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- Our Properties
- Bachner Nature Preserve
- Granville Sand Barrens and Roy Whistler Wildlife Area
- Black Rock Barrens Heischman-McAdams Reserve
- Black Rock Nature Preserve
- Boehning Nature Reserve
- Cranberry Marsh Wildlife Area- Conservation Easement
- Fisher Oak Savanna Nature Preserve
- Gladys & Al Wright Rock Creek Nature Reserve
- Hewitt Estate
- Holley Savanna
- Indian Creek Basin
- Justice Farms
- Kohnkes’ Little Pine Valley
- Mary I Gerard Nature Preserve
- Moyer Gould Woods
- Pecan Basin Cates/Clawson Reserve
- Shawnee Bottoms Bodine Tract
- Shepherd Swamp
- Wabash Bottoms Janssen Tract
- Walnut Fork Wildlife Refuge
- Weaver Family Nature Reserve
- Weiler-Leopold Nature Reserve
- The Ranch
- Mulvey Pond
- Martin Estate
- Hoffman Easement
- Wise Island
- Wright Wildlife Corridor
- Rock River Farm
- Watkins
- Calvert & Porter National Natural Landmark
- Potawatomi Trail
- Frogs’ Glory
Hewitt Estate
In Alton Lindsey’s Natural Areas in Indiana and their Preservation (published in 1969), Big Pine Creek is “not included as a text chapter because of its imminent impoundment for an Army Engineer Corps reservoir, authorized by Congress recently. Although this valley ranks as a natural area just below Sugar Creek and Big Walnut Creek, there has been no organized opposition to the coming development.” Fortunately, there was a growing opposition that organized outings to expose people to the beauty of the valley and see what would be lost; boreal relict species, sandstone canyons, a productive smallmouth bass stream and a high quality recreational boating waterway. In the end, they were successful at stopping the development of a dam that would have inundated over 4,000 acres at full flood storage, including the very scenic and special Fall Creek Gorge or “Potholes” now owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy.
In 2008, Bryce Hewitt’s estate increased the amount of protected land in the Big Pine Creek Valley by donating 163 acres to NICHES. This includes 1.7 miles of frontage on both sides of Mud Pine Creek, the largest tributary of Big Pine. Bryce wanted the woods to be protected forever and continue to be enjoyed by enthusiasts as a natural area. The land is a mixture of floodplain forest containing cottonwoods, silver maples and mixed upland woods. Along the clear rocky creek, high in the canopy is an active bald eagle nest. A small great blue heron rookery lingers above colorful spring blooms of phlox, columbine and saxifrage that grace the banks.
Mud Pine Creek is a smaller stream, but is generally floatable in April through mid May with normal spring water conditions.
How to Get There
North Access: From the intersection of US 41 and SR 26. A mile north of 650 N on Old US 41. On the east side of the road is a small pavilion 200’ off the road. Turn down the lane just north of the pavilion. NICHES sign will be on the road which leads to a farm house. Turn right off the lane to the house and head past the pavilion down to the Creek. This lane is not owned by NICHES, but is our legal access.
South Access: NICHES Hewitt Estate southern boundary is the north side of Briscoe Road west of Mud Pine Creek. There is no parking lot and a steep shoulder so please be cautious.
Vital Statistics
163 Acres
