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Speaker 1
20 minutes north of Ball State University, in the Mississippi River corridor, lies the 161 acres of Ginn Woods, the state's second largest protected old growth forest. The Ginn family from Ireland settled on the land in 1830 and did not clear it or allow livestock degrees on it. Ball State acquired it from the family in 1971. John Taylor with Ball State, says it's now a great educational resource for students.

00;00;23;05 - 00;00;45;13
Speaker 2
Ginn Woods has been a valuable destination for field trips at least since the 1950s. And it's so critical for our students precisely because of how rare high quality remnant natural areas have become, especially in this part of the state. 200 years ago, Delaware County was almost entirely forested. Now it's about 3 % forest. And those are tiny forest fragments.

00;00;45;16 - 00;01;04;09
Speaker 1
In asking for a state nature preserve dedication, Ball State would still retain ownership of the forested wetland. It would still be able to use the land for research. But if it were going to be altered in any significant wayl, Indiana Department of Natural Resources would have to be consulted. And Taylor says if someone was caught poaching on the land, the offense would be a state level one.

00;01;04;15 - 00;01;18;14
Speaker 1
Ball State trustees voted to approve the application. If designated a nature preserve by the state. it would be the second in Delaware County, joining the old Girl Scout camp called Muncie Woods near the Prairie Creek Reservoir. In Muncie, Stephanie Wiechmann, IPR news.