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April 15, 2008

Wetland habitat coming in ’09

Vigo Park Department to make hiking trails, boat ramp along Wabash River near West Terre Haute

By Howard Greninger

WEST TERRE HAUTE — Conservation work to restore a wetland and wildlife habitat along the Wabash River near West Terre Haute will begin in 2009 as result of joint federal, state and Vigo County funds.

Gov. Mitch Daniels on Tuesday presented $295,000 to the project, with $220,000 coming from the Indiana Heritage Trust program accrued from the sales of the environmental license plate and $75,000 from the Department of Natural Resource’s Division of Fish and Wildlife.

“We have more than doubled the number of acres protected in Indiana, some 25,000 acres in the last three years and we’ve got to do better than that. We’ve got to make certain that some of our most beautiful habitats, like this wetland, are preserved while there is time,” Daniels said.

“I see both ends of the future that we make for this state of ours. A state of prosperity, but also a state of great natural beauty,” the governor said.

The property will be owned by the Vigo County Park Department, which will make hiking trails, observation decks/areas, a boat ramp on the west side and other recreational amenities, said Keith Ruble, department superintendent.

Jane E. Hardisty, state conservationist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Services, said $1.5 million in federal assistance will be used to create the wetland, with just over 691 acres enrolled into the USDA's Wetland Reserve Program.

“It covers the purchase of the easements, all of the restoration, the survey and title,” Hardisty said. “We will do the wetlands restoration engineering work. It will restore it back to its original land use. It may be taking sub-surface tile and crushing it to stop drainage out of the area to hold the water and we might dip out places to make little pools or ponds for different migratory birds or the frogs and toads, and develop it back to a more natural state,” she said before the presentation.

In addition, some earthen walls may be installed to control levels of water, she said.

“This is a good area for migratory birds. There are more than 400 different rare species of birds that can make a habitat here. This will connect other WRP easements along the Wabash River in a six-county area. How great to have one big corridor for when these birds come in, they will have a natural habitat,” Hardisty said.

The six counties are Vigo, Vermillion, Sullivan, Parke, Warren and Fountain, Hardisty said.

“The Nature Conservancy has put in about $300,000 toward technical assistance over this six-county area,” she said. Between the Natural Resources Conservation Services and The Nature Conservancy, “we have become a partner in order for this particular project to exist,” she said.

The three-year project will start in 2009. Improvements to the wetland also will contribute to filtering storm water runoff and serve as a flood-control structure, Hardisty said.

The county will receive the state funds once the property is accepted through the Conservation Services program, Ruble said. The plan is first to obtain 691.32 acres for $400,961. An additional 27.3 acres will be bought for $53,500 that is not part of that reserve program.

John Mutchner of the Wabash River Beautification and Development Commission said the project marks the beginning of work “on both sides of the river.” Mutchner said the eventual goal is to have more than 1,200 acres for the project.

The Vigo County Park Board in December approved the plan to buy land for the Wabash River National Road Wetland Reservation. The County Council approved $150,000 from the County Economic Development Income Tax for the county’s portion.

The Park Department, because of a $30,000 private donation, now owns land that had been the former tavern on the east edge of West Terre Haute and will become an observation point.

Last year, the state reached its goal of doubling the annual investment for multi-use trail funding to $20 million as part of Daniels’ Hoosiers on the Move trails initiative to connect communities throughout the state and put every Hoosier within 15 minutes of a trail.

The DNR recently bought several segments of abandoned rail corridors totaling 150 miles, located in 39 counties throughout the state. The state’s plan is to give the land to local governments and not-for-profit groups for future trail expansions.

Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.

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