The preserve was donated by David and Kathy Dilcher and Rudi Turner. This Greene County property served as their playground and retreat for more than 40 years, and they wanted to preserve their land’s pristine ravines as a natural area for people to enjoy. Rudi, a retired Indiana University biology researcher who passed away in 2018, had a strong interest in orchids, which are found in the property. So are walking ferns and the uncommon Lycopodium (club moss).
David, a retired Indiana University biology professor, says the land is “especially interesting because some of the plants that live there are found in the fossil record in Europe but don’t live in Europe now, like sassafras.” David used to make herbarium specimens by collecting flowers, leaves, or fruits from trees at different times of year.
Restoration of the property began with the donors soon after they bought the land. At that time the ridgetop in the southeast portion of the property was a field with erosion problems, and they planted hundreds of pine trees to stabilize and reforest the ground. Sycamore has continued by controlling invasive bushes in this this area, including autumn olive, Asian bush honeysuckle, and multiflora rose. The forest downslope from the ridge and in the ravines has been undisturbed for a long time and is particularly high quality.
Canyon Forest Nature Preserve is located on County Rd 550 N, Solsberry, IN 47459. This property is owned and managed by Sycamore Land Trust.