This is part of the land in Sullivan County recently procured by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. The parcel will be called Busseron Creek Fish & Wildlife Area. 
Submitted photo
This is part of the land in Sullivan County recently procured by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. The parcel will be called Busseron Creek Fish & Wildlife Area. Submitted photo
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has closed on the acquisition of 3,950 acres of forests, marshland and upland habitat in Sullivan County, which will be known as Busseron Creek Fish & Wildlife Area.

The permanently conserved land, once part of the former Minnehaha FWA, was protected through a collaboration with the Conservation Law Center and its Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape initiative and The Conservation Fund. Additional project support came from The Nature Conservancy in Indiana.

“Powered by partnerships, the permanent protection of Busseron Creek Fish & Wildlife Area is a win for conservation and a win for Indiana, returning nearly 4,000 acres of land for all Hoosiers to enjoy,” Dan Bortner, DNR director said in a press release.

“Whether you enjoy hunting, fishing, or viewing Indiana’s magnificent wildlife, we look forward to welcoming Hoosiers and visitors alike to Busseron Creek when the property opens to the public in 2025.”

DNR paid $10.8 million for the property, a total that includes funding support from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act. The U.S. Navy paid an additional $910,000 to support a conservation easement on a portion of the land, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation provided an additional $600,000 competitive grant through Walmart's Acres for America program.

This land will provide key habitat for wildlife including turkey, deer, waterfowl, rabbit and quail. DNR will work to establish hunting units, parking areas, and access trails before opening the FWA. The property will be a prime spot for wildlife viewing, hunting, trapping, fishing, and foraging.

For more than 30 years, DNR leased this property, operating it as Minnehaha FWA. In 2016, the property owner declined to renew its lease with the state, and Minnehaha FWA closed.

In 2022, a small parcel of this property was listed for sale, signaling the potential for securing the entire holdings.

In partnership, The Conservation Fund and the Southern Indiana Sentinel Landscape initiative negotiated with American Land Holdings of Indiana, a subsidiary of Peabody Energy, to purchase the full 3,950 acres to maintain the ecological integrity of the land. The Conservation Fund’s pre-purchase of the property for future public ownership allowed DNR to officially purchase the property this month.

The property is located near the Lake Glendora Test Facility, an area of Naval Support Activity Crane. The facility’s mission is to support proof of concept testing for risk reduction purposes prior to full scale or open water testing.

To provide an undeveloped land buffer near the military facility, safeguard key natural resources and ensure environmental sustainability near the defense operations, the U.S. Navy provided strategic support and funding for a conservation easement on the Busseron Creek watershed and surrounding lands, permanently protecting it from development.
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