In 2008, Indiana landowner John Bellman bought 104 acres near Bremen; 14 years later, an 8-acre wetland pond and prairie had turned it into a wildlife haven

When John Bellman bought 104 acres just outside Bremen, Indiana, in 2008, much of the land was productive farmland and part of it was forested. He was not a farmer; he was drawn to the land because it was near the town where he grew up and offered a chance to build a homestead, lease the tillable ground and use the wooded area for recreation. At first, Bellman leased the farmland to a farmer, but after two years he began to imagine a different use for the property.

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