Central Indiana Land Trust names nature preserve to honor Efroymson family

Thursday, November 6, 2025 at 9:47 AM

By Staff report

The Central Indiana Land Trust, Inc. (CILTI) has renamed Fern Station, the 570-acre nature preserve west of Greencastle, the Efroymson Preserve at Fern Station in recognition of the Efroymson family’s generous support for protecting Indiana nature.

To ensure important wildlife and plants at the site will be protected forever, the Efroymson Family Fund contributed $500,000 toward the 2023 purchase of the land. The state’s Next Level Conservation Trust had offered a $3.1 million three-to-one match toward the property’s purchase. The Efroymsons’ early gift spurred many more partners and supporters to step up and save Fern Station within a matter of months—an unprecedented time frame for such an ambitious project.

Since the land trust’s earliest days, the family’s generosity to the mission has been unsurpassed. Now, in recognition of CILTI’s 35^th anniversary, the Efroymson Family Fund will match every gift to CILTI through Dec. 31, 2025, dollar-for-dollar up to $350,000.

“We are deeply grateful for the Efroymson family’s transformational generosity,” said Cliff Chapman, president and CEO of the Central Indiana Land Trust. “From the beginning, they helped professionalize our organization and provide the capacity we needed. More recently, their generosity has safeguarded hundreds of acres of Indiana’s most important natural areas, restored critical habitats and made it possible to plant thousands of trees.”

About the Efroymson Family Fund

Established in 1998, the Efroymson Family Fund, a fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, provides financial support to a diverse range of issues including arts and culture, historic preservation, the environment and helping those in need. To date, the Efroymson Family Fund has awarded more than $151 million in grants. www.cicf.org/efroymson-family-fund

About the Central Indiana Land Trust

The Central Indiana Land Trust (CILTI) preserves the best of Central Indiana’s natural areas, protecting plants and animals, so Hoosiers can experience the wonder of the state’s natural heritage. Since it was created in 1990, CILTI has protected more than 8,000 acres of land that meet science-based criteria for conservation value. www.ConservingIndiana.org