River otters are expanding in Indiana and now occupy much of their historic range, representing a success story for wildlife conservation, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

Hoosiers now have a good chance of seeing river otters in many Indiana watersheds and in Gibson County, otters are considered ‘abundant’.

Officially considered extirpated from Indiana by 1942, river otters were absent from the landscape for more than 50 years. Then in 1995, wildlife officials began releasing otters into key areas of the state.

In its largest land protection project yet, Sycamore Land Trust has acquired a 1,043 acre tract adjoining the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge, one of only three national wildlife refuges in Indiana.

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The property contains marsh and forested wetlands, as well as upland tree and prairie plantings, providing diverse habitat for several endangered and threatened species such as bobcat, river otter, Indiana bat, copperbelly watersnake, and cerulean warbler.

Acquisition of this land has been a top priority for the managers of Patoka River NWR for over five years, but a deal failed to materialize. Peabody Energy ultimately agreed to sell the property to Sycamore Land Trust, who will have an agreement with the US Fish and Wildlife Service allowing the agency to manage the property as part of the refuge even though it will remain privately owned.

For the 12th consecutive year, Toyota Indiana invited all Gibson County third-grade students to YMCA Camp Carson to celebrate Earth Month.

This year’s activities focused on the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling and preserving the environment.  One of the new activities for this year included planting trees on the grounds of Camp Carson.  More than 400 students attended the day camp and participated in the interactive, hands-on activities.