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Posted by: Reena Ramos

  • 11/26/2019

ACRES Land Trust adds newly protected land, history in LaGrange County

LAGRANGE, Ind., November 26, 2019 –ACRES Land Trust recently expanded its Quog Lake preserve, part of a priority conservation area south of LaGrange, by 12 acres. The property houses two historic school buildings, one of which serves a congregation that has met on the site since the mid-1800s. ACRES, Indiana’s oldest and largest local land trust, also acquired four acres of transferable LaGrange County land near Howe.

“ACRES prioritizes growing preserves,” says Jason Kissel, executive director for the state’s oldest and largest local land trust. “Each acre added is a big deal for conservation, for more protection to the place, more return on our members’ and donors’ investment in land.”

The newly expanded 138-acre Quog Lake preserve is one of eight properties spanning an additional 681 acres in the immediate area collectively owned and managed by ACRES Land Trust, Indiana Department of Natural Resources and LaGrange County.

ACRES’ newest twelve-acre addition to Quog Lake is home to two historic school buildings, one of which serves a congregation that has met on the site since the mid-1800s. Today, ACRES leases the buildings to the local congregation in exchange for maintenance and utilities.

One of the newly-acquired buildings, a one-room wood-frame schoolhouse built in 1843, has also been home to a local congregation since nearly that time. When a new red brick school was built in 1899, the United Methodist Church purchased the original wood-frame schoolhouse for $30, moving it down the hill. Today, ACRES leases the buildings to a local congregation in exchange for maintenance and utilities.

Current church secretary Harvena Richards grew up attending services. She shares that before meeting in the schoolhouse, local Methodists met in homes, aided by circuit-riding preachers. At its height, a total of 30 to 40 congregation members filled schoolhouse benches. Participation is declining, but the tradition – and the location – remain.

In addition to the historic buildings, ACRES’ Quog Lake expansion includes forested wetland and four acres of high, dry land.

Quog Lake, just west of Oliver Lake, south of the town of LaGrange, is a quaking bog and is named by combining these words. A quaking bog is formed by a thin, floating mat of sphagnum moss along the shore of the lake. Quog Lake is one of only a few such bogs remaining in Indiana.

Quog Lake nature preserve near LaGrange is protected forever by ACRES members. The preserve’s name comes from its quaking bog that is slowly filling in with sphagnum moss and plant material.
Photo copyright The Conservation Fund by Ivan LaBianca.

It is surrounded by poison sumac and home to the Massasauga rattlesnake, a species endangered at the state level and threatened at the federal level. Beyond the bog, the preserve protects a forested swamp, cattail marsh and small patches of open water. Dense vegetation encourages a secluded wildlife habitat; state-endangered Marsh Wrens are among its wild residents.  This preserve is closed to visitors.

From the ACRES archive: “It has to be the most challenging site on which I’ve ever conducted a survey.” Read about Scott Namestnik’s harrowing exploration of Quog Lake.

ACRES will evaluate the best use of a four-acre donation of transferable land. The nonprofit accepts land in this donation category with the ability to sell, transfer or otherwise use it as needed. ACRES’ transferable lands can become nature preserves or protected lands, in time, if, for example, surrounding land use becomes protected, but usually, they are sold to further ACRES mission to acquire land.

The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo help fund the addition to Quog Lake.

The Quog Lake land is being conserved, in part, by funding made available as mitigation for habitat loss or forest fragmentation caused by the construction and maintenance of the NIPSCO Reynolds Topeka Electric System Improvement Project. The Conservation Fund and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have partnered to manage these voluntary mitigation funds and provide grants to implement local conservation measures in Indiana

ACRES Land Trust protects natural places and working lands in the tristate area, forever, with the support of member-donors. ACRES members provide 50 trail systems to encourage families and neighbors to enjoy, celebrate and be inspired to help protect places, for good. You can help. Visit acreslandtrust.org to learn more.

2 Comments

Anthony Rosado - November 21, 2021 - 10:10 pm

From what I understand is that as of 2024 Ropachon Preserve in Fremont will no longer be open to the public. This is sad news having spent many years taking my family there to enjoy the nature. By taking this preserve away your are taking away a lot from people who enjoy the outdoors. This whole idea sounds more like a way to lean out your system thus saving money by not having to employee as many and consolidating available properties to the public. Not the resolution for getting more people involved in the acres inc. program. And as for harm to native species or the landscape from humans I would say the factories next to Ropochan cause greater damage. Sure hope something on this decision can reversed for people to keep enjoying

Bridgett Hernandez - November 26, 2021 - 12:03 pm

Thank you for reaching out. It’s clear that you deeply care for Ropchan Wildlife Refuge. Retiring trails at this well-loved preserve and others was a difficult decision to make, but it’s a decision that supports our long-term goal to protect local land. The primary reasons we decided to close this trail system included trail conditions and that similar hiking opportunities exist on nearby properties. Ropchan Wildlife Refuge will continue to be protected and managed after the trails are closed – in fact those primary tasks will be better performed without daily public access. Occasional public events will also be held there – I realize this doesn’t adequately replace your current access to the property, but there will be opportunities to walk the property. To learn more about our efforts to consolidate and improve access to ACRES trails, please visit acreslandtrust.org/raisingourstandards. –Bridgett Hernandez, Communications Manager, ACRES Land Trust