SULLIVAN, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — A local treasure has a new owner and a new protector.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has acquired nearly 4,000 acres of forest, marshland, and water in Sullivan County.
DNR Public Land Supervisor Dan Eckstein says for decades the area has been leased, but now it is owned and protected.
“This ground was originally part of the Minnehaha Fish and Wildlife area, which we leased for around 30 years”, Eckstein said. “That lease ended in 2016 and when we heard news that this land was going to come up for sale, we were very interested in getting some of that Minnehaha ground back.”
Eckstein says the area will be most used for fishing, wildlife observation, and hunting.
“If you’re fishing, you can just come out here and fish, same with wildlife watching or if you want to come mushroom hunting or something like that”, Eckstein said. “When we have the property open for hunting, we do have our hunters sign in. That’s just to keep track of the harvest that the hunters are getting, so we can manage the wildlife populations better.”
The area is not open yet, but the DNR is planning on having all acres available for public use in just a few months.
“April of 2025 is what we are shooting for right now”, Eckstein said. “We have to get the boundaries marked, get some parking lots in place, and get a map going. All of the basic stuff of getting a fish and wildlife area started.”
The DNR says that under their ownership, the land will be permanently protected. They have no plans to lease it out in the near future.
