Hardin Ridge Recreation Area on Lake Monroe just got a little bit bigger.
After nearly four years of collaboration between the U.S. Forest Service and Sycamore Land Trust, 14 acres of Monroe County land have been added to the popular recreation destination.
The land is hilly and classified as a mixed hardwood forest, with oak, hickory, beech, maple, sassafras and redbud trees. It's completely surrounded by the Hoosier National Forest. Besides providing additional public land and access to the lake, having the national forest own the property also helps protect the watershed.
"It won't be improved or developed in any way," Scott said of the land.
The new acreage was purchased in October 2014 at a property tax sale by Sycamore Land Trust, according to John Lawrence, assistant director. As with all land purchased at a tax sale, the land trust had to wait a year before it could legally obtain title to the property. Sycamore Land Trust reached out to the U.S. Forest Service about the land, letting them know the trust would hold the land until there was money to purchase it and expand the national forest.
In 2017, Hoosier National Forest officials applied for and received federal funds through the Land and Water Conservation Fund to purchase the land. The fund is the main source for purchasing land for national forests and other national lands, according to Ron Scott, lands program manager for the Hoosier National Forest. The application process is competitive, with national forests throughout the country requesting money.