The Natural Resources Commission (NRC) approved the designation of Lydick Bog Nature Preserve in St. Joseph County during its regularly scheduled meeting on Jan. 15 at Fort Harrison State Park.
The action increases to 288 the number of state-designated sites protected by the Nature Preserves Act.
The Shirley Heinze Land Trust acquired Lydick Bog in 2015. The bog portion of the property provides an extremely rare habitat in northern Indiana. The property is 176.46 acres total and contains approximately 85 acres of upland forest, 65 acres of wetlands, and 20 acres of former agricultural land. The property contains freshwater wetlands interspersed with ridges and islands of upland forest. The wetlands are classified into four distinct types: a large bog along the northeastern section of the property, emergent wetlands, shrub-dominated emergent wetlands, and an ephemeral pond along the north-central portion of the property. The southern border of the property includes the northern shore of North Chain Lake.