In the early 1900s, the nature preserve and surrounding areas were the "out of town" summer home of the Alexander Taggart family, who owned the Indianapolis Taggart Bakery and introduced Wonder Bread in 1921. In the late 1980s the condominiums of Springmill Lakes at Tamarack (aka SPLAT) and homes of Tamarack 17 were being developed and around the same time the nature preserve was created from 17 acres of floodplain along Williams Creek, under the 1971 Indiana Non-Profit Act. The official name for the nature preserve is Tamarack Recreational Corporation.
Eventually, the 17-acre property received Classified Forest and Wildlands certification from the Indiana DNR. To maintain certification, the DNR inspects the preserve every 5-7 years. The most recent inspection was successfully completed in 2023. Tamarack Nature Preserve is a private nature preserve for the enjoyment of the 106 condominiums and 17 homeowners along Tamarack Drive, who pay a small monthly fee to the Tamarack Recreational Corporation.
There are three distinct areas in the nature preserve, a forest, a meadow, and a seep, or wetland area. Having three different types of areas, the diversity of plants in this small nature preserve is greater than one might expect. Residents have identified hundreds of plants, insects, butterflies, birds, and animals and documented them in photo albums available for viewing on the SPLAT website.
https://springmilllakesattamarack.com/nature-preserve
Visits by DNR personnel, including the DNR's head botanist, Purdue University, USDA and others have resulted in a list of approximately 350 different plants found in the nature preserve.
Annual events in the nature preserve include a Spring Wildflower Walk, a garlic mustard pull to attempt to control this invasive plant, and a golf cart tour of the preserve for residents who are unable to walk the trails. The nature preserve has also organized concerts in the past few years, at the grassy area near the preserve entrance. These have been financed by "passing the hat" and/or by donations from generous residents.
2018 - A major honeysuckle removal project was begun, using a Fecon in the eastern wooded section of the nature preserve.
Follow-up cutting and spraying of resprouts is done periodically to control this invasive plant.
2019 - The first annual New Year's Day hike was organized and is now enjoyed every year by residents.
2020 - A boardwalk was installed at the entrance to make the nature preserve more consistently accessible, especially after
heavy rains.
2022 - A butterfly/pollinator habitat area of just under 1 acre was planted for the enjoyment of residents and pollinators.
2023 - A trail map was developed for the preserve, noting the location of approximately 35 different tree species adjacent
to the 0.9 miles of trails. This map was posted at the entrance and at the bridge, and contains a QR code which will link
users to the map and the tree listing, for the purpose of self-guided tree observation.
2024 - A total of 61 residents, neighbors, and friends attended the April 8 Total Eclipse Party in the nature preserve.
Use of the nature preserve by residents has continued to increase the past few years. The boardwalk installation was timely, it was constructed just before the 2020 Covid Pandemic, when people were looking for nearby outdoor recreation. Interest in the preserve has also increased since the installation of the butterfly habitat and due to the nature preserve newsletter which lets residents know of activities and events.
Written by Greg Harker/Bernie Pierce - September 2024
