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Fake hunting lease leads to arrest of Indiana man

By JACK SPAULDING
Spaulding Outdoors 
 
A French Lick man is facing charges after allegedly drafting fake hunting leases and allowing his clients to trespass on multiple properties in Orange County, including the French Lick Resort property.
Thirty-six-year-old Samuel Hughes was arrested by Indiana conservation officers on Nov. 11 and incarcerated at the Orange County jail on charges of Theft, Level 6 Felony.
While responding to a trespass complaint on French Lick Resort property, officers learned multiple hunters from Michigan and other states had paid Hughes, owner of Nature’s Ridge Whitetails Outfitters, in exchange for a one-year exclusive hunting lease.
Officers’ investigation revealed Hughes never had permission to lease the properties, and had drafted the written contracts with unsuspecting out-of-state hunters for fees exceeding thousands of dollars.
They executed a search warrant on Hughes’ cell phone, and during a subsequent interview, Hughes confessed to his involvement in the operation  He was arrested without incident.
The investigation is ongoing, and additional witnesses and victims are being sought. Individuals believing they may have been a victim of the operation, or with additional information pertinent to the investigation, are encouraged to contact Conservation Officers’ Central Dispatch at 812-837-9536.
Duke Energy grant for
Versailles accessible trail

Nature lovers of various physical abilities will be able to explore the woods and wildflowers of Versailles State Park thanks to a $20,000 grant from Duke Energy. The grant will be used to buy a trail building machine for the construction of the park’s first accessible trail.
The machine, which is a skid steer with a dirt-moving blade, will greatly reduce the number of volunteers and staff labor hours needed to complete the project. “This proposed trail will allow everyone who visits to enjoy the beauty that Versailles State Park has to offer,” said Versailles Assistant Manager Brad Walker.
The trail will be made of compacted crushed stone meeting Americans with Disabilities Act standards. It will have a parking area and will explore wooded, rolling hills with a myriad of wildflowers and sweeping views of Laughery Creek.
Versailles staff is working with the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation, Southeastern Indiana Mountain Bike Assoc., The Friends of Versailles State Park, Duke Energy and Batesville Tool and Die. Duke Energy and Versailles invite the public to help support trail building efforts through upcoming volunteer days and through donations. Volunteer days will be announced in future news releases.
Versailles State Park, off U.S. Highway 50, is the second largest state park in Indiana, at 5,982 acres. It has about 25 miles of horseback riding trail, 20 miles of mountain bike trail and 7.5 miles of hiking trails.  About 275,000 people visit the park every year.
Versailles State Park information is available online at www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/2963.htm
Geminids meteor
shower at Lake Monroe

Lake Monroe will host a viewing event for the Geminids at Paynetown State Recreation Area on Dec. 13 from 6:30-8 p.m. The event will take place near Deer Run Shelter; a directional sign will be posted at the Entrance Gatehouse.
The property’s naturalist, Jill Vance, will explain the science behind the meteor shower and provide a fire and hot chocolate to help keep attendees warm. Vance recommends bringing folding chairs or blankets to recline on for more comfortable sky viewing.
Usually one of the strongest showers each year, the Geminids often produce bright and intensely colored meteors. Check the weather forecast before heading out. The program requires clear (or mostly clear) skies and will be canceled if there is too much cloud cover.
If sky conditions look iffy, you can check the program status any time after 4 p.m. by calling the Paynetown Activity Center at 812-837-9967 or going to www.facebook.com/monroelake
“We’ve been unlucky the past couple of years,” Vance observed, “and the clouds have not cooperated. We’re crossing our fingers in hopes of clear skies this year!”
Paynetown State Recreation Area is located at 4850 South State Road 446, Bloomington, IN 47401. There is no entrance fee charged during the winter months.
NRC approves new nature
preserve, adds to another

The Indiana Natural Resources Commission on Nov. 17 approved the 270th state-dedicated nature preserve and a significant addition to an existing preserve. The new sites are the Wapi-nipi Nature Preserve in Wayne County and the Moraine Addition Nature Preserve in Porter County.
Wapi-nipi is a 114-acre property approximately five miles southwest of Richmond and within the Bicentennial Conservation Area announced by Gov. Mike Pence in 2014. It consists of a tall, west-facing bluff overlooking Whitewater River with the uplands dominated by high quality mixed deciduous forest.
The tract is owned and managed by Whitewater Valley Land Trust and was purchased with funding assistance from the Indiana Heritage Trust and the Bicentennial Nature Trust. Wapi-nipi is the Miami Indians’ word for Whitewater.
The Moraine site is 406 acres’ addition to the existing Moraine Nature Preserve, a 474-acre property owned by the Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Nature Preserves. The addition protects an area of rolling ridges, steep hills, muck pockets, pot holes, shallow ponds, fens and a tributary of Coffee Creek. It includes a combination of natural communities, including a mature beech-maple forest and a rare sedge meadow.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments may contact Jack Spaulding by email at jackspaulding@hughes.net or by writing to him in care of this publication.
12/3/2015