The DNR has awarded the 2005 Indiana Coastal Grants. The six projects that were selected will receive a total of $330,000 in federal funds; provide a match of $381,000 in local and state funds for a total projected cost of $711,000. The projects are awaiting final federal approval and anticipated to start around July 1, 2005.

"The federal funds in these grants will restore and increase habitat for wildlife and native plants," said DNR Director Kyle Hupfer. "Also, there is an important education component in some of the projects we are funding.

"Through the Lake Michigan coastal program, the DNR is able to provide both technical and financial assistance to local communities to provide a positive impact on our natural as well as cultural and historic resources," Hupfer said.

The projects for the 2005 funding cycle are:

Lake County Parks and Recreation Department — Oak Ridge Prairie County Park — site enhancement and native plant project
Federal request: $49,850
Local share: $50,000
Oak Ridge Prairie County Park is owned and managed by the Lake County Parks and Recreation Department and provides a variety of native and restored ecological areas. The western 250 acres is black sand prairie.
One hundred thirty acres were restored in the early 1980s soon after the property was acquired. while the eastern portion, surrounding three sides of the fishing lake, contains wet remnant prairie, young hardwood forest and high quality remnant oak savanna.
Oak Ridge Prairie also serves as the western trail head for the Oak Savannah multi-use trail. A newly constructed bike trail extends eastward to the Porter County line where it becomes the Prairie Duneland Trail.
The grant will fund restoration of Areas 1, 2, and 3 which are currently overrun with invasive vegetation. With improved access and substainable health, visitors will enjoy natrue study, hiking and othe forms of passive recreation.

City of Hobart, Indiana — Fred Rose Park Shoreline Natural Area restoration and stabilization
Federal request: $100,000
Local share: $100,000
The proposed project will restore a native community to an eroding embankment using bioengeering methods. A total of 700 feet of embankment will be stabilized and restored using pre-planted coconut fiber logs with turf reinforcement and shrub plantings shoreward of the fiber logs.
The fiber logs will be planted with native emergent vegetation on one-foot centers. An additional 1,300 feet of embankment will receive a more rigorous bioengineered treatment which involves a rock foundation and earthen lifts vegetated with shrubs and native prairie grasses that are held in place with a turf reinforcement mat.

Town of Munster Board of Parks and Recreation — Heritage Park Oak Woodland restoration
Federal request: $37,950
Local share: $37,950
Heritage Park is an 11-acre wooded property located on an old dune ridge in Munster, Ind. It was acquired by Munster Parks & Recreation in 1986, and in 2004 a tree-health and vegetation inventory was completed.
The property was determined to be an oak woodland suffering from lack of fire and invaded by exotic plant species such as tree-of-heaven, white mulberry, honeysuckle, and garlic mustard. The canopy is closed and oak regeneration is virtually absent.
The property is an excellent candidate for restoration due to the absence of many of the seeds common to disturbed dune areas and the enthusiam of the public.

DNR Division of Nature Preserves — Clark and Pine East dune and swale restoration
Federal request: $25,000
Local share: $25,000
The Clark and Pine East dune and swale project is a restoration of a portion of the globally rare dune and swale natural community, including habitat for numerous state listed plant and animal species.
The project involves targeted removal of exotic, invasive, non-native plant species from approximately 30 acres of the Clark and Pine East Dune and Swale property, owned by the DNR.
A previous coastal grant funded project resulted in the successful restoration of a portion of the same property. The approach will be to control a select, targeted suite of exotic, invasive, non-native woody plant species.

Town of Merrillville Department of Parks and Recreation — Pruzin Park Habitat restoration and education
Federal request: $100,000
Local share: $150,700
Pruzin Park is a 22-acre public park located on the northern part of Merrillville in one of the most densely populated neighborhoods of the town. The park is adjacent to Merrillville Intermediate School.
The park has a large lake/wetland on its center. The park is also a starting point for one of the tributaries of the Turkey Creek. Storm water and erosion has, over the years, harmed the site. The lake is very overgrown with invasive wetland species and not accessible.
The project will complete a study of the area, produce a conceptual drawing and engineering designs for several improvement and restoration.
The project aims to improve the park, restore existing wetlands, manage neighborhood storm water, and create a setting for environmental education for students and the public.
The town, in collaboration with the Merrillville school system, and particularly those students attending the Merrillville Intermediate School, will initiate, on the property, an environmental education program for the students.

Save the Dunes Conservation Fund — Improving capacity for land management planning
Federal request: $17,413
Local share: $17,442.39
The need to balance Lake Michigan coastal land protection with local development is increasingly recognized by the public and elected officials in northwest Indiana. Communities continue to adopt conservation goals and expand their land holdings for conservation.
To ensure that conservation goals are implemented and the expansion of protected lands effectively contributes to natural resource protection, it is imperative that entities newly pursuing land conservation (including acquisition, management, and monitoring) have the capacity and resources necessary for such activities.
Save the Dunes Conservation Fund will work with other land owners throughout the region to investigate land conservation planning needs and practices in the area and develop a process for planning with varying levels of complexity. The planning will help in the development of land management plans for four Save the Dunes Conservation Fund properties in Lake Michigan coastal area.

The DNR’s Lake Michigan Coastal Program coordinates efforts between local, state and federal governments as well as local organizations and businesses to finance projects that protect and restore natural resources in Indiana's Lake Michigan coastal region.

The program uses current state law and is a part of the national Coastal Zone Management Program funded through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

For more information on the Lake Michigan Coastal Program, please point your Web browser to www.in.gov/dnr/lakemich/