Two Indiana landowners were recently recognized with the 2025 Charles Deam Forest Stewardship Award by the Indiana Forestry & Woodland Owners Association (IFWOA), for their commitment to sustainable forest management.
This year’s winners were Evan and Mimi Kokoska from Hamilton County. They also own more than 200 acres of woodlands in Parke County. Evan tells Hoosier Ag Today that it was purchased by his father nearly 40 years ago.
“My dad grew up in Pennsylvania, and he really wanted to find some property that reminded him somewhat of Pennsylvania,” he says. “Parke County is hilly enough that that tweaked him on it. Both my parents died two years ago, and over the last 10-to-15 years, I’ve been doing the bulk of the care of the property.”
Evan says he and his wife Mimi have completed many conservation projects on the property.
“Our first and foremost priority is wildlife,” he says. “We worked with an Indiana forester, Perry Seitzinger, and our goal was to establish a woodland area that is best for wildlife, but also if timbering gets us there, so be at it. So, we did a large, selective timbering this last year, and created a wetland out of an old pond area.”
Another one of their projects involved prepping part of the woodlands to encourage the growth of truffles.
“We took five acres that was being tilled and prepped it with cover crop and a boatload of lime to get the full ph up,” he says. “We’ve planted 2,000 trees that are inoculated with two different kinds of truffle species, and it may or may not be successful—we probably won’t know for another three-to-four years if our truffles survive the winters of Indiana, but if nothing else, we have a bunch of trees out there.”
There were three additional regional finalists that included:
- Dennis Feldmann of Lawrence County in south central Indiana, was honored for managing his property with a focus on wildlife habitat and timber production.
- David Argo of Switzerland County in Southeast Indiana, was recognized for his dedication to wildlife habitat, recreation, and land stewardship on his 203-acre property.
- Emerson/Bratton Farms of Gibson County in southwest Indiana, received recognition for continuing a family legacy that started on this property in 1811. Three generations are working to control invasive species and improve wildlife habitat on the property.
The Deam award honors outstanding Indiana woodland owners who demonstrate good forest stewardship. Charles Deam, Indiana’s first state forester, was a pioneer in recognizing the need for protecting woodlands and managing our forests.
Nominations for 2026 will be accepted starting in May 2026, learn more at www.ifwoa.org.
CLICK BELOW to hear Hoosier Ag Today’s full conversation with Evan and Mimi Kokoska, as they share more about the conservation practices they have put into place on their woodland property in Parke County:
