Until now, St. Joseph was among three counties across Indiana that didn’t have a nonprofit land trust with a staff working to acquire and create nature preserves.
That’s why, over the past several years, the Shirley Heinze Land Trust has been looking to make its first move here. Now that it has just bought 176 acres near Lydick, the trust will be seeking more opportunities, said Director Kristopher Krouse.
There are a few suggestions, but he said there aren’t any plans yet for a second acquisition.
Based in Valparaiso, the trust now oversees 19 “project areas,” as Krouse calls the preserves that cover more than 1,900 acres in LaPorte, Porter and Lake counties. Of those, 12 are open to the public with parking and trails, four are open but lack any parking or trails, and three allow access only by permission or on guided tours.
With Shirley Heinze in the county, it will help to solve a dilemma that the St. Joseph County Parks has faced over the years. Sometimes people ask the county parks to buy or accept their land as a park. But the parcel has either been too small — less than 100 acres — or the county lacks the money and staff to manage it, said parks Director Evie Kirkwood.
“We’ve never had an alternative to send people to,” said Kirkwood, who serves on the land trust’s advisory council.