Second round of Bicentennial Nature Trust projects approved

INDIANAPOLIS (WLFI) - Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman and Congressman Lee Hamilton, co-chairs of Indiana’s Bicentennial Commission, have announced the approval of 12 new Bicentennial Nature Trust projects to the ongoing conservation initiative.

The Bicentennial Nature Trust is a statewide program aimed at expanding trails, wetlands and recreation sites to help celebrate Indiana’s 200 years of statehood in 2016. The state park system was created during Indiana’s centennial celebration in 1916, and BNT projects will provide a similar legacy for generations of Hoosiers.

The latest selections total nearly 2,000 acres and include former Gov. Edgar Whitcomb’s secluded retreat on the banks of the Ohio River in Perry County, a 16-acre expansion of Wilderness Park in Blackford County, 140 acres on the Eel River in Miami County, 110 acres at Lake Everett in Allen County, and a 704-acre addition to Yellowwood State Forest.

“The Bicentennial Nature Trust initiative continues to accept a wide range of projects to solidify Indiana’s conservation legacy,” Skillman said. “These gifts of forests, trails and wetlands will be accessible to all Hoosiers for many generations.”

The State is seeking additional private donations of land and money as well as input from communities on viable projects. Applications for the nature trust can be found at this website.