In White County, Indiana, a 400-acre family farm is being transformed to support native wildlife, prairie plants and wetlands, fulfilling a conservation vision that began nearly two decades before its owner’s death. Lois Lynn Lowe Farris, who lived to be 99, left the property to NICHES Land Trust through her estate, ensuring that a significant portion of her family’s agricultural heritage would be protected and restored for future generations.
A family farming legacy spanning generations
She was born into a family that had been living in the Monon region since the early 1830s. In addition to agriculture, Farris always kept an eye on all animals and nature in general. Preserving her family land, heritage, nd wildlife habitat became her major concern. She first got acquainted with the NICHES in the early 2000s. This plan was set down in her will, providing the organization a clear direction for managing the property after her death. She also included other established conservation organizations in her estate plan, distributing her support across institutions with complementary roles. Upon receiving the farm, the property contained both cultivated fields alongside remnants of sand prairie and sand savanna. Over the years, grazing, fire suppression, and the spread of invasive plants had negatively affected these natural ecosystems, although some native plant species remained on the land. Among the native plants were leadplant, white false-indigo, and porcupine grass, which offered a foundation for restoration. The process started with thorough mapping and the removal of invasive vegetation. NICHES has stated that this is their largest restoration project. In the future, there are plans to enhance hydrology, support native plant communities, and turn farmland into habitat. But all of this will depend upon management of the area through control of invasive species and use of prescribed fires. For Farris, restoration of the site was about more than just preserving her family’s land. It was to give wildlife and native plants a better chance to thrive there. Her legacy proves that conservation does not always have to start out as a public crusade or a governmental project. Sometimes all that is needed for it to take place is for the right individual to recognize the worth of the land around her and make sure that it remains conserved well into the future.
Charles Lower, her great-great-grandfather, bought 240 acres once he moved to that region, and the total amount of land amounted to more than 900 acres in the end. All those lands were inherited from one generation to another, while Farris took care of her family farms and cattle breeding business after she graduated from International Business College of 4 Fort Wayne in 1941. Farris and NICHES had created a rudimentary plan by 2005 to return various areas of the North Farm back to dry prairie, savanna, wet prairie, and wetlands.
Because she chose to entrust the land to a grassroots organization that had fewer resources compared to other conservation groups, her decision was particularly significant.
