Description
Why You Should Visit
The 1998 acquisition of 920 acres at Saunders Woods in Gibson County culminated a multiyear negotiation for the largest unfragmented blocks of bottomland hardwood forest in Indiana. The importance of the purchase can be seen in the ecological signature of plants in the understory. Bottomland hardwoods are more typically found along the deep alluvial soils of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, making their presence in Indiana quite unique.
What The Nature Conservancy is Doing/has Done
In order to protect the forest community at Saunders Woods, the Conservancy works to acquire buffer lands around the preserve. The stewardship staff has also been reforesting these buffers, planting over 300,000 acorns, pecans, and hickory nuts to protect the integrity of the critical core acres.
This work is done in partnership with the Indiana Heritage Trust & North America Wetland Conservation Act.