Construction begins on our Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center
BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA August 4, 2026 — Construction has begun on the first phase of Sycamore Land Trust’s Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center in northwest Monroe County. After more than 20 years of providing environmental education across southern Indiana, Sycamore Land Trust is creating its first permanent, fully ADA-accessible home for environmental education, where visitors can learn about wetlands and other vital habitats before stepping outside to experience them firsthand.
Opening in spring 2027, the center will bring together environmental education, habitat restoration, and public hiking in a restored wetland landscape along Beanblossom Creek. Located approximately ten minutes north of Bloomington near the community of Dolan, the Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center is being developed on a 113-acre nature preserve within Sycamore’s Beanblossom Creek Conservation Area, a 2,400-acre corridor of protected nature preserves along Beanblossom Creek in Monroe and Brown Counties.
The first phase of construction includes renovating the existing ranch-style home into a fully ADA-accessible environmental education center with indoor and outdoor classrooms, a bird observation room overlooking the wetlands, and community meeting spaces. Sycamore’s project team includes Strauser Construction, Casseaux Architecture & Design, and Abram-Moss Design Group, LLC.
“The Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center represents the next chapter in Sycamore’s commitment to protecting land while helping people connect with it,” said Alex Sienkiewicz, Executive Director of Sycamore Land Trust. “By bringing together wetland restoration, environmental education, and public access in one place, we’re creating opportunities for people to experience conservation firsthand and understand why these landscapes matter.”
Although the nature preserve is not yet open to the public, its restored wetlands have already become a well-known birding hotspot. Birdwatchers observing from a pull-off on Old State Road 37 have recorded more than 150 species on eBird, including state-endangered species such as American bittern and northern harrier, and species of special concern including solitary sandpiper. View the full list of recorded species at the Dolan Wetlands (view from road) hotspot on eBird.org.
Sycamore is restoring additional wetland habitat at the preserve in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), expanding the existing wetlands, planting native forests and pollinator habitat, and improving stormwater management. This will build on wetland restoration work begun decades ago by the previous landowners.
Sycamore is also constructing a seasonal public hiking trail and wildlife observation areas where visitors will be able to explore restored wetlands and see habitat restoration in action. A Bird Box Trail along the route, developed in partnership with Bird Magic LLC, will demonstrate how nest boxes can provide important breeding habitat for cavity-nesting birds, using species such as barn owls, prothonotary warblers, wood ducks, tree swallows, and American kestrels as examples.
The Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center will become a hub for Sycamore’s expanding environmental education program, which has connected hundreds of thousands of participants with nature through hands-on learning since its founding in 2005. Future programs at the center will include school field trips, guided hikes, water quality monitoring, birding programs, habitat restoration workshops, and other educational opportunities focused on wetlands and biodiversity.
Visitors of all ages and abilities will be able to observe wildlife from a dedicated bird observation room equipped with spotting scopes overlooking the restored wetlands.
“The best way to inspire conservation is to help people experience it for themselves,” said Saige Sentell, Sycamore Land Trust’s Education Director. “Growing up in southern Indiana, surrounded by chinquapin oaks, rocky creeks, and rolling hills, taught me the importance of protected places and shaped me into the conservationist that I am today. Nestled along Beanblossom Creek, the Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center will provide an opportunity for others to explore Indiana’s natural heritage through environmental education, outdoor recreation, and habitat restoration. We hope this facility will inspire the next generation of conservationists who want to protect and advocate for Indiana and beyond.”
The Carl Ziegler Wetlands are located at the heart of the Beanblossom Creek Conservation Area, where Sycamore Land Trust has permanently protected more than 2,400 acres along Beanblossom Creek through strategic land conservation and habitat restoration. In 2022, Sycamore was able to acquire this 113-acre nature preserve through support from the Sam Shine Foundation, the Raymond Foundation, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ Next Level Conservation Trust, the Namaste Foundation, and contributions from Nancy Ralston, Jim and Bobbi Diehl, and Tom Mayer.
This project is well on its way thanks to a generous gift from the estate of Dr. Carl H. Ziegler, in whose honor the education center is named. A lifelong educator and dedicated member of the Bloomington community, Ziegler believed in creating opportunities for people to experience and learn from the natural world. Funding for early support for the education center was provided by the Raymond Foundation and Alexandra “Sandy” Lynch and Jack Shelton in memory of Bill and Cookie Lynch. Additional funding for future improvements has been provided by Steve and Kathy Weller, Kathleen and Fred Henney, The Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County, Virginia Metzger, Randy and Jeanie Scofield, and David and Julie Zersen.
The nature preserve will remain closed to public access during construction. Once the first phase is complete, the education center will open for educational programs and reservation-based group visits. Public hiking on the new trail is anticipated to begin in spring 2027, with additional accessible trails, boardwalks, wildlife observation platforms, and outdoor learning spaces planned in future phases as funding becomes available. Every investment in our Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center will help more people experience the wonder of wetlands and the importance of protecting them.
To learn more about the Carl Ziegler Wetlands and Education Center and how you can get involved, visit sycamorelandtrust.org/ziegler.
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Sycamore Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1990 to preserve the beauty, health, and diversity of southern Indiana’s natural landscape through strategic land conservation, habitat restoration, and environmental education. Sycamore preserves and cares for 11,820 acres of forests, wetlands, wildflower meadows, and other wild lands on more than 150 protected properties in southern Indiana. The organization maintains over 30 miles of hiking trails on 13 of its nature preserves for free public access. Sycamore’s Environmental Education Program connects thousands of people of all ages and abilities to nature through guided hikes and free education programs for local schools and community organizations. Learn more at sycamorelandtrust.org.
Contact:
Kate Hammel, Communications Director
kate@sycamorelandtrust.org
Photo by John Lawrence
