Whistler Hare Woods
Whistler Hare Woods lies on the south bank of Big Shawnee Creek’s tumble and flow on its way to the Wabash River. The banks of the creek are wooded and rise steeply with exposures of sandstone bedrock faces to over 90’ above the creek. The dry acid soils on the bluffs are home to eastern white pine, white oaks, partridge berries and witch hazel.
Activities
- Bird Watching
- Fishing
- Mushroom Harvesting Allowed
- Wildflowers
History of Acquisition and Property
NICHES purchased the land in September 2019, with the help of the Roy Whistler Foundation, Laura Hare Charitable Trust, the State of Indiana through the President Benjamin Harrison Conservation Trust, CILTI and private individual supporters.
Whistler Hare Woods protects mature white oak/ white pine woods and associated plant communities in the uplands. Wildflower rich spring blooming oak woodlands on the slopes down to a narrow floodplain along a rock and gravel bottom stream with a healthy aquatic faunal community.
Portions of the property have been grazed, and a failed attempt at a Christmas tree farm. NICHES plans are to work to bend the recovery of these portions of the property towards an oak woodland.
How to Get There
Travel west from US 41 on Covered Bridge Road into Rob Roy. Enjoy the historic covered bridge and slow speed and wind your way for 2 miles. Turn north at the driveway, and take the gravel lane for 0.4 miles to NICHES property boundary and park.
The NICHES owned portion is shown in red, and the white line is the 0.4 mile gravel lane that leads back to the property. The lane passes three homes.