From Strip Mine to Sanctuary

How One Landowner Brought 135 Acres Back to Life in Vermillion County, Indiana

By Chad Renbarger, Owner/Broker — Mossy Oak Properties Indiana Land & Lifestyle

When I first walked this 135-acre property in Vermillion County, Indiana, I will be honest — it was overwhelming. What stood before me was a former strip coal mine that had later been converted to a cattle farm. The ground was choked with fescue grass, scarred with overgrown ruts, and had virtually zero native vegetation or natural wildlife habitat to speak of.

The coal mining operation had planted invasive species across the property for erosion control — dense stands of Phragmites, a highly aggressive wetland grass that is notoriously difficult to eliminate, and Autumn Olive, an invasive shrub that spreads rapidly and crowds out native plants. Everywhere I looked, there was work to be done. It was the kind of property that could discourage even the most seasoned landowner.

But I was given a piece of advice that changed everything: take it one small piece at a time.

THE PLAN: DIVIDE, CONQUER, AND RESTORE

Rather than trying to tackle all 135 acres at once — which would have been impossible — we broke the property into manageable sections of 10 to 15 acres at a time. Each section went through the same systematic restoration process before we moved on to the next.

The process was not fast. It was not easy. But it was methodical, and it worked.

One of the most important decisions we made was in the seed mix. After working with a couple of wildlife biologists, we developed a habitat blend of 35 different blooming wildflowers to just one type of switchgrass seed. The reasoning was deliberate — in many habitat restoration projects we had observed, switchgrass was planted too heavily and quickly overtook the land, creating dense, impenetrable stands that wildlife could not move through. Our biologist-recommended mix ensured diversity, open structure, and year-round food and cover for a wide range of species.

Once a section was planted and established, we moved on to the next 10 to 15 acres and started the entire process over again. Section by section, year by year.

THE OTHER HALF OF THE EQUATION: PREDATOR MANAGEMENT

Habitat alone is not enough. One of the most impactful things we did alongside the habitat work was commit to serious, consistent predator management across the property. Ground-nesting birds like quail and turkey are particularly vulnerable to nest predation, and without addressing predator pressure, even the best habitat improvements will fall short.

We dedicated a significant amount of time and effort to predator control — and the results have been undeniable. This work, combined with the habitat restoration, is what has made the difference for our ground-nesting bird populations.

FIVE YEARS LATER: A PROPERTY TRANSFORMED

Standing on this property today and comparing it to what it looked like when I first purchased it is nothing short of remarkable. The transformation has been total — and the wildlife has responded in a way that has exceeded even our expectations.

The baby quail survival rate this year is the highest we have ever seen on this property. Turkey had never successfully nested here — until this year. Watching turkey poults moving through habitat that did not exist five years ago is one of the most rewarding things I have experienced as a landowner.

A NEW CHAPTER: RAISING PHEASANTS ON THE PROPERTY

One of the most exciting things we are currently doing is raising pheasants using a Surrogator — a specialized outdoor brooding unit designed to raise game birds in the field rather than in a traditional pen.

We acquired day-old pheasant chicks — just one day after hatching — and placed them directly into the Surrogator on the property. Now into their second week, they are thriving. After four to five weeks in the Surrogator, they will be released directly into the habitat we have spent five years building for them.

We believe we finally have the native habitat structure, food sources, and cover density to give these birds a real chance at survival. That is a statement we could not have made five years ago.

THE NEXT LAYER: NATIVE SHRUBS FOR FOOD AND COVER

As the wildflower and native grass mix has taken hold across the property, we have begun adding the next critical layer of habitat — native shrub plantings. We are currently establishing several species chosen specifically for their value to wildlife:

• American Plum: A native fruiting shrub that produces abundant small plums in late summer, providing high-energy food for deer, turkey, pheasant, and songbirds. Its dense, thorny structure also creates excellent escape cover.
• Gray Dogwood: One of the best all-around wildlife shrubs in the Midwest. Produces white berries that are a favorite of migrating birds, and its thicket-forming growth habit creates critical nesting and loafing cover for quail and other ground birds.
• Sumac: A fast-growing native that provides persistent fruit through the winter months when other food sources are gone — a critical resource for birds and deer during the hardest part of the year.
• Chokecherry: A native fruiting shrub and small tree that produces heavy crops of dark cherries in mid-summer, attracting a wide range of wildlife including deer, turkey, bear, and dozens of songbird species.
• Common Snowberry: A low-growing native shrub that produces clusters of white berries that persist into winter. Its dense branching provides excellent ground-level cover for quail and other small game.

Together, these five species add a vertical structure layer between the native grasses and any canopy above — creating the kind of edge habitat that quail, turkey, pheasant, and deer absolutely thrive in. The goal is a property that provides food, cover, and safe movement corridors in every season of the year.

WHAT EVERY LAND BUYER SHOULD KNOW

If there is one thing I want people to take away from this experience, it is this: you do not have to start with a perfect piece of ground.

I have been fortunate to do a lot of things with land over my lifetime — buying, selling, hunting, and stewarding it. This restoration project has been one of the most rewarding experiences of all of them. There is something deeply satisfying about walking ground that you personally brought back to life and watching wildlife thrive where nothing lived before.

The process requires patience, a solid plan, and the willingness to trust the biology. But the rewards — the quail calling at dawn, the turkey poults in the meadow, the pheasants moving through native wildflowers — are worth every bit of the effort.

Whether you are looking at a former strip mine, an overgrown farm, or a neglected piece of timber ground, here are the principles that guided this restoration:

• Work in sections: Do not try to fix everything at once. Ten to fifteen acres at a time is manageable and sustainable.
• Eliminate invasives completely: Phragmites and Autumn Olive will not surrender easily. Multiple burn and spray cycles down to bare dirt are necessary before you plant anything.
• Consult a biologist: The right seed mix for your region and your goals makes all the difference. Do not skip this step.
• Prioritize diversity over density: A mix of blooming wildflowers and native grasses creates far better wildlife habitat than a monoculture switchgrass planting.
• Control predators: Habitat without predator management will only get you so far. Both must work together.
• Add native shrubs for structure: Wildflowers and grasses are the foundation, but native shrubs like American Plum, Gray Dogwood, Sumac, Chokecherry, and Snowberry add the vertical cover and year-round food sources that take a habitat from good to exceptional.
• Be patient: This is a five-year story — and it is still being written. Land restoration is a long game, but the results compound over time.