Calumet Prairie & Ivanhoe South Restoration

AUTHORITY: 

Great Lakes Fishery and Ecosystem Restoration (GLFER) Program, Section 506 on the Water Resources Development Act of 2000, as amended

DESCRIPTION:

Calumet Prairie and Ivanhoe South are located in northwestern Indiana within Lake County, and situated within a few miles of the Lake Michigan coastline.  Calumet Prairie rests just south of the 1-90 toll way and just west of state route 51, while Ivanhoe South lies southwest of the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Colfax Street. The boundaries of Ivanhoe South and Calumet Prairie encompass 33 acres and 144 acres, respectively.

The two project sites were significantly degraded over the years due to impaired hydrology, invasive plant species, and suppression of fire.  The sites were restored through clearing of successional woodlands in wet sand prairie habitats, removing invasive species from all habitats, selectively clearing opportunistic woody vegetation in sand savanna to create a more open canopy, maximizing infiltration to help contribute to better hydrology, planting appropriate native seed specific to this area and habitat type, performing prescribed burning, and allowing recovery of native seed bank.

COSTS:

Total Project Cost:

 $2,198,600

Federal Cost:

 $1,429,100

Non-Federal Cost:

 $769,500

*This project was partially funded with Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funds received from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

STATUS: 

Awarded a five-year construction contract in September 2011. Construction was completed fall of 2016 and the project was closed out in August 2017. Below is a picture of a new orchid never before recorded at Calumet Prairie. Several Green Fringed Orchids (Platanthera lacera) were found in an area where invasive shrubs and trees were cleared.

Project Manager

Kirston Buczak

Project Area

Click map to enlarge.

Photos