By Shawndra Miller / communications director, Central Indiana Land Trust
The 570-acre nature preserve west of Greencastle, previously known as Fern Station, has been renamed the Efroymson Preserve at Fern Station in recognition of the Efroymson family’s generous support for protecting Indiana nature.
To ensure important wildlife and plants at the site will be protected forever, the Efroymson Family Fund contributed $500,000 toward the 2023 purchase of the land. The state’s Next Level Conservation Trust had offered a $3.1 million three-to-one match toward the property’s purchase. The Efroymsons’ early gift spurred many more partners and supporters to step up and save Fern Station within a matter of months – an unprecedented time frame for such an ambitious project.
Since the Land Trust’s earliest days, the family’s generosity to the mission has been unsurpassed. Now, in recognition of the trust’s 35th anniversary, the Efroymson Family Fund will match every gift to the Land Trust through Dec. 31, dollar-for-dollar up to $350,000.
“We are deeply grateful for the Efroymson family’s transformational generosity,” said Cliff Chapman, president and CEO of the Central Indiana Land Trust. “From the beginning, they helped professionalize our organization and provide the capacity we needed. More recently, their generosity has safeguarded hundreds of acres of Indiana’s most important natural areas, restored critical habitats and made it possible to plant thousands of trees.”
About the Efroymson Family Fund. Established in 1998, the Efroymson Family Fund, a fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, provides financial support to a diverse range of issues including arts and culture, historic preservation, the environment and helping those in need. To date, the Efroymson Family Fund has awarded more than $151 million in grants. www.cicf.org/efroymson-family-fund
About the Efroymson Preserve at Fern Station. The Putnam County preserve lies just north of The Nature Conservancy’s Fern Cliff Nature Preserve. Having secured Fern Station in 2023, the land trust is now developing a land management plan that will enable the preserve to eventually open to the public. For now, the Efroymson Preserve at Fern Station is open only for guided hikes and events hosted by land trust staff and partners.
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.
