Sycamore Land Trust was awarded a one-year, $23,000 grant from the Indianapolis Zoological Society to study two rare species, the Kirtland’s snake and cypress firefly.
Sycamore Land Trust, a Bloomington-based conservation nonprofit, protects more than 11,000 acres of Southern Indiana land, including wetland areas that have rolled back protections under new state law.
Read more: Sycamore Land Trust restores Monroe County wetland
The grant will also assist in habitat management at the Beanblossom Creek Conservation Area. Both of the species studied in the grant live in Beanblossom.
Sycamore plans to restore 60 acres of Beanblossom wetland with native plants, which will improve the habitat for these two species.
Biologists discovered the cypress firefly in 2017. Researchers believe Beanblossom is the farthest north habitat in which the fireflies live.
Read more: "BioBlitz" finds new inhabitants at Beanblossom preserve
“The habitat that the Cypress trees typically grow in — must be something about it that they need,” Fox said. “But yet they're finding it at Beanblossom Bottoms without the trees.”
The Kirtland’s snakes spend most of their time underground, Fox said. The team plans to study their movement patterns.
“If you have a population that is potentially going to be impacted by development — since we have less protection of wetlands anymore — can they move to an area that is protected?” Fox said.
Fox hopes Sycamore can extend the grant to maximize their efforts in this study.
Sycamore also plans to share its findings with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Indianapolis Zoo, the Global Center for Species Survival, Xerces Society, and other conservation departments.
