetation unique in this area such as the yellow lady’s-slipper orchid, gray beardtongue, tall meadow rue, and Allen County’s only documented populations of painted cup (Indian paintbrush) and yellow puccoon.

Cedar Creek’s wildlife includes bobcats, mink and river otters, as well as Pileated Woodpeckers, Bald Eagles, Great Blue Herons, Green Herons, and Yellow-crowned Night Herons.

Cedar Creek runs into the St. Joseph River, ultimately providing drinking water to the 264,000 residents of Fort Wayne and surrounding communities.

While phenomenal, the use of this BNT priority match funding merely ends an incredible phase for the land trust. With continued support, ACRES will continue acquiring and adding to protection of the corridor.

ACRES Land Trust to open first DeKalb County nature…

ACRES Land Trust hosted a Grand Opening of its 96-acre James P. Covell Nature Preserve, the local nonprofit’s first public preserve in DeKalb County, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, November 4, 2016. The preserve is located at approximately 2727 County Road 52, just south of Auburn and east of County Road 427.

“ACRES values the opportunity to serve DeKalb County,” said Jason Kissel, executive director of Indiana’s oldest and largest local land trust. “The enthusiasm the community has shown inspires our members. People are excited to explore this place, to admire the old sycamores, oaks and beeches along Cedar Creek. They appreciate knowing ACRES will protect this place for future generations.”

The James P. Covell Nature Preserve protects 2,700 feet of the west bank of Cedar Creek. Six miles downstream from the preserve, a 14-mile segment of Cedar Creek is one of only three streams designated under the 1973 Indiana Natural, Scenic and Recreational Rivers Act.

“Protecting this land helps DeKalb County achieve its County Comprehensive Plan goal of improving the water quality of Cedar Creek,” said Kissel. “The creek has been a priority for ACRES for over 50 years.” To date, ACRES and its partners in preservation, with thanks to participating land and major donors, protect nearly 1,400 acres of the Cedar Creek Corridor from Auburn to Leo. ACRES owns 12 properties in the corridor, totaling over 700 acres of permanently protected land.

ACRES’ newest open preserve safeguards 40 acres currently in agriculture production, 33 acres of emerging upland forest and 23 acres of mature forested floodplain. Several trees in the preserve are estimated to be more than 150 years old. ACRES will eventually reforest a portion of the farmland, planting a variety of native hardwoods and restore part of it to wetland with a mix of tall grasses.

An adjacent 10 acre parcel surrounding a farmhouse and outbuildings, previously the Glen T. Rieke family homestead, is not part of the nature preserve.

Jim Covell first contacted ACRES in June 1999 about options for protecting his property. Over the next 12 years, Jim and ACRES developed a working relationship in support of his preservation goals. In 2011, Jim died before fulfilling his vision. Following his death, Jim’s brother, Dr. Jack Covell of Auburn, was resolute in making Jim’s dream a reality.

“My brother Jim had a vision for this land. He was an environmentalist and wanted to see the land preserved for the animals that live there, and for people to enjoy it in its natural state,” said Dr. Covell. Preserve wildlife includes several dozen wild turkeys. Otter and mink are known inhabitants of Cedar Creek.

In August, the Community Foundation of DeKalb County celebrated its 20th anniversary, awarding ACRES a $20,000 grant toward the new nature preserve. Because of this property’s statewide significance, the Bicentennial Nature Trust and Indiana Heritage Trust provided a portion of the funding needed to acquire this land. Dr. Jack and Joyce Covell, the Lupke Family Foundation, and many individual donors have also supported the project. NIPSCO is funding part of the habitat restoration.

ACRES needs $24,000 in funding to complete the project.

Following the Grand Opening event, the half-mile trail will be open from dawn to dusk, daily at no charge, thanks to ACRES members. ACRES anticipates heavy trail use of the new preserve.
Event information:

GRAND OPENING! JAMES P. COVELL NATURE PRESERVE
4 p.m. – 6 p.m., Friday, November 4

James P. Covell Nature Preserve, located at approximately 2727 County Road 52, Auburn, Indiana 46706, just east of County Road 427.

Celebrate the opening of DeKalb County’s first ACRES preserve with good company, cake and a hike!

ACRES protects three additional properties in DeKalb County:

Claxton Woods, a 93-acre tree farm north of Spencerville, donated by Bill Claxton. ACRES opened Claxton Woods for a member hike with the Claxton family in the spring. The property is closed to the public.

Heinzerling Family Five Points Nature Preserve, a 116 acre preserve south of Garrett, purchased at a discount from five Heinzerling family siblings. ACRES and the Heinzerling family will host a member hike on the Garrett-area preserve in February 2017 prior to opening the preserve to the public.

An 18.5-acre protected land property donated by Karl Sliger located near St. Joe. The property is closed to the public.

Learn more

  • Watch ACRES Land Trust’s Cedar Creek Corridor video
  • 2019 Cedar Creek acquisition update
  • ACRES Land Trust plants pace-setting 55,000 trees, reforesting 106 acres
  • Tom & Jane Dustin built a legacy from this home
  • Digging our region’s natural groove: Cedar Creek’s Tunnel Valley
  • View from the Canopy
  • 2018 summer land management intern notes
  • A surprise encounter
  • ACRES Land Trust, partners, fight invasive Japanese stiltgrass

Join ACRES Land Trust in protecting land.

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1802 Chapman Road
PO Box 665
Huntertown, IN 46748
1-260-637-2273
[email protected]
Office | M-F, 9 -4
Due to the nature of our work, please call ahead to ensure someone will be here to greet you.

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