BLOOMINGTON — Sycamore Land Trust, a nonprofit conservation organization protecting over 11,700 acres in southern Indiana, has completed the construction of two new wetlands in Monroe County. These restoration efforts along Beanblossom Creek are vital for improving water quality and creating essential wildlife habitat.
The new wetlands, located at Sycamore’s Oliver Preserve and the Sam Shine Foundation Preserve complex, will help filter water, store floodwaters, and create breeding habitat for wildlife. This project restores former wetlands that were drained for agriculture, addressing the fact that Indiana has lost 87% of its wetlands since colonization.
“Our growing Beanblossom Creek Conservation Area shows what is possible when we work together for the health of the land,” said Jenny Stephens, Sycamore’s Board Chair.
Restoring the habitat involved more than just digging. At the Oliver Preserve, Sycamore worked with Stanger Excavating to create shallow basins where water from Beanblossom Creek can collect and saturate the soil.
Sycamore’s land stewardship team planted more than 12,500 native trees grown by the Indiana DNR’s Vallonia Tree Nursery. Staff and interns also planted over 2,200 native plant plugs by hand, grown from locally collected seed in Sycamore’s Native Plant Nursery to ensure adaptation to local conditions. Sycamore plans to plant 2,000 more native plant plugs at the two preserves this fall.
“Restoration of the land is one of my favorite parts of the job. We get to participate in the rewilding of land actively,” said Chris Fox, Sycamore’s Land Stewardship Director.
The 61-acre Oliver Preserve was donated to Sycamore in 2024 and now connects to the Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve, expanding the contiguous protected area to over 900 acres. The preserve borders the historic Cedar Ford Covered Bridge, Monroe County’s only covered bridge. The new wetlands are visible from the road, offering the public a view of the ongoing restoration.
Funding for the projects was supported in part by:
- The USDA’s Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) program.
- The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
- Ducks Unlimited and Sycamore’s members.
The project builds on the success of a 2023 wetland restoration that created over 60 acres of habitat and involved planting over 35,000 native trees. The work is part of the organization’s long-term commitment to the Beanblossom Creek Conservation Area, where Sycamore has permanently protected 2,338 acres, creating a crucial habitat corridor for over 20 endangered and special-concern species.
