ACRES Member Q&A with Shondell Hobbs

What made you want to support ACRES?
I always thought there were no good places to hike here in northern Indiana, but a few years ago, I found out we had some waterfalls in the area. I visited my first ACRES property, Kokiwanee, and then a few weeks later went to Hathaway Preserve at Ross Run. I really enjoyed both of these preserves.

For Christmas that year, I bought my family an ACRES membership. I decided it only made sense to support this organization that is protecting nature in our area and allowing us access to these preserves for free. It was such a small price to pay for the number of times we’ve visited ACRES properties.

Do you have any favorite preserves?
Some favorites are: Hathaway Preserve at Ross Run, Ropchan Wildlife Refuge, Acres Along the Wabash, Asherwood, Pehkokia Woods, McNabb-Walter Nature Preserve, Wildwood and Lloyd Bender Memorial Forest.

When did you become interested in photography?
My family travels a lot and when we started hiking, I became more interested in nature photography. It’s so awesome to see wildlife in their natural habitat and capturing the shot is so rewarding.

Tell us about some of the photos you have captured.
We attended a bald eagle watch with ACRES in February last year and I got some amazing pictures of bald eagles that day.

While hiking, we’re always on the lookout for reptiles and amphibians of all kinds. I got some really good shots of a Blanding’s turtle at an ACRES preserve, which was an awesome find because they are endangered in Indiana.

The biggest snake I’ve ever seen in the wild was at an ACRES preserve. It was a black rat snake stretched out on a rocky bluff. I was able to take several pictures and went on my way without disturbing it.

Thank you, Shondell Hobbs, for supporting ACRES and sharing your beautiful images with us on Instagram! To see nature photography from her family’s travels, follow her at @theresnothingmorebeautiful.

Will you help protect the places you love by joining ACRES as a member with a donation of $20 or more? If you love ACRES trails, membership is a great way to give back and it comes with perks like invitations to members-only events!