Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation has purchased 44½ acres of property along the southeast corner of Syracuse Lake.Known as the Martin and Edna Geraldine Dider property, the new purchase includes 7 acres on the west side of Eastshore Drive along the railroad track and the remaining 34 acres is located on the east side of Eastshore Drive, north of the CSX railroad tracks. The latest purchase was added to property acquired by WACF during the last 15 years including the Syracuse and Boner lakes wetland, Buck Island and approximately 950 feet of shoreline on Boner Lake.“The property is the confluence of Syracuse, Wawasee, Boner and Mud lakes and its preservation and protection is vitally important to our mission. This property, along with other WACF acquisitions, extends the protected Syracuse Lake wetlands from the lake east to Warner Road,” said Sam Leman, chairman of the WACF board of directors.The WACF mission is to preserve and protect the Wawasee Area Watershed for present and future generations. The watershed ecosystem includes Syracuse, Wawasee, Bonar and Papakeechie lakes, as well as 10 lakes in the Turkey Creek sub-watershed. The wetlands and adjoining properties that are crucial to the WACF mission were originally mapped and identified by the Commonwealth Engineering Study of 1995.“This property has long been of interest to us and its acquisition brings the total WACF watershed protected property to nearly 820 acres and over 12 miles of shoreline,” said Tom Yoder, WACF board member and chairman of the land acquisition committee.WACF is a 501c(d) non-profit organization with the mission to protect, preserve and enhance the Wawasee Area Watershed. WACF is 100 percent donor-supported and operates under the direction of a 21-member volunteer board of directors, assisted by an executive director.WACF headquarters, Levinson-LaBrosse Wetlands Education Center, is located at 11586 N. S.R. 13, Syracuse.For more information: info@wacf.com or www.wacf.com. Phone: (574) 457-4549.