Eagle Slough
The Issue: Wetlands targeted for preservation.

The immediate Evansville area has a wonderful, if sometimes underappreciated, wealth of natural attractions and resources. Tri-State residents have many opportunities to appreciate the environment and nature at such locales as Wesselman Woods, Blue River Fish and Wildlife Area, Audubon Park, the Howell Wetlands, Pigeon Creek and the riverfront, to name just a few.

These and other outdoor resources surely enhance our quality of life.

Now, we may soon be able to add to that list Eagle Slough, an old drainage area on the Southeast Side that four conservation groups have targeted to preserve for wetlands conservation and public education.

A lot of us know this area, even if we didn't know before now what it is called. We see it when we drive to and from Evansville just south of Interstate 164. The 127-acre tract is directly north of Ellis Park on Waterworks Road, east of U.S. 41 and south of I-164.

Included on the property is a an abandoned railroad track bed that could provide the base for a trail that could be handicap accessible, said attorney Greg Meyer, a project supporter.

The four groups are the Vanderburgh County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Four Rivers Resources Conservation and Development Area, the Wesselman Nature Society and the Nature Conservancy.

Of the property, 74 acres were previously owned by the state of Indiana, and 53 acres were donated by Traylor Brothers Inc. construction company.

The plan is for the four groups to pool their resources for maintenance of the area and to utilize their grant-writing expertise for the slough. In the meantime, they are planning a public information meeting at 6:30 p.m. March 13 in the Browning Room of the Evansville-Vanderburgh Central Library.

We applaud those who helped secure the land and the groups that have taken on this worthy task. Each time we add to the inventory of conservation and recreation areas, we enrich the lives of all who live in the region.

© Editorial Page: The Evansville Courier & Press, used with permission