BLOOMINGTON – Sycamore Land Trust, a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to protecting southern Indiana’s natural landscape, is marking the 30th anniversary of its 824-acre Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve in Monroe County with significant enhancements to its trailhead. These improvements, funded by the Duke Energy Foundation, will be officially celebrated at a dedication ceremony with guests on June 6, 2025.
The funding from Duke Energy Foundation has enabled Sycamore Land Trust to install an educational kiosk at the trailhead, informing visitors about the preserve’s ecological importance and its rare, threatened, and endangered species. Additionally, the project included expanding and enhancing the parking lot, adding benches at the trailhead, and improving the preserve’s popular hiking trail.
“Sycamore Land Trust has made significant investments to improve Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve,” said Liz Irwin, Government and Community Relations Manager at Duke Energy. “We’re proud to continue supporting their efforts to enhance the area, expand accessibility, and introduce educational elements to this vital wetland habitat.”
Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve is an exceptional wetland and bottomland forest, recognized by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources as a state-designated Nature Preserve. It holds the distinction of being the first wetland in Indiana recognized as a Wetland of Distinction by the Society of Wetland Scientists, acknowledging it as one of the world’s most valuable wetland ecosystems. The preserve is also part of a state-designated Important Bird Area, as designated by the National Audubon Society, providing vital nesting and foraging grounds.
This critical habitat supports over 20 endangered species and species of special concern, including the Indiana bat, the cypress firefly, Kirtland’s snake, and various other wetland-dependent species that are threatened by habitat loss. The preserve is a popular destination for hikers, birders, and nature lovers, featuring a 2-mile elevated boardwalk trail—one of the longest in the Midwest—offering unique access to the thriving wetland.
“We are grateful for Duke Energy’s generous support for improvements that will add to our visitors’ experience at the preserve,” said Jenny Stephens, Board Chair of Sycamore Land Trust. “It’s a challenge just to maintain this amazing and dynamic property. Duke’s funding also helps us replace worn and damaged boards, trim the plants that encroach on the boardwalk, clear trees and debris after storms, and respond as best we can to the ever-changing hydrology in the public’s only window into the vast Beanblossom Creek Conservation Area.”
Further enhancing the visitor experience, a new Self-Guided Nature Trail will open on June 14, 2025, thanks to funding from Del and Letty Newkirk. Visitors can scan QR codes along the trail to hear Land Stewardship Director Chris Fox share stories about the protected species, land healing, and the construction of the unique boardwalk. Information about the new trail will also be available online at sycamorelandtrust.org/learn.
Sycamore Land Trust began protecting the area that would become Beanblossom Bottoms in 1995, and through strategic land purchases and donations, has expanded the preserve to over 824 acres. This area connects to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Restle Unit of the Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge, creating more than 900 acres of contiguous protected habitat. Beanblossom Bottoms was the first preserve within Sycamore’s Beanblossom Creek Conservation Area, a priority area established in 2019 that has expanded to over 2,200 acres of protected habitat in Monroe and Brown Counties.
