History Archives - ACRES Land Trust

Retiring Trails: Patching Together Refuge

Written by Chris Fairfield, ACRES Volunteer Each day people traveling on the Indiana Toll Road and Highway 827 rush by Ropchan Wildlife Refuge with minimal time to appreciate the natural setting Sam and Adeline Ropchan envisioned and provided for in this corner acreage. This glacially sculpted refuge bordering and overlooking the 1879 Lakeside Cemetery includes ...

04/10/2023
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A Landscape Lost to Time

By Evan Hill, Stewardship Director ACRES can make better decisions on restoring and stewarding our land when we know more about what our local landscape looked like. A book called The Fifth Annual Report Of The Geological Survey Of Indiana Made During the Year 1873 provides detailed accounts of how several counties in our service ...

01/23/2023
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ACRES: Now and Then

ACRES is dedicated to protecting land forever, and we’re also committed to preserving all of the other things that come with land, from historic photos to correspondence with land donors. In recent years, we’ve put a lot of effort into digitizing these artifacts and ensuring they are stored in an acid-free environment so they can ...

01/19/2023
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Retiring trails at Bock and Thornton preserves

By Chris Fairfield This article is part of a series highlighting preserves where ACRES will retire trails as part of our comprehensive plan to update visitor amenities at nature preserves. For a complete list of retiring trails and public access updates, visit acreslandtrust.org/raisingourstandards. Since 1960, ACRES Land Trust has worked hand-in-hand with private landowners to permanently protect 7,300 ...

09/01/2022
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Protected land includes schoolhouse sites

Last year, ACRES shared the difficult decision to retire trail systems at about 20 properties that don’t meet our new standards by the end of 2024. Although daily public access to these properties will end, ACRES will continue to dedicate the same level of stewardship to these areas. As we retire trail systems at these ...

03/29/2021
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Volunteers digitize preserve records

When ACRES acquires new property, we become steward of both the land and its records. These files include everything from legal documents, like deeds and wills, to artifacts like newspaper clippings and handwritten notes. Two ACRES volunteers have spearheaded an effort to digitize records for all ACRES properties. Thanks to their hard work, these records ...

02/25/2021
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Herbarium provides a glimpse into the past

ACRES protects more than land. We also work to protect the history of our land donors. Their stories and artifacts provide a glimpse into the past, an explanation of who they were and how they cared for and loved the land before ACRES. Join local journalist Kevin Kilbane as he uncovers the story of a ...

12/16/2020
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160-year-old barn finds new home

HUNTERTOWN – A 160-year-old barn in northwest Allen County is finding a new home in DeKalb County, where it will stand as a tribute to the area’s agricultural heritage. ACRES Land Trust acquired the barn as part of a bequest from the late Dr. Frederick Mackel. The land is part of the 34-acre Mackel Nature ...

11/09/2020
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ACRES Archive Article: Indiana’s Lakes

ACRES was founded in 1960 and since then has been producing the Quarterly, a much-loved seasonal publication. This article by William R. Eberly was printed in ACRES 1962 Spring Quarterly. Enjoy this archived article as we reflect back on 60 years of protecting local land. “The lakes of northern Indiana are the brightest gems in ...

05/21/2020
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ACRES Land Trust adds newly protected land, history in LaGrange County

LAGRANGE, Ind., November 26, 2019 –ACRES Land Trust recently expanded its Quog Lake preserve, part of a priority conservation area south of LaGrange, by 12 acres. The property houses two historic school buildings, one of which serves a congregation that has met on the site since the mid-1800s. ACRES, Indiana’s oldest and largest local land ...

11/26/2019
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