NORTHWESTERN PRAIRIE AND WETLAND DIVISION

COUNTIES LOCATED WITHIN REGION:                                                                                   -St. Joseph (portion), Jasper, Pulaski, Starke, Warren (portion), Newton , Lake, and LaPorte (portion)

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:             

Photo of Gibson Woods Nature Preserve in Northwestern Indiana (courtesy of USFWS)

The Northwestern Prairie and Wetland Division also consists of many lakes, marshes and bogs.  Before settlement of this area it has been estimated that nearly fifty percent of this area was either continuously or seasonally ponded wetland.  Wet prairies, marshes, shrub swamps and oak tree openings were the major communities.  Major drainage of the area began in 1884 and destruction of the fall grass prairie occurred.  Black Oak trees are the major trees on dry dunelands.

PROTECTED AREAS:

-Tippacanoe River State Park

Located in Winamac, IN, this park is primarily flat land with the Tippacanoe River serving as the eastern boundary.  The park includes two nature preserves: Tippacanoe River nature preserve and the Sandhill nature preserve.  One of the trails passes through a pine plantation, a prairie reserve, and deciduous woods.  Some of the activities available at the park include boating, horseback riding, camping, canoeing, cross-country skiing, fishing, hiking, and picnicking.