The purchase of 113 acres along Old Indiana 37 north of Bloomington in 2022 was the beginning of a new venture for Sycamore Land Trust that will ultimately provide a learning center — the Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center — as well as acres of wetlands.
“We really saw an amazing opportunity to keep the house and turn it into an education learning center,” said John Lawrence, executive director at Sycamore Land Trust, the Bloomington-based conservation organization that protects land across central and southern Indiana.
Why is this property on Old Indiana 37 special?
The property is within the Beanblossom Creek Conservation Area, which extends from the headwaters of Beanblossom Creek in Brown County through Monroe County to its confluence with the White River on the border of Owen County. Sycamore Land Trust acquired its first property within the conservation area in 1993 and currently has more than 2,200 acres.
The goal is to provide a corridor for wildlife and native plants as well as some recreational trails for people. Not all properties are open to the public.