The LaPorte County Park Department officially received a land donation of approximately 15 acres adjacent to Luhr County Park from the LaPorte County Park Foundation. The land lies along the south border of the existing park and along County Rd. 150 West. “This addition to Luhr is significant in many ways” said Park Superintendent Jeremy Sobecki. “The land will be permanently protected from development, adds to the varying wildlife habitat and will allow more trails to be built at Luhr.”
“The other beauty of this property is that thanks to the forethought of the Parks Foundation and the Northwest Indiana Chapter of Pheasants Forever, it was planted to native prairie species back in 2015, so it is already established as good quality habitat. This is not only great for our park patrons to enjoy but also a wonderful educational opportunity for our school and public programs.”
The Parks Department recently received a $200,000 grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund through the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Outdoor Recreation. This grant, along with local matching funds, will allow the Parks Department to develop new paved trail in the park, add a new picnic shelter, improve parking lots and add a restroom.
While the LaPorte County Park Foundation has owned this 15 acres for 5 years the timing of this land donation allows the Park Department to utilize the value of the property as a match to the DNR grant dollars. This, along with $70,000 from the Healthcare Foundation of LaPorte, makes up the majority of the local match needed to complete this project. In total there will be $400,000 worth of improvements to Luhr County Park with construction already underway!
Without local support from the LaPorte County Park Foundation and other partners like the Healthcare Foundation this project would not have been possible.
Luhr County Park is open from 7am to Sunset daily. There may be areas closed to public use during construction so please obey posted signs for your safety.
The Park Board, Park Foundation and Park Staff look forward to seeing you out enjoying your wonderful County Parks this fall!
Susie Young Baxter, CEO, has published PanoramaNOW Magazine for 31 years. Her hobbies are Camping, Boating, Hiking, Nature, Gardening and Outdoor Activities. She is an Artist, Graphic Designer, an Avid Seamstress, Dabbles in Homemade Crafts and Landscaping. Since her Father was a Health Teacher, she also likes homeopathic Health Solutions. Since blogging started over 10 years ago, PanoramaNow has been added to Newsbreak – a national news affiliate.
