NW Indiana preserve grows by 70 acres, giving it 224 acres

VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) - A northwestern Indiana nature preserve that includes land from a former Girl Scout camp is growing by another 70 acres.

The recent acquisition by the Shirley Heinze Land Trust boosts the Meadowbrook Nature Preserve to 224 acres of protected land.

Most of the new acreage is currently farmed, but the nonprofit plans to reforest the parcel starting in 2018. About four acres is already forested and contains a mix of spring wildflowers, including large-flowered trilliums that are rare in the nature preserve.

The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports (http://bit.ly/2siOrJT ) the land trust started the Meadowbrook Nature Preserve in 2013 when it acquired a former 74-acre Girl Scout camp near Valparaiso.

Its newest acreage will link the area's habitat with the nearby Moraine State Nature Preserve and Sunset Hill Farm County Park.

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Information from: The Times, http://www.nwitimes.com