This event could be cancelled due to COVID conditions. The Big Oaks Conservation Society hosts an annual Open House at the historic Old Timbers Lodge on Saturday, Sept. 10, from 1 pm to 6 pm. Access to the lodge will be from two gates on Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge. The gates that will be open will be Gate 1A on the east perimeter road near the white gate house and Gate 8 which is about 1 mile south of New Marion on Old Michigan Road.
The Society will offer tours of the Lodge and provide light refreshments. Refuge staff will offer short tours of portions of Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge. The Society will also provide information about their mission and volunteer opportunities at Big Oaks and at Old Timbers Lodge. Other local conservation groups will have informational booths set up for visitors to discover outdoor opportunities in the surrounding communities.
Big Oaks Conservation Society is a local non-profit Friends group that supports the mission and activities of the Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge. The Society also manages and cares for the historic Old Timbers Lodge, in cooperation with the Indiana Air National Guard's Jefferson Range. The lodge, completed in 1932 by Alexander Thomson, vice president of Champion Paper Company, is located on a scenic overlook of Graham Creek just off K Road in the northeast corner of the refuge.