Initiative for clean water, protected wildlife in fifth year

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) - Five years ago, a couple of hundred people gathered on the banks of the Wabash River in Fairbanks Park with then-Gov. Mitch Daniels to welcome the state's Healthy Rivers Initiative.

Fewer people gathered last week - a couple of dozen - to check out the river during a celebration hosted at the Girl Scouts building in Fairbanks Park.

But the enthusiasm for the Healthy Rivers Initiative remains strong.

Retired farmer Max Hewitt was among boat passengers touring a short stretch of the river Wednesday afternoon. Hewitt made a deal with the state that took 300 acres of his family's farmland in southern Vigo County into the protected land along the river. He said he enjoyed getting a river's-eye look at what the state is trying to do to conserve the river and to see the wildlife that isn't always evident to people who don't boat on the river.

Cleaner and healthier rivers in Indiana are just one intended outcome of the project, said Cameron Clark, Indiana Department of Natural Resources director.

After five years of effort, about 32,608 acres have been protected along the Wabash River, Sugar Creek and Muscatatuck River bottomlands through the Healthy Rivers Initiative. Of that total, 24,474 acres are protected in the Wabash River and Sugar Creek project area, with the rest in the Muscatatuck area near Seymour. The goal is to protect about 43,000 acres statewide.

Increasing wildlife habitats and migratory rest areas, and providing recreational opportunities and nature tourism are key objectives for HRI.

Clark credited the state's partnership with The Nature Conservancy for adding to the success of the initiative.

Mary McConnell, Nature Conservancy state director, recalled having her photo taken in 2010 at Fairbanks Park when she kissed Daniels on the cheek in thanks for the environmental project. She shared that memory, along with the progress made in conserving the Wabash River.

Before the initiative, Indiana was not particularly known as an aggressive state for acquiring and protecting land, McConnell said. But the Wabash River is a high priority for the Nature Conservancy because it is the longest undammed river east of the Mississippi, making it a spectacular resource for the Midwest.

Jeff Coats, area program specialist for the National Resource Conservation Service, said the federal agency is also proud of Healthy Rivers Initiative as one of the state's largest land stewardship projects.

Keeping land healthy and water clean is the mission of NRCS, and that is what HRI does, Coats said.

Since June 2014, HRI reports:

. 1,626 new acres have been purchased from willing landowners, bringing land under permanent protection within the HRI boundaries to 32,603 acres.

. Two new miles of river frontage were protected, which helps provide clean water and preserve wildlife habitat.

. A new Wabash River public access site was added near the town of Riverview in Sullivan County. The site includes a concrete boat ramp and a gravel parking lot. The site allows access for recreational boating, fishing, trapping and hunting.

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Source: (Terre Haute) Tribune-Star, http://bit.ly/1NenL0Y

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Information from: Tribune-Star, http://www.tribstar.com