Sycamore acquires Barnebey Woods with funding from the President Benjamin Harrison Conservation Trust and a gift from the landowners

Sycamore Land Trust has purchased 160 acres in Owen County to establish a new nature preserve, thanks to a gift from landowners Karl Barnebey and Laura Fredendall and support from the Indiana DNR’s President Benjamin Harrison Conservation Trust. The new preserve is named Barnebey Woods in honor of the Barnebey family.

Karl Barnebey and Laura Fredendall sold their land to Sycamore at half of the appraised fair market value, which is a charitable gift known as a bargain sale. In recognition of this generous gift and the quality of the property, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ President Benjamin Harrison Conservation Trust will provide Sycamore with the full amount needed to complete the purchase.

Karl Barnebey in front of a large beech tree at Barnebey Woods, photo by Land Preservation Director Daniel Layton

“It’s amazing to have supporters of conservation who are willing and able to offer gifts like this,” said Executive Director John Lawrence. “The state’s President Benjamin Harrison Conservation Trust is an invaluable source of funding for Sycamore’s land preservation projects, but it does require at least a one-to-one match. The generosity of Karl Barnebey and Laura Fredendall in accepting half price for their woods has allowed us to ensure that it will be protected forever.”

Barnebey Woods connects to a large tract of Owen-Putnam State Forest, and serves as a lynchpin in a north-south corridor of protected land that runs 7.5 miles north to south. Such north-south protected corridors are crucial for species migration and long-term movement, especially due to climate change. It is also close to Sycamore’s Fish Creek Conservation Easement, which was donated by Jim and Myriam Wood to permanently protect 135 acres of forest.

The new nature preserve protects a significant area of high-quality, mature upland forest with large diameter beech trees that are approaching old-growth size. The four ephemeral streams on the property drain into the nearby East Fork of Fish Creek, which in turn drains into the West Fork of the White River near the Owen County-Greene County line. Some of the ravines associated with these streams have remarkable geological formations, the most impressive being an eight-foot high intermittent waterfall with rock overhangs on both sides. Unusual native plants that are only found on such outcrops, such as walking fern (Asplenium rhizophyllum), are present on the property.

In addition to preserving important habitat for native wildlife and plants, this project serves the public good by protecting groundwater and air quality by keeping a large contiguous tract of forest intact.

Spores on walking fern at Barnebey Woods, photo by Land Preservation Director Daniel Layton