Governor Mitch Daniels announced yesterday that 1,250 acres at a former state prison farm in Porter County is being transferred to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to establish the state’s largest public game bird habitat area.
The land, valued at more than $5 million, was scheduled for surplus at public auction in January but the governor ordered it removed from the auction list and set aside for conservation, noting the size and uniqueness of the property. It will become the largest public property in the state dedicated to game bird habitat, ahead of the 825-acre Pine Creek Game Bird Habitat Area in Benton County.
“The acreage of wetlands and waterways we’ve protected has broken all records and won Indiana national recognition,” said Daniels. “But this is our first big opportunity to expand our upland game preserves and to bring our large-scale conservation program to Northwest Indiana.”
Read more: Conservation efforts expand with new game bird habitat area
