The Glaciated Section: Not much 'nature' left
Think Southern Indiana nature, and the Glaciated Section of the Southwestern Lowlands Natural Region doesn't leap to mind – for good reason. The land is low and flat. And what little nature that's left is mostly healing scars. Of the nine natural areas I've explored, from the Wabash River in West Terre Haute to the Prairie Creek north of Washington, all but two are entirely or partly old coal mines, now owned and managed by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Even the 2,600-acre Wabashiki Fish & Wildlife Area (FWA) on the Wabash's west bank in Vigo County includes some old strip pits. The Thousand Acre Woods Nature Preserve in Daviess County has never been mined, but Prairie Creek's north and south forks, which converge within its boundaries, both have been ditched for agriculture. The 8,064-acre Goose Pond FWA – the section's ecological gem – is a reconstructed wetland, bisected by a busy state highway.
But in terms of preservation, the Glaciated Section's protected natural areas are as important, if not more so, than their spectacular counterparts to the east. They are also a testament to the role hunting and fishing plays in the state's conservation efforts.