LaPorte County board reviews DNR-funded stream restoration that will remove trees temporarily

LaPorte County Parks and Recreation Board members heard a detailed presentation Oct. 7 on a Department of Natural Resources wetland mitigation and stream-restoration project on a 43-acre parcel owned by the mitigation group and conveyed to the county.

A parks staff member said the project will convert an existing, heavily channelized drainage ditch back into a more natural meandering stream and restore wetland function. “They’re gonna take that heavily channelized stream or ditch and turn that back into a flowing stream with more fall and more flow instead of water that is, you know, during the dry times just sitting there breeding mosquitoes and having a lot of stagnant water,” the staff member said.

The presentation noted the parcel was purchased and conveyed in a dual closing and that outside consultants and engineers are coordinating the restoration work. Staff said construction will require removal of trees within the stream banks and immediate work zone; the presenter estimated “about around 200 trees” will be removed, adding most are small and “there’ll be a couple of big trees, not a lot.” The presenter warned members: “I want to stress to the public and to everybody that it’s not going to be pretty out there during construction.”

Staff described mitigation measures tied to the DNR grant: replanting at higher ratios (the presenter said the project will replace removed trees at “4 to 5 times the amount they take down”), an ongoing maintenance fund left in the mitigation program to manage invasive species and success of plantings, and informational signage and a public phone number during construction for concerns. The presentation also noted timing constraints for tree removal because of bat-protection windows; staff said trees will be marked this winter and removed when permitted by seasonal restrictions.

Board members asked whether any rare plants could be salvaged prior to construction. Staff replied that salvaging could be discussed when the final design is shared in spring and that the construction schedule (with some work likely in spring or summer) would determine salvage feasibility.

Why it matters: the project alters parkland and will cause short-term visual and habitat disturbance in exchange for long-term stream and wetland restoration, staff said. The county’s role was described as landowner and partner in the mitigation; the mitigation group and consultants will manage construction and post-construction monitoring funded by the mitigation program.

Speakers: Parks staff member (presentation), Commissioner Hollifield (questioner).

Clarifying details: the parcel was described as 43 acres; staff estimated tree removals at “about 200” and said replanting will occur at “4 to 5 times” the number removed; staff also stated the mitigation program retains funding for multi-year maintenance. The transcript contains inconsistent restatements of the replanting totals (the presenter variously said “probably a thousand trees” and later said “8,000 trees”); project documents should be consulted for an authoritative replanting count rather than a single meeting remark.

Proper names: LaPorte County; Department of Natural Resources (DNR); mitigation program (name not specified in the meeting).

Ending: Staff said it will circulate the presentation and the design details when available; the board has not taken a regulatory action on the restoration other than receiving the presentation.