By SHAWNDRA MILLER, communications director, Central Indiana Land Trust
Anyone who has ever set foot in Portland Arch Nature Preserve knows it as a special place. The stunning landscape there quite literally steals your breath away. It’s one of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ most beloved properties.
As of this summer, the Fountain County preserve’s footprint has expanded. The Central Indiana Land Trust recently closed on the purchase of a property adjoining this iconic preserve.
The work of protecting this property began over 50 years ago, when DNR staff first began talking with the landowners. A half century later, the 67-acre inholding has become part of the nature preserve, after the land trust teamed up with the DNR Division of Nature Preserves to make another push.
The newly protected property features rolling land, sandstone cliffs and high-quality forest. Bear Creek and Rattlesnake Creek cut through it.
“This is one of the most important projects CILTI has ever accomplished,” said Cliff Chapman, president of the Central Indiana Land Trust. “The property, which is bordered on three sides by the Portland Arch Nature Preserve, was pursued by the DNR for over five decades. Being able to finally protect this special place after all those years is truly an honor.”
Portland Arch Nature Preserve, a 435-acre preserve near the Wabash River, features a natural archway and bridge, one of only a few natural arches in Indiana. The opening was caused by undercutting of the Mansfield Sandstone by Bear Creek, but the sandstone was strong enough that the rock did not collapse and the arch was formed. The nature preserve is home to cliffs, forests, open prairies, wetlands and savannas, along with plants, wildflowers and trees.
The Land Trust will donate the newly acquired land to the Indiana DNR.
Headquartered in the Old Northside, Central Indiana Land Trust partners with conservation organizations statewide to preserve the best of Indiana’s natural areas, protecting plants and animals, so Hoosiers can experience the wonder of the state’s natural heritage. Find hiking destinations at conservingindiana.org.
