Charleston is now acquiring property around Lake Charleston in order to make a nature preserve for people to enjoy around the lake.

After the city finishes buying the two pieces of privately owned land around Lake Charleston, it will own all of the land around the lake and will be able to preserve the natural surroundings, said Mayor Dan Cougill. Also, if the area is owned by the city, the lake will be more accessible to visitors rather than being landlocked.

“The underlying theme is that we want to be a natural area,” Cougill said.

Lake Charleston is the town’s water source, so it needs to be protected along with the natural greenery and wildlife. Cougill said the preserve would be similar to the Douglas-Hart Nature Center in Mattoon.

The property purchase should be completed by the end of the year, and the city plans to put trails in the natural area in the future, Cougill said. There is a clearing of land that could possibly be used for a parking lot.

“The purpose is to keep it natural,” Cougill said.

The area could also be a learning environment for Eastern and grade school students.

The property owners are very supportive of selling their land to the city, and it is land that would be difficult to build any property on anyways, Cougill said.

The property purchase will cost $440,000 and will come from grants and private donations. One of the funding sources for this project is the Department of Natural Resources.