ACRES blog - ACRES Land Trust

ACRES Land Trust Announces Leadership Transition After 20 Years

Jason Kissel, executive director of ACRES Land Trust since 2006, will step down on July 31 after 20 years of service, the organization announced. ACRES Land Trust is a member-supported ...

06/04/2026
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Chung & Sage Lee Natural Area

When Chung and Sage Lee bought 71 wooded acres outside of Columbia City in 1988, they dreamed of someday retiring to the rural retreat. They couldn’t imagine a better place ...

06/02/2026
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Thoreau Wildlife Preserve

The newest ACRES preserve is already a familiar name in Defiance, Ohio. ACRES acquired the 250-acre Thoreau Wildlife Reserve in late 2025, but its restoration from overworked farmland to nature ...

05/14/2026
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The Mackel Family Nature Preserve

One thing we see over and over again with new land donors is the connections they have with other conservationists. For Jerry Mackel, his approach to land protection was deeply ...

04/09/2026
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Hutsell Brogan Preserve

Meeting with Bruce and Molly throughout the acquisition process was a real treat, and that’s not just because they grow some of the tastiest tomatoes around! Spending time with folks ...

03/12/2026
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From Sap To Syrup

It started with an email in February 2020. ACRES Stewardship Director Evan Hill reached out to ask if I’d be interested in helping map and mark a new sugar bush ...

03/02/2026
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Roberts’ Woods On Cedar Creek

We moved back to our hometown of Fort Wayne in early 1968, a few years after our marriage. Carol’s father, Frank Dulin, told us about a property for sale north ...

02/20/2026
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Finding Magic in Winter’s Stillness

Trails are always busy when there are vibrant bursts of color — reds and golds on a cool day in autumn, pastels of wildflowers on a warm spring day and ...

02/02/2026
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Lichens: The Fascinating Organisms Hiding in Plain Sight

What Are Lichens? Lichens can be easily overlooked, but they are one of the more fascinating and widespread organisms that exist all around us. They grow in a wide range ...

12/01/2025
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From ‘For Sale’ to ‘Protected Forever’: The Riegsecker Family Legacy

From a chance discovery to permanent protection, the Riegsecker family legacy spans seven decades of conservation. On Palm Sunday, April 11, 1965, a tornado struck Jesse and Agnes Riegsecker’s homestead ...

10/24/2025
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