Bicentennial Woods Archives - ACRES Land Trust

2021–2022 Winter Photo Contest Winners

For ACRES Winter Photo Contest, we challenged you to take to the trails and capture photos that celebrate our forever-protected places. Your submissions truly reflected the beauty of these natural areas and the joy they bring visitors. Members of ACRES board and staff selected five winners from the following categories: Wildlife, People/Pets on Preserves, Selfie, ...

02/08/2022
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2020–2021 Winter Photo Contest Winners

01/31/2021
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Florence’s Trail

The trail along the north bank of Willow Creek in Bicentennial Woods has been dedicated in honor of Florence Thyrza Pauly, a native of Fort Wayne and long-time resident of Bloomington and Indianapolis. Florence’s estate was donated to ACRES Land Trust in 2018 as a tribute to the comfort and healing she found in nature. ...

01/18/2020
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Building a Bridge: Eagle Scout Graham Seiler supports Bicentennial Woods, connects community

Graham Seiler took the path less traveled. Given options for volunteer work toward earning Eagle Scout status, Seiler chose to replace a slippery, weathered bridge at Bicentennial Woods near Huntertown, Indiana. Wanting something that would last—that his grandchildren might see—Graham, now a senior at Eastside Junior-Senior High School in Butler, chose steel rather than simply ...

10/17/2018
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Finding the Right Frequency: Sound giving through recurring gifts

When Elizabeth and Mark Leppek sat down to make a list of their priorities for philanthropic giving, ACRES Land Trust immediately came to mind. The Leppeks, of Fort Wayne, say that while they appreciate the benefit of manicured parks, they find something special about wild, natural places. They consider ACRES the “hometown hero” regional equivalent ...

01/17/2018
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Being in Winter | A two part love story

Nancy: My first glimpse of the world came during an Indiana blizzard blowing a foot of fresh snow over the ground. I have felt at home in the winter landscape ever since. Although Mother Nature feigns sleep at this time of year, undercover she is alive with activity. She beckons into her wondrous, quiet world ...

12/06/2017
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Fall back and slow down | Hiking local

Every fall we all set our clocks back, but we each approach the extra hour differently, some sleeping in, others simply appreciating the luxury of extra “found” time. I see autumn as a slowing of pace, the perfect time for us to take note of nature, to take stock of what happened during the busy ...

09/27/2017
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Color Me Bright, Color Me Orange

Article and photos by Fred Wooley, ACRES member, former Wing Haven caretaker and retired DNR Pokagon State Park naturalist Every growing season, changes take place in the wildflower world. Although we may not always consciously think about these changes, we may be noting them in our subconscious. They are as subtle as the changes in daylight when spring ...

07/19/2017
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My Woods

By Kim Bowers In “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening,” Robert Frost stops to watch someone’s “woods fill up with snow.” He stands there for a long time but must leave because his obligations to society pull him back and because the woods do not really belong to him. With a shake of ...

02/07/2017
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Take a walk on the wild side: ACRES celebrates land protection with topographically different National Trails Day hikes June 6

ACRES Land Trust docent volunteers will lead five hikes through two very different Allen County preserves in celebration of the 23rd National Trails Day of the American Hiking Society. Explorers of all ages are invited to embark on the free adventures on Saturday, June 6 in Bicentennial Woods and Blue Cast Springs. “Our ACRES volunteers ...

06/06/2015
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