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Friday, June 11, 2010

Environment - More on: Gov. Mitch Daniels announces a major land conservation initiative

Updating this ILB entry from yesterday, this morning Gov. Daniels announced the second-part of the program. Today's news release begins:

SCOTTSBURG, Indiana (June 11, 2010) - Governor Mitch Daniels today announced a second major land conservation project in as many days - this one targeting more than 25,600 acres along the Muscatatuck River known as Muscatatuck Bottoms in Scott, Jackson and Washington counties.

On Thursday in Terre Haute, Governor Daniels announced a 43,000-acre conservation initiative along 94 river miles of the Wabash River and Sugar Creek.

"We're out to create something of lasting and large importance for our state and protect its natural beauty. With these projects, we aim to make Indiana a destination point for waterfowl, a destination point for tourists, and to become a national leader in wetlands and wildlife protection," said the governor.

Muscatatuck Bottoms contains the largest least-fragmented complex of bottomland forest remaining in Indiana. The forest is characterized by several species of oak, hickory and sweet gum.

The site provides habitat for a number of species of conservation concern, including such birds as the least bittern, yellow-crowned night heron, red-shouldered hawk and Cerulean warbler. Two state-endangered reptiles, the Kirtland's snake and copperbelly watersnake, also are found there, as is featherfoil, a state-endangered plant.

Also today, Bill Ruthhart of the Indianapolis Star has a story headed "Daniels' wetlands plan is called 'amazing'." Some quotes:
Gov. Mitch Daniels on Thursday unveiled the state's most aggressive conservation initiative in recent history, promising to preserve thousands of acres of wetlands in two areas.

Daniels said the state would try to acquire 43,000 acres in the flood plain of a 94-mile stretch of the Wabash River from Shades State Park south of Crawfordsville to Fairbanks Landing Fish & Wildlife Area south of Terre Haute.

Today, he'll announce a similar initiative for the Muscatatuck River in southeastern Indiana * * *

"This is the most amazing and perhaps the most significant investment in conservation in a generation in Indiana," said Mary McConnell, state director for The Nature Conservancy of Indiana. "It's exactly the kind of project we should be working on as a state." * * *

The state will use $21.5 million from the Lifetime License Trust Fund, a state account dedicated to conservation, and $10 million from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to begin acquiring the land. The Lifetime License Trust Fund collected money from the sale of lifetime hunting, fishing and trapping licenses, which were discontinued in 2005.

Daniels said the $31.5 million in cash would be used to leverage additional federal funding, as well as private contributions.

Nick Heinzelman, director of land acquisition for the state Department of Natural Resources, said that money would not be enough to buy all of the land but would go a long way. None of the land, he said, would be taken forcibly by eminent domain.

"This will all come from voluntary sellers. Some will want to sell now; others may wait," Heinzelman said. "Any land that comes up for sale, we'll be there to buy it right away."

Posted by Marcia Oddi on June 11, 2010 10:17 AM
Posted to Environment | Indiana Government