NRCS, Pokagon Tribe to Restore Indiana Wetland

DOWAGIAC -- Officials with the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians have maintained since they bought property near North Liberty three years ago that the land wouldn't be used for a casino.

Now, that promise has been fulfilled. Tribal Chairman John Miller has reported that the Pokagons several months ago signed a contract with the federal government to have all but about 200 of the tribe's roughly 1,400 acres in northern Indiana enrolled in a wetlands restoration program.

All but about 200 acres of the roughly 1,460 acres purchased by the Dowagiac-based Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians northwest of North Liberty will be restored to wetlands conditions that existed before the Kankakee River was diverted for agricultural purposes. "We’re doing it because we think it’s the right thing to do,’’ said John Miller, chairman of the Pokagon Tribal Council. Tribune graphic by Shelby Sapusek.

The plan is to enact measures to allow the area near the Kankakee River to be restored to marshland. Such was the state of the property years ago, before the meandering Kankakee was straightened to make the land conducive for crop production.

Mark Parrish, the Pokagon Band's environmental coordinator, said the wetlands restoration project is the largest overseen in Indiana by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service.

He said the tribe is working with NRCS to formulate restoration plans. Rather than restoring the Kankakee's original path, he said steps will be taken to return the land adjacent to the river to marshland.

"We can't do much with the ... river, but we can restore the flanking marshlands,'' he said.

He said restoring the wetlands will result in a return of the types of wildlife that once were predominant in the area. Parrish said songbirds and a number of migratory birds that once flocked to marshland on the Kankakee will make a comeback once their natural surroundings are restored.

Miller said plans call for the tribe to use some of the remaining 200 acres near North Liberty for a tribal housing project. The advantage to tribal members, particularly those who end up living in tribal housing, is they'll be able to view some of the same species of wildlife as their ancestors, he said.

"I envision having walking paths so residents can tour those habitats,'' he said.

Also benefiting, added Parrish, will be property owners downstream.

"This will reduce the flood potential,'' he said.

Parrish said he anticipates it'll be five years before wetlands status is restored.

Story by Lou Mumford, South Bend Tribune.