Barnebey Woods approved to become a state dedicated nature preserve

The Indiana Natural Resources Commission (NRC) has approved the dedication of Sycamore Land Trust’s Barnebey Woods in Owen County as a nature preserve. This will be the ninth state-dedicated nature preserve that Sycamore owns and manages, adding an additional level of recognition and permanent protection to the property. Sycamore Land Trust protects a total of 11,809 acres in southern Indiana including 61 nature preserves.

Sycamore acquired Barnebey Woods in 2024 with funding from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ President Benjamin Harrison Conservation Trust. The 160-acre acquisition was made possible through the extraordinary generosity of landowners Karl Barnebey and Laura Fredendall, who sold their forest to Sycamore at half its appraised value. The NRC will dedicate 141.5 acres of the property as a nature preserve.

Barnebey Woods Nature Preserve will be the 307th state-dedicated nature preserve to be protected by Indiana’s Nature Preserves Act of 1967, which has protected a total of 57,327.67 acres as nature preserves since it was enacted. Dedication requires the approval of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the NRC, which is an autonomous board that addresses topics pertaining to the DNR.

Barnebey Woods Nature Preserve is the ninth state-dedicated nature preserve owned and managed by Sycamore Land Trust, including Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve in Monroe County, Trevlac Bluffs Nature Preserve in Brown County, the Laura Hare Nature Preserve at Back Creek in Lawrence County, and Canyon Forest Nature Preserve and Clemens Place on Clifty Creek in Greene County.

“State dedication of Barnebey Woods will add meaningful protection to a place that holds tremendous ecological value for southern Indiana,” said Alex Sienkiewicz, Executive Director of Sycamore Land Trust. “We’re grateful to everyone who helped make this possible.”

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.

Barnebey Woods 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.

Barnebey Woods Nature Preserve is not open to the public to protect the sensitive natural area.

“Barnebey Woods Nature Preserve is a high-quality woodland nearing old-growth conditions in the forested hills of Owen County,” said Sycamore’s Land Preservation Director Tom Swinford. “Its protection strengthens a large, connected forest landscape and supports migratory songbirds including the rapidly declining cerulean warbler.”

Karl Barnebey originally purchased the land to battle deforestation, with the intention of eventually putting it into a land trust. He purchased the first 80 acres of land in the 1980s and continued to add more acres over the next 40 years. He visited often with his wife, children, and grandchildren to take walks and enjoy their favorite trees and a seasonal waterfall.

Since owning the land, Karl says no trees have been cut. He is especially proud of one beech tree that has a diameter of more than 5 feet at breast height.

“I wanted to make sure it got put into some kind of protected situation while I’m still healthy,” Karl Barnebey told the Bloomington Herald-Times. “We’re destroying the environment way too fast already; if one small person could do one small thing, it could add up.”

In the summer of 2024, Karl and his wife Laura 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 DNR’s President Benjamin Harrison Conservation Trust provided Sycamore with the full amount needed to complete the purchase. The preserve was named in honor of the Barnebey family.

Although Barnebey Woods was already permanently protected under Sycamore’s ownership, state dedication adds an additional layer of protection under Indiana law, helping to safeguard its rare habitats and ecological significance for generations to come.

Photo: Karl Barnebey stands in front of a large beech tree at Barnebey Woods Nature Preserve.