LAKE LEMON — Lake Lemon Woods is now the Bob Klawitter Lake Lemon Woods.
On Nov. 2, this 16-acre wooded hillside, managed by the Sycamore Land Trust, was dedicated to the memory of Robert “Bob” Klawitter, a well-respected grassroots environmental leader who died in a traffic accident on Sept. 10, 1996.
Kathy Klawitter, Bob’s wife, said the idea to dedicate a wooded parcel in honor of Klawitter originated at his funeral. As the founder of the Southern Indiana organization, Protect Our Woods, Bob advocated for no logging on federal lands while sustainably protecting privately owned woodlands. He saw the protection of large tracts of interior forests as the ultimate goal in maintaining deep forest habitat for the myriad species who depend on that ecosystem such as migratory songbirds.
“Bob advocated for smart growth cities,” said Jeff Stant, executive director of the Indiana Forest Alliance. “Urban sprawl and expanding networks of roads and highways, such as the new-terrain I-69 project, are the enemy of rural life, dissecting farms and forests and encouraging commercial development while eliminating sensitive ecosystems.”
While Bob’s views might have seemed radical or unpopular to some, Kathy said he was able to build bridges between rural and urban people, working closely with farmers, hunters, forest service professionals, legislators and woodland owners in southern Indiana.
That Bob was posthumously honored with a Sagamore of the Wabash Award in 1997 is a testament to his unwavering environmental advocacy.
Bob served as a board member and as vice president of the Hoosier Environmental Council, then directed by Stant. HEC honored Bob by renaming its lifetime environmental achievement award that recognizes influential environmentalists as the Robert Louis Klawitter Lifetime Environmental Achievement Award.
The Lake Lemon Woods includes a half-mile loop trail. From the woods, once the leaves have fallen, visitors can catch a glimpse of Lake Lemon.
The dedication of these woods is a fitting tribute to Bob, according to Kathy. “The best use of this piece of land is to protect it from development,” she said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”If you go” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Where: Bob Klawitter Lake Lemon Woods, 7750 Wildwood Drive, Unionville, just inside Monroe County
What: Half-loop trail with a glimpse of Lake Lemon when the leaves are off the trees
Note: Parking is extremely limited.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
