Earlham College wants you to experience its vast network of nature reserves, launches ENRS
RICHMOND, Ind. — Did you know Earlham College has 400-plus acres of land across Wayne County completely accessible to the public? Apparently not because, according to an Earlham release, the college just created the Earlham Nature Reserve System (ENRS) to increase visibility of its network of nature reserves.
The ENRS is an initiative to unite the college's more than 400 acres of ponds, creeks, rivers, prairies, forests and trails, all used for diversity, sustainability, research and recreation. Some of these properties are right in Earlham's backyard, and others are located all across Wayne County. Earlham has created interactive maps of the locations for the public to better understand where everything is.
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“Our goal is to increase the visibility and use of these properties so that we can better highlight and honor the land and those that have shaped it,” Earlham associate biology professor Chris Smith said in the release. “We are so grateful to inherit such an incredible resource. This wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of former faculty and students and donations from friends of the college.”
One of ENRS' properties is Sedgwick’s Rock Preserve, a 13-acre mixed woodland forest widely used for experimental field projects like under-story vegetation. Each year, the release states, ecological biology students use the stream to learn about aquatic ecology and field sampling. Sedgwick's Rock Preserve was a gift from emerita biology faculty Carrolle and Millard Markle.
Wildman Woods is a 40-acre forested property with sections of old-growth and second-growth upland and lowland forest. It has an extensive trail system that is regularly used for course field trips and collaborative research. These woods were a gift from Bill (Class of 1948) and Ruth Wildman.
Next to Wildman Woods is Iverson Woods, which contains an unspoiled stream valley and upland woodlands, gifted to the college by emeritus biology professor John Iverson. Reller’s Woods, a 28-acre mature forest preserve, was a gift from the Reller family.
There is also the 100-acre Test Study Area, containing three ephemeral wetlands, a 17-acre woodlot, a high-quality stream, a perennial drainage ditch, pasture and large agricultural areas for future habitat restoration projects. This property was a gift from Fred Test, Iverson and emeritus professor Bill Buskirk (Class of 1966).
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As part of the launch of the ENRS, Earlham held a logo design competition last fall. 2020 graduate Anna Mullin, submitted the winning design and won a $500 prize. Carol Sexton, an artist who attended Earlham in the 1970s, received a $100 second-place prize.
The release states Mullin’s design incorporates aspects of the environments found throughout the ENRS from prairies to forests to creeks and ponds. Each environment is also represented by an animal, such as a deer rising through prairie grasses, a bird flying from a forest tree and a bullfrog sitting along a water’s edge.
Ricardo Jalen Sleet (Class of 2018) and Thomas Hill (Class of 2019) are working as property managers to develop and sustain the ENRS along with support from the Department of Biology.
For more information on the ENRS, contact Smith by calling (765) 983-1377 or emailing smithch@earlham.edu.
Zach Piatt is a reporter for The Palladium-Item. Contact him at zpiatt@gannett.com or on Twitter @zachpiatt13.
This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: Earlham College launches Earlham Nature Reserve System
