A forested preserve in southern Indiana is expanding, thanks to a recent land donation to The Nature Conservancy.
Green’s Bluff, which sits about 30 minutes west of Bloomington, is a 1,134-acre nature preserve where ruby-throated hummingbirds, bobcats and great blue heron have been spotted passing through the area’s hardwood forests. Now, it will expand by nearly 83 acres.
TNC wrote in an announcement that the anonymous donation will provide more forest protection at the nearby Raccoon Creek and keep a larger swath of forest intact for migrating songbirds.
Green’s Bluff, while expansive, isn’t a contiguous land parcel. Private property intersperses protected areas.
But the new acreage connects directly to pieces of existing preserve near the center, which helps flora and fauna thrive, according to Vince Garmon, a land protection specialist with TNC.
“Greens Bluff is a tremendously diverse area of Indiana,” said Garmon. “This particular acquisition gives us some tremendous connectivity inside the preserve.”
The preserve is home to a plethora of rare plants: Past the beech trees, sedges and wildflowers, golden seal and spotted wintergreen poke out. Plus, the area is one of only two Indiana sites where mountain spleenwort, a small fern, grows.
“It’s a great win, not just for TNC but the entire state of Indiana to have this property,” Gorman said. “We’ve done a tremendous job of being able to make some acquisitions there, especially over the last five years. But there’s still more work to do.”
IndyStar’s environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
Sophie Hartley is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach her at sophie.hartley@indystar.com or on X at @sophienhartley.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Green’s Bluff nature preserve in Owen County expands after land donation
Reporting by Sophie Hartley, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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