VANDERBURGH CO., IN (WFIE) -
Conservationists say it's a special piece of land, yet the future of Eagle Slough, the 127 acres of natural wooded area near Ellis Park, was uncertain for about a year as a group of local conservationists tried to find a nonprofit who would take up co-ownership of the land.
Now that a nonprofit land trust out of Bloomington took over, that's no longer the case.
"You could walk up the trail and see the possibilities. You could hear the birds," said Davie Sue Wallace, an Eagle Slough Committee Member.
With 150 different species of birds and varied vegetation, local conservationists knew the Eagle Slough area was worth protecting. Sycamore Land Trust did as well.
"It's really a high quality piece of natural land. They have some of the largest cypress trees in the state," said Christian Freitag, the Executive Director of Sycamore Land Trust.
"Sycamore Land Trust was the perfect partner. They have a great history of doing education and are all about preservation," Wallace said.
Wallace says education for kids at nearby schools will be a key focus.
"When a child has the opportunity to have that experience, they're going to be more interested in preserving the natural environment around them," Wallace said.
Sycamore Land Trust officials say they will also take care of the land so it reaches its full potential.
"We're going to make sure it doesn't get vandalized. They've had some vandalization problems in the past. We also have plans to extend the existing trail system that's out there," Freitag said.
For more information, visit the Eagle Slough website.
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