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Nature Preserves

The Heinze Fund has acquired more than 280 acres of environmentally important wetlands, prairie and duneland. Many of these properties are very small, but included among them are three major nature preserves:

Cressmoor Prairie in Hobart, a 36-acre black-soil prairie, is one of only three sizable such remnants surviving in Indiana. Over 180 species of native plants coexist with native fauna on this land, which was designated a State Nature Preserve in October 1996. Interpretive nature trails and a parking lot are being developed at the site.

Seidner Dune and Swale in Hammond is a 43-acre preserve representing an endangered type of terrain that once existed along the southern shore of Lake Michigan from Waukegan to Gary. Home to a wide variety of birdlife and rare orchids, Seidner was designated a State Nature Preserve in September 1997.

Coulter Sand Prairie in Portage is our newest preserve. A 65-acre property, it is located adjacent to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Within its borders are valuable wetlands and many rare grasses and sedges. It is home to the rare False Heather and a favorite hunting ground for hawks.