VALPARAISO — Meadowbrook Nature Preserve, a former Girl Scout camp north of Valparaiso owned by the Shirley Heinze Land Trust, has more than doubled in size after the purchase of 80 acres of adjacent land.
Meadowbrook, in Liberty Township on County Road 700N, has grown to 54 acres of protected land. The property includes the trust’s headquarters, as well as the Meadowbrook Conservation Center, for environmental education and outdoor recreation activities.
Plans are underway for a major restoration project that will transform fallow agricultural fields on the new addition into forested habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife. The trust announced acquisition of the land last month.
The new parcel features about 50 acres of fallow agricultural fields, and about 30 acres of forest habitat that helps protect the water quality of two streams that cross the preserve and are tributaries to Salt Creek, said Paul Quinlan, the trust’s stewardship director.
“This forest habitat on the new addition complements the second-growth forest that is found on the original portion of the preserve, and which is currently being managed to control invasive plant species and improve the quality of the habitat there,” he said in an email.
The fallow fields on the new addition will be reforested starting in 2016, and hiking trails will be extended onto the parcel from the original nature preserve in the fall, he said.
In a prepared statement, Margaret Williford, president of the trust’s board of directors, said the acquisition is another advancement in efforts to preserve natural land in the moraine forest of Porter and LaPorte counties.
“With this area developing so quickly, we feel that green space is very important for the quality of life of the people living here,” she said. “As with all our properties, we intend to enhance the biological health of this land through various restoration efforts, and we will encourage its use for educational and recreational activities.”
The trust purchased the Girl Scout camp in January 2013. The acquisition of the newest parcel was the result of collaboration between several partners, including the land’s former owners, the heirs of John and Ruth Deters, said Kris Krouse, the trust’s executive director.
Half the purchase price was provided by the Bicentennial Nature Trust, the bulk of which was matched by Northern Indiana Public Service Co. As with the original acquisition of the camp, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donelly Foundation offered financial and other support for the project.
“We had a vision when we moved to Meadowbrook last year,” Krouse said. “We wanted this place to be an asset for the communities we serve, for those organizations that share our principles, and for the public in general. One year into our residency, we are well on our way to making that dream come true. This new addition opens up even more opportunities to serve the people of Porter County and the greater area.”