From List of National Natural Landmarks, these are the National Natural Landmarks in Indiana. [1]
Name | Image | Date | Location | County | Ownership | Description | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Big Walnut Creek | 1985 [2] | Bainbridge 39°47′48″N86°46′39″W / 39.796749°N 86.777474°W | Putnam | State & private | Contains one of the few stands in Indiana where beech, sugar maple, and tulip poplar grow on alluvial Genesee soil. | |
2 | Cabin Creek Raised Bog | 1974 | Farmland 40°08′13″N85°07′33″W / 40.1368101°N 85.1257457°W | Randolph | Private | One of the few known inland raised bogs in the United States. It has a very rich flora including many species at or near their range limits. | |
3 | Calvert and Porter Woods | 1974 | New Ross 40°01′22″N86°43′19″W / 40.0228369°N 86.7218275°W | Montgomery | State | One of the finest near-virgin remnant forests in the Tipton Till Plain of central Indiana. | |
4 | Cowles Bog | 1965 | Chesterton 41°38′15″N87°05′32″W / 41.6375°N 87.092222°W | Porter | Federal | Part of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, this is the sole remaining remnant of the Central Dunes where Henry Chandler Cowles performed his pioneering field studies of plant succession and species diversity. | |
5 | Davis-Purdue Agriculture Center Forest | 1974 | Farmland 40°15′12″N85°08′53″W / 40.2533425°N 85.1480344°W | Randolph | State | The best old growth oak-hickory forest on the Tipton Till Plain. | |
6 | Donaldson Cave System and Woods | 1972 | Mitchell 38°43′49″N86°24′55″W / 38.73022°N 86.4153307°W | Lawrence | State | Located in Spring Mill State Park. A stream flows from a cave through the bottom of a gorge. | |
7 | Dunes Nature Preserve | 1974 | Porter 41°39′36″N87°02′24″W / 41.660°N 87.040°W | Porter | State | A part of Indiana Dunes State Park. Inter-dunal wetlands and blowouts along Lake Michigan | |
8 | Fern Cliff Nature Preserve | 1980 | Greencastle 39°36′40″N86°57′49″W / 39.610985°N 86.96366°W | Putnam | Private | Contains exceptional occurrences of mosses and liverworts, including a noteworthy number of rare species. | |
9 | Hanging Rock and Wabash Reef | 1986 | Lagro 40°49′48″N85°42′26″W / 40.83°N 85.70722°W | Wabash | Private | Contains an impressive natural exposure of fossilized coral reef dating from the Silurian Period some 400 million years ago. The limestone reef deposit rises 75 feet (23 m) above the river and is being undercut by it, giving the site its "hanging" appearance. | |
10 | Harrison Spring | 1980 | Depauw 38°14′41″N86°13′31″W / 38.244755°N 86.225143°W | Harrison | Private | A portion of the water that feeds the spring originates from Indian Creek, and then goes underground until it reaches the spring area. It produces at least three million US gallons (11,000,000 L; 2,500,000 imp gal) of water a day at an average of 18,000 US gallons per minute (1,100 L/s), enough to supply water to an average town of 12,000 | |
11 | Hemmer Woods | 1973 | Oakland City 38°13′51″N87°22′15″W / 38.230768°N 87.370935°W | Gibson | State & private | Original southwestern Indiana oak-hickory forest. | |
12 | Hoosier Prairie | 1974 | Griffith 41°31′22″N87°27′27″W / 41.522683°N 87.457572°W | Lake | Federal | Part of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Wetland prairie remnant of sand plains, sedge meadows, and marshes. | |
13 | Hoot Woods | 1973 | Freedom 39°15′00″N86°53′22″W / 39.249897°N 86.889462°W | Owen | Private | A relatively undisturbed, isolated beech-maple forest in which near climax conditions prevails. | |
14 | Kramer Woods | 1973 | Reo 37°50′38″N87°08′17″W / 37.843932°N 87.137981°W | Spencer | State | The only example of a Shumard's red oak-pin oak-hickory dominated stand of lowland mixed forest of any size in Indiana. | |
15 | Marengo Cave | 1984 | Marengo 38°22′32″N86°20′24″W / 38.37555°N 86.33993°W | Crawford | Private | One of only four show caves in Indiana, public tours of the cave have been given since 1883. Tours commenced just days after the cave's discovery by two school children. | |
16 | Meltzer Woods | 1973 | Shelbyville 39°30′10″N85°40′04″W / 39.5028°N 85.6678°W | Shelby | Private | Contains two contrasting forest types and exceptionally large individuals of several tree species. | |
17 | Officer's Woods | 1974 | Seven miles northwest of Madison [3] | Jefferson | Private | One of the finest remnants of beech-maple forest south of the Wisconsin-age glacial boundary in Indiana. Contains two stands which differ slightly in composition, one of which contains an exceptionally high density of black gum. | |
18 | Ohio Coral Reef | 1966 | Clarksville 38°16′36″N85°45′56″W / 38.27665°N 85.76544°W | Floyd | Federal | A classic example of a Silurian and Devonian coral community. Extends into Kentucky. Part of Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife Conservation Area. | |
19 | Pine Hills Natural Area | 1968 | Waveland 39°56′34″N87°02′58″W / 39.94276°N 87.049348°W | Montgomery | State | A unit of Shades State Park. Deep gorges, the result of the last glacial meltwaters. | |
20 | Pinhook Bog | 1965 | Michigan City 41°36′54″N86°50′54″W / 41.615°N 86.848333°W | LaPorte | Federal | Part of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. A bog formed from a postglacial kettle moraine left behind about 14,000 years before the present by the melting of the ice sheet during the end of the Wisconsin glaciation. The acidic bog is noted for pitcher plants and other wetland species. | |
21 | Pioneer Mothers Memorial Forest | 1974 | Paoli 38°32′10″N86°27′32″W / 38.536°N 86.459°W | Orange | Federal | One of the best examples of an original, undisturbed presettlement forest in Indiana. Part of Hoosier National Forest. | |
22 | Portland Arch Nature Preserve | 1973 | Covington 40°13′07″N87°20′09″W / 40.218611°N 87.335833°W | Fountain | State | The preserve encompasses the wooded valleys, ravines, and rocky cliffs around the lowest section of Bear Creek. The name comes from a natural sandstone bridge carved by a small tributary of Bear Creek. | |
23 | Rise at Orangeville | 1972 | West Baden Springs 38°37′52″N86°33′26″W / 38.63115°N 86.55711°W | Orange | Private | Orangeville Rise of Lost River Nature Preserve is the second largest spring in the state of Indiana. | |
24 | Rocky Hollow Falls Canyon Nature Preserve | 1974 | Marshall 39°53′37″N87°12′17″W / 39.893739°N 87.204589°W | Parke | State | Rocky Hollow and Falls Canyon are two of a series of canyons cut into the sandstone of Turkey Run. Located in Turkey Run State Park. | |
25 | Shrader-Weaver Woods | 1974 | Bentonville 39°43′13″N85°13′20″W / 39.720309°N 85.222321°W | Fayette | State | Old growth beech-maple forest with a pioneer homestead. Includes tulip, wild black cherry, and black walnut trees. | |
26 | Tamarack Bog | 1973 | Mongo 41°40′35″N85°15′44″W / 41.676361°N 85.262314°W | LaGrange | State | A large tamarack tree swamp located within the Pigeon River Fish and Wildlife Area. | |
27 | Tolliver Swallowhole | 1972 | Orleans 38°36′58″N86°29′41″W / 38.616197°N 86.494599°W | Orange | Private | An extraordinary example of the disappearing stream aspect of karst topography. | |
28 | Wesley Chapel Gulf (Elrod Gulf) [4] | 1972 | Orleans 38°37′21″N86°31′19″W / 38.622452°N 86.521906°W | Orange | Federal | Probably the largest sinkhole in Indiana. Located in Hoosier State Forest. | |
29 | Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve | 1973 | Evansville 37°59′05″N87°30′22″W / 37.984722°N 87.506111°W | Vanderburgh | Municipal | A southern old growth forest | |
30 | Wyandotte Caves | 1972 | Leavenworth 38°13′41″N86°17′46″W / 38.228056°N 86.296111°W | Crawford | State | Straddles O'Bannon Woods State Park and Harrison-Crawford State Forest. Caves began to form in the Pliocene Era, about 2 million years ago. Like most of Southern Indiana's caves, the caves were formed when water dissolved limestone, causing hollow caves to form. | |
USS Elrod (FFG-55), an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, is a ship of the United States Navy named after Captain Henry T. Elrod (1905–1941), a Marine aviator who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism in the defense of Wake Island in World War II.
Indiana Dunes State Park is an Indiana State Park located in Porter County, Indiana, United States, 47 miles (75.6 km) east of Chicago. The park is bounded by Lake Michigan to the northwest and is surrounded by as well as within the authorized boundaries of Indiana Dunes National Park, a unit of the National Park Service; the NPS owns the water from the ordinary high water mark to 300 feet (91 m) offshore. The 1,530-acre (619.2 ha) Dunes Nature Preserve makes up the bulk of eastern part of the park, and includes most of the park's hiking trails and dune landscape. This was one of the first places Richard Lieber considered when establishing the Indiana State Park system. Like all Indiana state parks, there is a fee for entrance. Indiana Dunes State Park was established in 1925 and designated a National Natural Landmark in 1974.
The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in both public and private ownership. The program was established on May 18, 1962, by United States Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall.
Marengo Cave is a privately owned cave located in Marengo, Indiana. One of only four show caves in Indiana, public tours of the cave have been given since 1883. Tours commenced just days after the cave's discovery by two school children. The cave was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1984.
Big Bog State Recreation Area, a recent addition to the Minnesota state park system, is located on Minnesota State Highway 72, north of Waskish, Minnesota. It covers 9,459 acres (38.3 km2), primarily swamps, bogs, and upland "islands".
Harrison Spring is the largest spring in the U.S. state of Indiana. It is located in west-central Harrison County, near the Blue River and just north of White Cloud.
The Wyandotte Caves is a pair of limestone caves located on the Ohio River in Harrison-Crawford State Forest in Crawford County, 5 miles (8 km) north-east of Leavenworth and 12 miles (19 km) from Corydon in southern Indiana which are a popular tourist attraction. Wyandotte Caves were designated a National Natural Landmark in 1972. They are now part of O'Bannon Woods State Park. The cave system is the 5th largest in the state of Indiana.
The Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks are a group of 20 metropolitan parks in and around Columbus, Ohio. They are officially organized into the Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Park District. The Metro Parks system was organized in 1945 under Ohio Revised Code Section 1545 as a separate political division of the state of Ohio. The Metro Parks are overseen by a Board of Park Commissioners consisting of three citizens appointed to three-year terms without compensation by the Judge of the Probate Court of Franklin County, Ohio. The Board in turn appoints an Executive Director responsible for operations and management of the parks.
Pinhook Bog is a unique bog in Indiana that has been designated a National Natural Landmark. It is part of Indiana Dunes National Park, an area that many citizens, scientists, and politicians fought hard to preserve. Its sister bog, Volo Bog, is located nearby. The bog contains a large variety of plants, including insect eating plants, tamarack trees, stands of blueberry bushes, and floating mats of sphagnum moss. Pinhook Bog is about 580 acres (2.3 km2), a quarter of which is a floating mat of sphagnum peat moss. A "moat" separates the bog from the uplands.
Cowles Bog is a 4,000-year-old wetland complex in Indiana Dunes National Park, near Chesterton, Indiana. It is named for Henry Chandler Cowles who did his pioneering work in ecology and ecological succession here. His work brought international attention to the area which led to efforts to preserve the Indiana Dunes. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1965. It contains bog, fen, marsh, wet meadow, swamp, and pond habitats.
The Lost River is a river that rises in Vernon Township, Washington County, Indiana, and discharges into the East Fork of the White River in Lost River Township, Martin County, Indiana. The river's unusual hydrology has led to two of its features being named as National Natural Landmarks.
Thompson Pond in Pine Plains, New York is a 75-acre (30 ha) 15,000-year-old glacial kettle pond at the foot of 1,403-foot (428 m) Stissing Mountain. It is the source of Wappinger Creek, a tributary of the Hudson River that drains much of Dutchess County.
The Big Walnut Preserve, also called the Big Walnut Creek Preserve, is a 2,400-acre complex of largely forested lands located in Putnam County, Indiana, near Bainbridge. Identified as a beech–maple forest with a substantial admixture of tulip poplar, the wooded land parcel complex was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1985. The complex is co-managed by the Nature Conservancy and by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR).