Spring 2000

In the midst of densely populated Lake County, Indiana lies a unique parcel of prairie and oak savanna with 574 plant species and 120 kinds of birds

Lake County, Indiana

In the center of populated northern Lake County in Indiana, Hoosier Prairie State Nature Preserve lies along Main Street between Highland, Griffith and Schererville. Drive about a mile east or west of the gravel parking lot on the south side of Main Street and you'll see the strip malls, neighborhoods and traffic that now characterize much of Northwest Indiana.

But park the car and wander past the wooden fence and you'll see what Irene Herlocker-Meyer first discovered 33 years ago: a nature lover's paradise. Abutting both sides of the road is 548 acres of threatened wet and dry prairie and oak savanna and all the diverse ecology that goes with them.

The preserve — now a National Natural Landmark and part of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore — is home to 574 species of plants and a myriad of wildlife including deer, coyotes, and mink. More than 120 species of birds have also been spotted in the property.

Herlocker-Meyer and other area conservationists spent 10 years pushing for legislation to preserve the prairie with its small sand rises, swales, and flats. They finally secured the bulk of the property in 1976; it is now owned and managed by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR). A year later, the site was also dedicated as a state nature preserve. The state added another 104 acres to the preserve in 1986 and 109 acres in 1990. In doing so, they saved a remnant of virgin landscape that once covered much of the Midwest. Controlled burns have replaced the natural fires that seasonally replenished the prairie before man's intervention.

Tom Post, regional ecologist with the DNR, said the rare Northern crane's bill, related to the geranium, can sometimes be spotted after the fires. "But most people wouldn't see it, or wouldn't know it if they saw it," he said.

The prairie's inclusion as a satellite property of the National Lakeshore gives it another layer of protection from possible encroaching developments, according to Post.

The DNR also constantly battles to eliminate exotic plants like the purple loosestrife and giant reed, which, if left untended, would take over the land and push out the natural diversity.

But otherwise, the land is left much as it was found. A walking trail just under a mile long winds through the property in two loops, an invitation for residents and any leashed pets no matter the weather. Part of the trail is also handicapped accessible.

On the path, visitors can wander beneath the oak trees and sassafras or check out the sunflowers and prairie grasses in the more open areas. (Hunting, fishing, trapping, picnicking, camping, and fires are not permitted at Hoosier Prairie.)

Herlocker-Meyer still returns to the prairie, often for educational visits with area school children. "A lot of those kids can live right next to it," she said, "and not even know it."

— Rae Ann Rockhill