Two men shot while coyote hunting

Jun. 23—The Rush County Sheriff's Department said they received a call of a shooting near 400 West and 650 South just before 11 p.m. Saturday night, June 17. Deputies arrived to find two men suffering from gunshot wounds.

The men, later identified as Joseph Bell and Alan Stockman, told police they were coyote hunting when they were shot by an unknown assailant from an unknown direction.

Medics took Bell in a helicopter to an Indianapolis hospital for treatment, while other medics took Stockman in an ambulance to Decatur County Hospital.

Both men's conditions are said to be stable as of Monday afternoon, police said.

Authorities believe the incident is a hunting accident. The case was sent to the Rush County Prosecutor's Office for review of possible criminal charges.

Extension of Pennsy Trail

On Tuesday, June 20 the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Hancock County opened the recently completed Pennsy Trail extension. The 1.32-mile asphalt multi-use trail was constructed by Hancock County with help from a $670,803 Next Level Trails (NLT) grant.

The project adds mileage to the Pennsy Trail in western Hancock County, completing a gap in the trail between county roads 600 and 500 West. Combined with the existing Pennsy Trail to the west, and a 1-mile stretch to the east, the extension creates a nearly 11-mile continuous trail route between the Irvington neighborhood of Indianapolis and western Hancock County. The 500-600W extension works toward closing the remaining 2.5-mile gap in the corridor, with the goal of connecting the city of Greenfield and Western Hancock County with Marion County.

Extension of the B&O Trail

On June 16, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the B&O Trail Association (BOTA) opened the recently completed B&O Trail extension in Hendricks County. The first of two phases for BOTA's project, the new 2.1-mile asphalt multi-use rail trail was constructed with help from a $4.58 million Next Level Trails (NLT) grant. Key local partners include the Central Indiana Community Foundation, IU West Hospital, Hendricks Regional Health, Indy Gateway, Hendricks County Community Foundation, Hendricks Power Cooperative, and numerous individual contributors.

The project extends the existing B&O Trail in Hendricks County 2.1 miles west from the Tilden Trailhead at County Road 500 East to County Road 250 East. Combined with the existing B&O Trail in Brownsburg and Hendricks County, the extension creates a contiguous trail of more than 8.3 miles.

The next phase of the BOTA project will extend the trail 2.5 miles east from Raceway Road into Marion County, ultimately connecting to the Speedway Trails Association's Round 1 NLT project. When all phases are complete, the B&O Trail will run nearly 16 contiguous miles from downtown Indianapolis at the White River to rural Hendricks County. "This is an exciting milestone for the B&O Trail Association in Hendricks County, and this is just the first of three long-awaited expansions both in Hendricks County and Marion County," Jeff Smallwood, BOTA president, said.

Woman's Body Recovered From Robinson Lake

Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating after recovering the body of a female from Robinson Lake in Lake County.

On Sunday, July 18 at 12:53 p.m., emergency personnel were dispatched to the beach area near the 5200 block of Liverpool Road in Hobart responding to a report of two swimmers struggling in the water. One, a male, was rescued by a witness. The other, a woman, went missing in the water and did not resurface.

At 3:03 p.m., a DNR Law Enforcement diver located and recovered the woman's body with assistance from the Merrillville Fire Department and Lake County Sheriff's Department divers. The woman was pronounced dead on the scene. Her identity is being withheld due to the ongoing investigation.

Other assisting agencies include the Hobart Police Department, Hobart Fire Department, Crown Point Fire Department, Cedar Lake Fire Department, Lake Hills Fire Department, Lake Station Fire Department, Superior Ambulance, and Lake County Coroner's Office.

First Next Level Conservation Trust Project

On June 16, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Central Indiana Land Trust and local partners announced the permanent protection of 570 acres of undisturbed forestland through the Next Level Conservation Trust (NLCT).

Fern Station Nature Preserve is the first NLCT property purchase to finalize. With $25 million in funding, the NLCT is the largest infusion of dollars in Indiana for conservation in the state's history. Fern Station Nature Preserve, located west of Greencastle in Putnam County, is a biodiverse forest providing a safe harbor for species including cerulean warblers, eastern box turtles, a high-density population of Kentucky warblers, and many diverse species of ferns. The land, now owned by the Central Indiana Land Trust, was purchased through a 3:1 state partner match, with $3.1 funded by the NLCT and more than $1 million funded by donors to the Central Indiana Land Trust.

Partners who helped the Central Indiana Land Trust raise the required $1 million match included The Efroymson Family Fund, The Herbert Simon Family Foundation, The Silicon Valley Community Foundation, The Meyer Family Fund, The Sam Shine Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, The Putnam County Community Foundation, Indiana Native Plant Society, Amos Butler Audubon Society, and more than 30 CILTI donors.

"This property has been on our wish list since first exploring it in 2008 because of its size, pristine condition and rich biodiversity," Cliff Chapman, Central Indiana Land Trust president and CEO, said. "Plus, it's near another protected property — Fern Cliff Nature Preserve. Anytime you increase the critical mass of protected land, you provide a safer place for wildlife and plants to thrive."

As required with NLCT funded projects, the Central Indiana Land Trust will work to create opportunities for outdoor recreation at Fern Station in the near future. The state now owns a conservation easement on the property meaning its protection will continue forever.

The NLCT funding is sourced by the federal American Rescue Plan dollars appropriated by the General Assembly. Learn more about the program at on.IN.gov/next-level-conservation-trust.

'till next time,

Jack

Readers can contact the author by writing to this publication, or e-mail to jackspaulding@hughes.net.

Contact Aaron Kirchoff at aaron.kirchoff@greensburgdailynews.com