Indiana Buys Land for Wabash River Wetland Reservation

The state is contributing $295,000 to help the county purchase the 1,250-acre Wabash River National Road Wetland Reservation located between Terre Haute and West Terre Haute to develop into a county park.

"Our efforts since 2005 have resulted in twice as many protected acres of wildlife habitat than in the previous five years. This joint effort will conserve another beautiful habitat as well as enhance the quality of life for Hoosiers," said Governor Mitch Daniels, presenting the check to the county on behalf of the Indiana Heritage Trust and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife.

The area will be managed for migratory waterfowl and other native wildlife species that are found in the Wabash River corridor.

Areas of shallow water marsh, moist soil wetlands, hardwood trees and native grasses that are essential to native wildlife will be restored. These improvements will contribute to filtering stormwater runoff and serve as a flood control structure.

Hiking and biking trails, observation areas, a boat ramp and other recreational amenities will be incorporated into the park design.

Environmental education and research opportunities also will exist for area students from Vigo County School Corporation, Indiana State University, St. Mary-of-the-Woods College and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, among others.

"Without the cooperation and assistance of Governor Daniels and the state, a project of this magnitude would never have been possible," said Max Miller, chairman of the Wabash River Beautification and Development Commission Wetlands Committee. "This project is a great example of what can be accomplished when you have leaders who care deeply about conservation in our state."

The state's contribution consists of $220,000 from the Indiana Heritage Trust program accrued from the sales of the environmental license plate and $75,000 from the DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is contributing almost $1.3 million to enroll 716 acres of the project into the USDA's Wetland Reserve Program.

The balance of the estimated $1.8 million project purchase includes $150,000 of Vigo County Economic Development Income Tax funds and $95,000 from the Duke Energy Foundation along with other private contributions.

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

The Department of Natural Resources has purchased 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 nonprofit groups for future trail expansions.

Since 2005, the state has protected more than 20,000 acres of wildlife habitat through land acquisition and conservation easements including 8,000 acres in Greene County commonly known as Goose Pond and Bee Hunter Marsh and the Trine State Recreation Area addition to Pokagon State Park.

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