More public land in Indiana!

[1_pointer]

Nearly 1900 acres opened for public use! Good news and I hope this continues. I realize that the acreage size will seem like peanuts to many Western posters, it's at least a start and better than before! The amount of diversity and numbers of critters these properties can support is pretty amazing. I'm hoping to make it to a couple of these this year.

Beginning Friday, almost 1,900 new acres will be open to the public in two project areas of the DNR’s ongoing Healthy Rivers INitiative (HRI).

The DNR has purchased more than 11,800 acres through HRI, a program launched in 2010 to secure permanent conservation protection of nearly 70,000 acres along Sugar Creek, the Wabash River, and the Muscatatuck River.

The new openings increase HRI purchases to 8,242 acres, including a 3,500-acre purchase of land previously leased as part of Fairbanks Landing Fish & Wildlife Area. The remaining 4,700 acres are in three locations – the Austin Bottoms (Muscatatuck), Sugar Creek and Wabash River conservation areas.

In Austin Bottoms Conservation Area, 673 new acres will open on Friday, bringing the total in that area to just over 3,000 acres. Five parking areas have been completed at Austin Bottoms with two more under construction. Austin Bottoms is along the Muscatatuck River in Scott, Jackson and Washington counties.

In Sugar Creek Conservation Area, 1,221 new acres will open on Friday. There are three newly constructed parking areas. Sugar Creek CA is in Parke County.

Last year, a 419-acre site was opened in the Wabash River Conservation Area in Vermillion County near the town of Montezuma.

Maps for all three conservation areas are at dnr.IN.gov/healthyriver/6502.htm.

Allowable activities include fishing, hunting, trapping, bird watching, nature photography and observation. Mushroom hunting is allowed after 1 p.m. EST during the spring turkey hunting season (April 19-20, youth season; April 23-May 11, regular season).

HRI is a partnership of resource agencies and organizations working with landowners to provide a model that balances forest, farmland and natural resources conservation; connects separated parcels of public land to benefit wildlife; protects important wildlife habitat and rest areas for migratory birds; opens lands to public recreational activities; establishes areas for nature tourism; and provides clean water and protection from flooding to downstream landowners.

To date, more than 31,300 acres are protected through DNR purchase, landowner enrollment in the federal Wetlands Reserve Program, or lands already under DNR management prior to HRI.

Though I have mentioned it mostly in passing, the state of Indiana is working to adding more public lands through the Healthy Rivers INitiative. The goal of this project is to aid in conservation on two larger watersheds. Both of which are important enough to have state parks within them and one has a USFWS Refuge.This initiative is being led by the state, but has a long list of cooperators including, federal agencies and local/national NGOs. For more info see this link.
http://www.in.gov/dnr/healthyriver/6580.htm

 

[SFC B]

Nice!! Not close to my neck of the woods (the family) but great to see. Especially with the way the leasing fiasco is headed. I had another friend lose his ability to hunt on adjoining farms (they used to be kinda a coop-hunt club group) due to dudes with more $$$ than sense from the Southeast dropping big $$$ on leases. Too bad...

 

[shoots-straight]

Great news for sportsman in your neck of the woods.

 

[LCH]

Good to see. Might make a trip over to the Austin Bottoms property to do a bit of fishing and scouting this spring...

 

[1_pointer]

Some of the funds come from the Indiana Heritage Trust, which gets some of its funding from the Environmental License plate. I wonder how many folks in my neighborhood realize that they are paying for lands that are used for hunting and fishing (among other things)? I know at least one who thinks hunting is wrong, but has the plate on both of their vehicles...

 

[JDH]

I guess its good they got something going. In my area over the last few years the state let a lease slip and Peabody has taken back over 8000 acres. But I am glad that is along rivers because in my area the farmers basically disk up to the edges and cause all kinds of erosion problems.

 

[Big Fin]

Good to hear, Pointer. Hope to see more of this happening east of the Big River.

The Indiana Health Rivers Initiative has received a lot of funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. I know guys might tire of me pounding that drum, but no program has done more for hunters and anglers, as effectively, as has the LWCF program. Hopefully Congress will reauthorize this program next year and it will continue to fund great projects like this.

Let us know how that property "hunts." Pics are always beneficial.

 

[1_pointer]

For those interested, here's a list of where the money is coming from:

•$21.5 million from the Lifetime License Trust Fund and Game Bird Habitat Stamps*
•$10 million from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
•$10 million from the Natural Resources Conservation Service
•$2.5 million from The Nature Conservancy
•$1 million from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act
•$700,000 through the Indiana Heritage Trust

In my opinion, it's a very good mix of federal, state, and private funds. I know this isn't the only example of this type of collaboration happening, I think having all three funding sources is a great model. Broadens the "type" of stakeholders with skin in the game which is often a good thing.