Little River Wetlands Project Inc.
Little River Wetlands Project Inc.
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About this organization
Mission
LITTLE RIVER WETLANDS PROJECT'S (LRWP) MISSION IS TO RESTORE AND PROTECT WETLANDS IN THE HISTORIC WATERSHED OF THE LITTLE RIVER, A MAJOR TRIBUTARY OF THE WABASH RIVER, AND TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT ENCOURAGE GOOD STEWARDSHIP OF WETLANDS AND OTHER NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS. LRWP PROTECTS 1,227 ACRES OF RESTORED AND NATURAL HABITAT INCLUDING WETLANDS, FORESTED WETLANDS, SEDGE MEADOWS AND PRAIRIES. IT PROVIDES STEWARDSHIP CARE OF ITS FOUR WETLAND NATURE PRESERVES IN ALLEN COUNTY: ARROWHEAD MARSH, ARROWHEAD PRAIRIE, EAGLE MARSH (756 ACRES) IS "THE LARGEST INLAND URBAN WETLAND RESTORATION IN THE U.S.", BUTTONBUSH BOTTOMS, AND IN HUNTINGTON THE LITTLE RIVER LANDING PRESERVE. LRWP ALSO WORK WITH PROPERTY OWNERS WHO WISH TO CONSERVE THEIR LAND, AND LRWP HOLDS A 140 NATURAL ACRES IN A CONSERVATION EASEMENT. WETLANDS BENEFIT NEARBY COMMUNITIES AND AREAS DOWNSTREAM BY ENHANCING FLOOD CONTROL, CLEANSING GROUNDWATER, AND OFFERING RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL. BIRD WATCHING, HIKING, A
About
STEWARDSHIP AND PROTECTION: LRWP WETLANDS HELP CONTROL FLOODING AND CLEANSE GROUNDWATER IN THIS AREA. EACH ACRE OF A WETLAND STORES UP TO 1.5 MILLION GALLONS OF EXCESS RAINWATER AND SNOWMELT TO HELP PREVENT FLOODING THAT MAY OTHERWISE INVADE NEARBY ROADS, YARDS AND BASEMENTS. EAGLE MARSH ALONE CAN STORE OVER 1 BILLION GALLONS OF WATER IN A MAJOR FLOODING EVENT. WHEN WATER POLLUTED WITH CHEMICAL RUNOFF FROM BUSINESSES, FARMS, AND RESIDENTIAL AREAS REMAINS FOR A TIME IN A WETLAND, THE WETLAND PLANTS FILTER MANY OF THE UNDESIRABLE MATERIALS TO LEAVE THE GROUNDWATER CLEANER THAN IT WAS BEFORE. LRWP'S PRESERVES BEAUTIFY THE AREA AND ATTRACT OUT-OF-TOWN VISITORS FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH, WHILE IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND PLACE FOR THOSE LIVING IN ALLEN COUNTY. STUDIES SHOW THAT PEOPLE THINKING OF MOVING TO AN AREA WANT PARKS AND PRESERVES NEARBY. EAGLE MARSH AND OUR OTHER ALLEN COUNTY PRESERVES ARE FILLED WITH BEAUTIFUL WILDFLOWERS, TREES, PONDS AND BIRDS THAT DELIGHT VISITORS AND ARE OFTEN VISIBLE FROM THE ROAD. OUR PRESERVES ALSO DRAW OUT-OF-TOWNERS WHO SPEND MONEY HERE, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE NORTHERN INDIANA LAKES MAGAZINE NAMED EAGLE MARSH (WITH FOX ISLAND COUNTY PARK) AS ONE OF THE TOP TEN BIRDING AREAS IN NORTHEAST INDIANA. RECENTLY A GROUP OF BIRDERS FROM NEW YORK CITY VISITED TO SEE RARE HENSLOW'S SPARROWS NESTING AT ARROWHEAD PRAIRIE. THE LRWP PRESERVES OFFER OPPORTUNITIES FOR FREE NATURE RECREATION SUCH AS HIKING, BIRDING, NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY, AND NATURE STUDY FOR THE MANY INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES WHO VISIT THE PRESERVES' 15+ MILES OF NATURE TRAILS EVERY YEAR. NUMEROUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT NATURE EXPERIENCES IMPROVE PEOPLE'S EMOTIONAL HEALTH AS WELL AS THEIR PHYSICAL HEALTH AND THAT CHILDREN WHO REGULARLY GET OUT IN NATURE ACHIEVE BETTER GRADES, SHOW IMPROVED COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING, AND ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE DEPRESSED OR HYPERACTIVE. WALKING IN NATURE IS ALSO GOOD EXERCISE THAT CAN SUPPORT BETTER HEART HEALTH AND COMBAT OBESITY. LRWP WETLANDS PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT HABITAT FOR NATIVE WILDLIFE, MANY IMPERILED. OF MORE THAN 233 BIRD SPECIES SEEN AT EAGLE MARSH, 28 ARE ENDANGERED OR OF SPECIAL CONCERN IN INDIANA. BALD EAGLES ARE REPORTED ALMOST DAILY AT OUR PRESERVES AS THEY PROVIDE GREAT HABITAT FOR FOOD. BLANDING'S TURTLES THAT ARE ENDANGERED IN INDIANA AND SEVERAL NEARBY STATES RESIDE AT EAGLE MARSH. NORTHERN LEOPARD FROGS, A SPECIES OF SPECIAL CONCERN IN INDIANA, ARE FOUND AT ALL OUR PRESERVES. LRWP CONTINUED INVASIVE PLANT CONTROL AND OTHER NEEDED STEWARDSHIP ACTIVITIES AT ITS FIVE WETLAND PRESERVES: EAGLE MARSH (756 ACRES), ARROWHEAD PRAIRIE (158 ACRES), AND ARROWHEAD MARSH (97 ACRES), BUTTONBUSH BOTTOMS PRESERVE (25 ACRES), 53-ACRE LITTLE RIVER LANDING PRESERVE (CO- OWNED WITH ACRES LAND TRUST) ALREADY IN A NATURAL STATE, AND A 140-ACRE CONSERVATION EASEMENT ON PRIVATE LAND, LRWP PROTECTED 1,227 ACRES IN ITS PROJECT AREA AS OF 12/31/2018. EAGLE MARSH (756 ACRES), LOCATED ON ENGLE ROAD ON THE SOUTHWEST EDGE OF FORT WAYNE, IS THE "LARGEST INLAND WETLAND RESTORATION IN THE UNITED STATES", THE LARGEST NATURE PRESERVE IN ALLEN COUNTY AND ONE OF THE LARGEST WETLAND RESTORATIONS EVER IN INDIANA. WITH ADJACENT FOX ISLAND COUNTY PARK AND PRIVATE NATURAL LAND, IT COMPRISES NEARLY TWO SQUARE MILES OF WILDLIFE HABITAT. RESTORED TO A NATURAL ECOSYSTEM BETWEEN 2006 AND 2009, EAGLE MARSH OFFERS SHALLOW WATER WETLANDS, A SEDGE MEADOW, WET AND DRY PRAIRIES, MATURE FORESTED WETLAND, AND YOUNG TREES AND SHRUBS AS HABITATS FOR THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF WILDLIFE THERE. THE ADDITIONAL 41 ACRES OF MATURE FORESTED WETLAND PURCHASED BETWEEN 2007 AND 2010 FURTHER ENHANCED HABITAT DIVERSITY AT THE PRESERVE. AN ADDITIONAL 38 ACRES WERE ADDED AT THE CORNER NORTHEAST CORNER OF SMITH AND ENGLE ROAD IN 2016. EAGLE MARSH IS KNOWN NATIONALLY AS THE PLACE WHERE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ALTERED THE HYDROLOGY AND MOVED THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TO PREVENT THE TRANSFER OF ASIAN CARP AND 200+ OTHER PROBLEMATIC AQUATIC SPECIES BETWEEN THE GREAT LAKES AND MISSISSIPPI RIVER WATERSHEDS. THIS PROJECT HAS BROUGHT POSITIVE ATTENTION TO FORT WAYNE ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY, INCLUDING ARTICLES IN THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE, NEW YORK TIMES, AND SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE. LRWP STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS CONTINUED INTENSIVE WORK TO MANAGE INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES SUCH AS CALLERY PEAR TREES, REED CANARY GRASS AND PHRAGMITES WITH PRESCRIBED BURNS, MOWING, HERBICIDE APPLICATIONS AND HAND-PULLING. LRWP STAFF CONTINUED TO REGULARLY MONITOR THE BERM COMPLETED IN THE FALL OF 2015 THAT STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES HAD BUILT EARLIER AT EAGLE MARSH TO PREVENT ASIAN CARP FROM CROSSING BETWEEN THE MISSISSIPPI AND GREAT LAKES WATER SYSTEMS DURING A FLOOD EVENT. ARROWHEAD MARSH (97 ACRES) AND ARROWHEAD PRAIRIE (158 ACRES) LOCATED ACROSS THE ROAD FROM EACH OTHER NEAR ABOITE, INDIANA, WERE RESTORED TO WETLAND, PRAIRIE, AND FOREST DURING TWO TIME PERIODS. THE ORIGINAL 188 ACRES WERE RESTORED BETWEEN 2002 AND 2006, EXCEPT A 13-ACRE MATURE WOODLAND AT ARROWHEAD MARSH WAS LEFT INTACT. SIXTY-SEVEN ACRES ADDED TO ARROWHEAD PRAIRIE IN 2009 WERE RESTORED IN 2009 AND 2010. INTENSIVE STEWARDSHIP OF THE TWO PRESERVES CONTINUED IN 2018 TO HELP THE NATIVE PLANTS SURVIVE AND THRIVE. BUTTONBUSH BOTTOMS (25 ACRES) IS LOCATED ON AMBER ROAD IN NEAR ABOITE, INDIANA. IN 2018 MAINTENANCE CONTINUED ON THE TWO LOOP TRAILS THAT TOTAL OVER 1.5 MILES COMBINED. HABITAT RESTORATION CONTINUES WITH INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES REMOVAL. LRWP'S STAFF CONTINUALLY MONITORS THE SITE FOR INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES LEVELS ALONG WITH NATIVE PLANT ESTABLISHMENT ANNUALLY. LITTLE RIVER LANDING NATURE PRESERVE (53 ACRES, CO-OWNED WITH ACRES LAND TRUST) IN HUNTINGTON BENEFITTED IN 2015 FROM STEWARDSHIP ACTIVITIES GUIDED BY A COMPREHENSIVE LAND MANAGEMENT PLAN CREATED BY LRWP. PROVIDING STEWARDSHIP CARE OF OUR RESTORED WETLAND NATURE PRESERVES IS VITAL TO NOT ONLY THE LRWP MISSION BUT TO THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE. WITHOUT SUCH CARE, MOST TO THE PRESERVES' BENEFITS TO WILDLIFE, OUR COMMUNITY, AND VISITORS WOULD BE LOST. IN REGARD TO STEWARDSHIP OF OUR WETLAND PRESERVES, THE PLAN CALLED FOR STAFF TO ANNUALLY UPDATE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT PLANS IDENTIFYING PROJECTS AND BUDGETS FOR EACH PROPERTY BY FEBRUARY 1 FOR THE COMING YEAR. ACTIONS TAKEN AS A RESULT OF COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS IN 2018: 1. CONTINUED TO PARTICIPATE WITH ALLEN COUNTY TRAILBLAZERS TO ENCOURAGE HIKING, WITH AN EAGLE MARSH TRAIL INCLUDED IN THE LIST OF TRAILS HIKERS COULD USE TO EARN AN ACT MEDALLION. 2. LRWP ORGANIZED SEVERAL DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS COUNTY-WIDE TO HOLD EVENTS IN CELEBRATION AND RECOGNITION OF WORLD WETLANDS DAY ON FEBRUARY 2, 2018. 3. PARTICIPATED WITH HOOSIER RIVERWATCH, AN INDIANA DNR PROGRAM, TO DO QUARTERLY WATER TESTING AT SITES ALONG THE GRAHAM-MCCULLOCH DITCH AND LITTLE RIVER. LRWP ALSO CONDUCTS MONARCH MONITORING THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA'S MONARCH LARVA MONITORING PROGRAM. IN 2018, LRWP STARTED NEST WATCH THROUGH CORNELL UNIVERSITY. 4. MADE PRESENTATIONS TO GROUPS SUCH AS INDIANA MASTER NATURALISTS, INDIANA MASTER GARDENERS, STAFF AT THE ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY, UNIVERSITY OF SAINT FRANCIS STUDENTS, IPFW STUDENTS, PFW STUDENTS, AND OTHERS. 5. WORKED WITH CANTERBURY MIDDLE SCHOOL, ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY, EMMAUS ST. MICHAEL SCHOOL, ST. JUDE, LA PETIT ACADEMY, WHITNEY YOUNG, YOUTH SOCIAL SERVICES, FORT WAYNE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, EASTER SEALS/ARC, ICAN, SCOUT GROUPS, AND MORE ON YOUTH PROGRAMS. 6. SUPERVISED SUMMER-SEMESTER STUDENT INTERNS FROM PURDUE UNIVERSITY AND WORKED WITH PROFESSORS TO BRING COLLEGE CLASSES FROM PFW, UNIVERSITY OF ST. FRANCIS, AND CALIFORNIA LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY TO EAGLE MARSH FOR FIELD TRIPS, AND FACILITATED RESEARCH AT EAGLE MARSH BY IPFW AND PFW.
Interesting data from their 2019 990 filing
The non-profit's aim, as indicated in the filing, is “To restore and protect wetlands in the historic watershed of the little river, a major tributary of the wabash river, and to provide educational opportunities that encourage good stewardship of wetlands and other natural ecosystems. our project area encompasses 25,000 acres of land once known as the great marsh, just southwest of fort wayne, indiana.”.
When referring to its functions, they were specified as: “Little river wetlands project's (lrwp) mission is to restore and protect wetlands in the historic watershed of the little river, a major tributary of the wabash river, and to provide educational opportunities that encourage good stewardship of wetlands and other natural ecosystems. lrwp protects 1,227 acres of restored and natural habitat including wetlands, forested wetlands, sedge meadows and prairies. it provides stewardship care of its four wetland nature preserves in allen county: arrowhead marsh, arrowhead prairie, eagle marsh (756 acres) is "the largest inland urban wetland restoration in the u.s.", buttonbush bottoms, and in huntington the little river landing preserve. lrwp also work with property owners who wish to conserve their land, and lrwp holds a 140 natural acres in a conservation easement. wetlands benefit nearby communities and areas downstream by enhancing flood control, cleansing groundwater, and offering recreational opportunities for all. bird watching, hiking, a”.
- The non-profit has reported their operating state as IN, as required by law.
- As stated in the filing, the non-profit's address in 2019 was 5000 SMITH ROAD, FORT WAYNE, IN, 46804.
- The non-profit's form reports a total of 12 employees as of 2019.
- Does not operate a hospital.
- Does not operate a school.
- Does not collect art.
- Does not provide credit counseling.
- Does not have foreign activities.
- Is not a donor-advised fund.
- Is not a private foundation.
- Expenses are between $250,000 and $500,000.
- Revenue is between $250,000 and $500,000.
- Revenue less expenses is -$27,187.
- The CEO's salary policy within the organization is established through a review process by an impartial entity.
- The organization has a written policy that describes how long it will retain documents.
- The organization has 13 independent voting members.
- The organization was formed in 1990.
- The organization has a written policy that addresses conflicts of interest.
- The organization is required to file Schedule B.
- The organization is required to file Schedule O.
- The organization pays $233,667 in salary, compensation, and benefits to its employees.
- The organization pays $39,185 in fundraising expenses.
- The organization provides Form 990 to its governing body.
- The organization has minutes of its meetings.
- The organization has a written whistleblower policy.
- The organization has fundraising events.