Douglas Woods

I have been a supporter of the Nature Conservancy since 1984, and I am so glad that my current company is a supporter as well. Angola is about an hour from here, and I see a trip there in the future.

ANGOLA, IND. — Located among the rolling hills and fields of northeast Indiana lies a beautiful nature preserve called Douglas Woods, owned by The Nature Conservancy. Fish Creek, a high-quality stream home to several species of important fish and mussels, runs through the preserve. Recently, the Conservancy and American Electric Power announced the addition of 662 acres to Douglas Woods, which include 100 acres along Fish Creek.

AEP included this project as part of a mitigation plan required by a consent decree under the Clean Air Act. Upon approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, AEP and Indiana Michigan Power, its operating company within the state, provided partial funding for the acquisition.

Containing one of the last remaining old-growth forest stands in northeast Indiana, Douglas Woods boasts hundreds of acres of old growth forest. The diameters of some of these truly majestic trees reach nearly four feet with canopies easily topping the 100 foot mark. Silver maples mingle with a variety of oak and hickory trees. The remaining acreage is comprised of younger forest, old fields and restored wetlands.

“The Nature Conservancy has identified Fish Creek as an ‘ark’ of biodiversity in the Upper St. Joseph River Watershed, supporting what is probably the most diverse community of freshwater mussels, fish, and associate fauna in the Great Lakes Basin,” said Larry Clemens, Conservation Director for the Conservancy’s Indiana Chapter. “The Conservancy is grateful to AEP for their financial support to conserve this important wildlife habitat for the future.”