North Carolina: Donated for conservation is a 6 acre island on Long lake in Liberty Township
A six-acre island on Long Lake in Liberty Township and six additional
surrounding acres of wetlands will be protected as a nature preserve
through the Woodland Savanna Land Conservancy. The island, which is
accessible only by boat, features a hardwood forest with numerous old
red oaks and other mature trees, the conservancy said.
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The woods and surrounding marshes provide excellent habitat for a
great variety of wildlife, including aquatic mammals, waterfowl, and
other birdlife. “We are delighted to accept this property,” said
conservancy president Don Evans. “The island and its environs have
great natural and geological significance. They lie in the center of
the Valparaiso moraine, a geological feature that separates the Lake
Michigan watershed from the Kankakee River basin, and the area is a
wetland ecosystem that harbors many native species of plants and
animals. We are proud to have the opportunity to protect this
property and the important natural values it represents.”
The conservancy said the island holds great sentimental value for Tom
Geiselman, who spent his boyhood years living in a two-story log
structure built there by his grandparents, Danish immigrant Chris
Miller and his Swedish immigrant wife, Ida Marie Sonneson. Some ruins
of the original structure still exist on the island. The Valparaiso
Lakes and their watershed were formed during the most recent glacial
retreat of the Pleistocene era. They provide a watery environment
that has been attracting hunting and fishing enthusiasts for well over
a century. Tom Geiselman is pleased that the island will remain as he
remembers it. “I am deeply gratified that this special place will be
preserved in perpetuity, and my wife and I are very thankful that the
vision of the Woodland Savanna Land Conservancy has made this
possible.” The Woodland Savanna Land Conservancy, a non-profit
organization founded in 2003, is dedicated to the long-term
preservation of open land in and around Porter County. For more
information, contact the Woodland Savanna Land Conservancy at P.O. Box
1042, Valparaiso, IN 46384, or see its website at
http://www.woodlandsavanna.org/donate
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