Conley Wildlife Refuge

 

Location: From Elkhart, take SR 120 to Bristol, then turn right on SR 15; go two miles to CR 14, turn right again to CR 23 (less than a mile). Turn left and go about half a mile; the preserve is on the right.

Description: Not Visited. Sandy prairie and some small ponds; apparently a lot of water birds and other wildlife. There is a population of pipsissewa here, according to the Nature Conservancy book; what the hell is that?  Here's a field report from Judith Nelsen:

We found Conley but it was virtually inaccessible. It's pretty precarious to park on the side of the road (drop-offs), dense trees and undergrowth and no path from the road. I'm sure you could get through it with good hiking boots and by beating aside some bushes but we didn't want to disturb the vegetation, so just left it alone. (Also feared encountering the rampaging pipsissewa or getting between it and its young...)

Nearby Points of Interest: Bonneyville Mills(?), Leacock Woods, Shoup Parsons Swamp, W. L. Lieber Preserve

Cautions: Beware the rampaging pipsissewa; be especially careful not to get between them and their young.

Ownership: The Nature Conservancy. 

 

National Forest